Jimmy Conway, a character from the film “Goodfellas,” is based on the real-life mobster James Burke. In the movie, Conway is eventually arrested and sentenced to a long prison term. He dies in prison due to lung cancer.
In the 1990 film directed by Martin Scorsese, Jimmy Conway, played by Robert De Niro, is a prominent figure in the New York City criminal underworld. The character is a composite of various real-life mobsters but is primarily based on James Burke, also known as Jimmy the Gent. Conway is portrayed as a charming and intelligent criminal, involved in numerous heists and criminal enterprises, including the infamous Lufthansa heist, which was at the time the largest cash robbery in American history.
As the story unfolds, Conway’s criminal activities catch up with him. The film depicts his increasing paranoia and his role in the murder of several associates to prevent them from becoming informants. His actions eventually lead to his downfall. The law enforcement’s net closes in on the criminal enterprise, and Conway, along with his associates, faces arrest.
Conway’s life in crime ends when he is convicted and sentenced to a lengthy prison term. While the film does not depict his death, it is known that the real James Burke, whom Conway’s character is based on, died in prison in 1996 from lung cancer. Burke was serving a 20-year-to-life sentence for his involvement in the murder of a drug dealer, and he was suspected of involvement in many other crimes, although he was never formally charged for the Lufthansa heist. Burke’s life and criminal career have been the subject of much fascination and have been detailed in various books and documentaries about the American Mafia.