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The Irish R.M. is a 1983 television comedy-drama series based on a trilogy of books by the Anglo-Irish novelists Somerville and Ross. It is set in the turn-of-the-twentieth-century west of Ireland.
- Katherine Schaffstall
- Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, portrayed by Robert De Niro. De Niro plays Frank Sheeran, who is also known as "The Irishman." The film is told from his point of view as he gives an insider account of his life as a hitman.
- Jimmy Hoffa, portrayed by Al Pacino. Pacino plays Hoffa, the controversial leader of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He consolidated his power in the 1940s and '50s, which led to his rise in fame as the head of the country's strongest union.
- Russell Bufalino, portrayed by Joe Pesci. Pesci stars in The Irishman as Russell Bufalino. Due to his powerful status in Pennsylvania, Bufalino was able to hide a vast domain of criminal activity behind his curtain business.
- Felix "Skinny Razor" DiTullio, portrayed by Bobby Cannavale. Cannavale plays Felix "Skinny Razor" DiTullio, who, in the film, was Sheeran's boss during his younger years.
- Who Was Jimmy Hoffa and Was He Really The Most Famous Man in America?
- What Did The Teamsters Have to Do with The Mafia?
- Who, Then, Was Frank Sheeran?
- How Did The Kennedys Get Involved in This Story?
- Where Did Hoffa Come Into Conflict with The Kennedy Administration?
- So If Not Sheeran, Who Actually Killed Jimmy Hoffa?
James Hoffa, mostly known by the media as Jimmy, was a labor organizer even in his early career—at 14, he dropped out of school to work full time, and as a teenager he organized fellow grocery store workers to challenge unfair treatment by managers and to advocate for higher wages. He joined the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters in 1932 wh...
In the mid-20th century, the Teamsters’ pension fund grew in size as membershipswelled. Many mafia families used this fund as a piggy bank, taking out off-the-books loans they’d use to fund the construction of casinos in Las Vegas (the mechanics of this story are detailed in Casino, another Scorsese film). “The problem with the loans to the Mob-con...
Many historians of the FBI, labor unions, and organized crime cast aspersions on Frank Sheeran’s stories that he killed Hoffa, or that he killed infamous “Crazy Joe Gallo” in Manhattan’s Little Italy in 1972. Writer and mafia historian Bill Tonelli, writing in Slate, exhaustively argues that Sheeran’s claims are mere fantasy: “Not a single person I...
John F. Kennedy’s relationship with the mafia is probably second only to his relationship with Marilyn Monroe in terms of public fascination. While little direct evidence connects Kennedy patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. to the bootlegging industry of the Prohibition age, he was a shrewd Wall Street investor and, later, Hollywood power player—he ma...
As soon as JFK installed his brother Robert as attorney general in 1961, Jimmy Hoffa shot to the top of the younger Kennedy’s personal Most Wanted list. A one-man anti-mob crusader, Kennedy and his team, Ronald L. Goldfarb outlines in 2002’s Perfect Villains, Imperfect Heroes,accused Hoffa of being little better than a mafia boss himself. He was ch...
While not considered by contemporary law enforcement to be a primary suspect in Hoffa’s disappearance, Sheeran’s name did appear on the FBI’s initial list of suspects, but his relationship with Hoffa—and with Bufalino—means that he can’t be ruled out of having some connection to the crime, even if he didn’t pull the trigger himself. In Hoffa lore, ...
- Jimmy Hoffa. A crusader to some, and a villain to many, Jimmy Hoffa (played by Al Pacino) was, for a time, one of the most powerful labor leaders in the U.S. From 1957 to 1971, he was the president of the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters, a trucking union that Hoffa helped build into the largest union in the country.
- Russell Bufalino. As in real life, Joe Pesci’s Russell Bufalino in The Irishman cuts a low profile that conceals his influence. A quiet leader of a Northeast Pennsylvania crime family, the real Bufalino was a powerful player in the Teamsters union, according to Brandt, and had even allegedly been recruited to spy in Cuba by the CIA.
- Frank Sheeran. Depending on who you ask, the real Frank Sheeran was something between a crooked two-bit Philly Teamsters leader and one of the most prolific mafia hitmen of all time.
- Anthony Provenzano. Anthony Provenzano (Stephen Graham), known to associates as “Tony Pro,” was a living embodiment of the crossover between the Teamsters union and the mob.
Apr 19, 2020 · Is The Irishman ‘true story’ really that true? It’s based on the life of Frank Sheeran, and for the most part, it seems to be an accurate retelling. However, there are a few plot points that have raised some eyebrows.
Dec 2, 2019 · The story of The Irishman is enshrined in history - the whole premise of the film is based on claims made by Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran which were revealed in I Heard You Paint Houses, a...
Jan 4, 2020 · "The Irishman" is based off the real life and true events of Frank Sheeran, played by Robert DeNiro. But not everyone buys his story of killing Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino, in 1975.
