A 2024 Update of the Cast of Casino (1995) – Where Are They Now?
Last updated: October 17, 2024
Being an auteur of cinematography involves an entire style that encompasses numerous details and elements with exquisite gravitas. One of the defining features of auteur filmmaking is the choice of actors, especially when these collaborations go about numerous titles. Kurosawa had Mifune; Ford had Wayne and Scorsese has De Niro.
The last power duo happens to feature in this article. However, Martin Scorsese and his style have given us numerous classics. Despite his wildly varied filmography, pop culture knows a certain portion of his assortment of classics: gangster movies. These incredible tales of ill-gotten gains, lavish lifestyles, and downfalls are tales ingrained in American culture.
Despite having a career spanning more than 5 decades, one of its technically crowning successes was 1995’s Casino. Returning to the genre of so-called ‘mafia movies,’ this classic showcases the ins and outs of operating a casino during the heyday of Las Vegas's organized crime influence.
There are many iconic movie scenes stemming from this classic that have taken a toll on pop culture. These days, it has a 93% user approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of Martin’s best-received films.
The cast features some of the best-known stars of the 1990s, including some of Scorsese’s most iconic collaborators. Since next year will be the 30th anniversary of this classic, how about we look at what the main cast is doing nowadays?
Robert De Niro
Despite the public tendency to bastardize his name as Robert DeNiro, the actor actually known as Robert De Nirohas been in some of Martin’s most culturally significant films: Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, The Irishman, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
In Casino, De Niro plays Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein, a character greatly inspired by Frank ‘Lefty’ Rosenthal – one of the greatest gamblers of the 20th century. As Ace, De Niro displays an acumen for pristine administration, incredible intuition, and an overall talent for understanding the psychology of gamblers.
De Niro hasn’t slowed down in the 30 years since. As mentioned above, he starred in two of Scorsese’s movies in the last 5 years and is still going strong. He’s been in numerous projects across these decades, including dramas, comedies, and TV shows.
De Niro made headlines in 2023 when, at 79 years old, he fathered a daughter with his partner. Talk about still going strong.
Joe Pesci
There isn’t much to say about Joe Pesci's life nowadays. After appearing in numerous iconic films centered around the gangster theme and becoming the iconic villain of the first two Home Alone, Joe has been in-and-around the film industry.
His role as Nicky Santoro, the short-yet-erratic character based on Anthony ‘Tony the Ant’ Spilotro, encapsulates the type of profile that his characters had. In Casino, he played an extremely violent and volatile gangster of short stature, hardened by his time as a Chicago Outfit gangster. The exact type of role that he had in Goodfellas.
Despite being semi-retired since 1999, he returned to the film industry to partake in another iconic one-two punch with Robert De Niro for The Irishman. This time, an elderly Pesci showcased his range by playing the understated and gentle mobster Russell Buffalino, reminding the world that his typecasting as an erratic villain is beneath his capability.
Sharon Stone
When Sharon Stone was in her youth, there were hardly any more iconic sex symbols than her. Her role as the neurotic, vulnerable, and show-stealing Ginger is the best-perceived role of her career, gathering praise that exceeded even her iconic role in Basic Instinct.
Sharon aged gracefully and is still stunning in her mid-60s. Her roles have been quite complex and endearing in recent memory, including her 2022 appearance in Andrew Dosunmu’s Beauty. She remains active in the acting sphere and proves that age is not stopping her anytime soon.
James Woods
Despite being known for his staunch voice in the political sphere, James Woods’ career features some heavy-hitting roles both as an actor and a voice actor. The MIT graduate played several iconic roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including as the pimp Lester Diamond in Casino and as H.R. Haldeman in the political drama Nixon.
His voice acting as Hades in the 1997 animation Hercules is still one of the best-received roles of his career. As the 20th century closed, his appearance in The Virgin Suicides also garnered praise. Quite notably, he collaborated with Rockstar Games as a voice actor in a role as covert government agent Mike Toreno in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
These days, he rarely appears in public and has pretty much stopped acting since 2013. His backing and loud voice in American conservative politics are his most famous activities these days.
Frank Vincent
Sadly, we conclude our list with the only actor to have passed away. Frank Vincent was another typecast actor who appeared in numerous roles in which he portrayed gangsters. These include his collaborations with Scorsese in The Death Collector, Goodfellas, Casino, and for his role as Phil Leotardo in The Sopranos.
Many who only know him as a tough on-screen guy don’t know that his career before acting was mostly as a lounge musician, collaborating with none other than Joe Pesci on many occasions. As such, his career continued and steered towards acting.
In Casino, he plated the relatively quiet and effective Frank Marino, the right-hand man of Pesci’s Santoro, who eventually has a twist of his own. Very sadly, Vincent passed away after a heart attack at age 80 but still remains a legend of the gangster movie genre.
Conclusion
We imagine that some of you are passionate about watching gangster movies if you’re interested in this film. Some of you may even have a certain type of love for gambling since it’s a big part of a movie.
Tales like Ace Rothstein’s are so interesting because bettors like him didn’t even have betbrain.com to help their betting deeds. As such, if you want to live a fraction of his Casino lifestyle, remember to do so by playing responsibly!
