The Private Investigator Who Plays Himself in Martin Scorsese Movies

More than viscerally portraying the underbelly of America through various criminal enterprises or the psychological burdens of alienated outcasts, Martin Scorsese strives for authenticity. Expressive verisimilitude from characters and environments is the heart of each of his films. Goodfellas is a shining crystallization of Italian culture. Mean Streets is an autobiographical recount of what life is like growing up in the tough neighborhood of Little Italy. Few films are as emotionally honest and vulnerable as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. In many instances, Scorsese cast real-life figures to play their dramatized selves on screen, and no individual excelled under the bright lights of Scorsese’s direction quite like Richard “Bo” Dietl.

Who Is Bo Dietl?

Dietl is prized as a high-profile police officer, with the description of his memoir One Tough Cop citing that he made over 1,400 arrests over his 15-year career with the NYPD, compared to the average cop’s career total of 180. Since retiring from the police force, he has become prevalent across all media. His book was adapted into a feature film of the same name, starring Stephen Baldwin as Dietl. Through November 2022, the last uploaded episode, he hosted the show One Tough Podcast, where he discusses current events and crime-related stories in his expected brash and loudmouthed fashion. Dietl could frequently be heard as a guest on notorious broadcaster Don Imus‘ radio program. Outspoken with his political views, Dietl was a contributor to various shows on Fox News. Following his departure from the network, he revealed to The Wall Street Journal that he was hired by the station to discredit the claims of women who accused former Fox News president Roger Ailes.

For Bo Dietl, politics was the next step to take following the progression of law enforcement, writing, acting, and media contribution. He ran for mayor of New York City in 2017 as an Independent. Originally campaigning as a Democrat, he was forced to pivot due to a filing error. He finished in 6th place with 1% of the vote, losing to the incumbent mayor, Bill de Blasio. He previously ran for U.S. Senate in 1986. His bid for New York’s 6th Congressional District was endorsed by Vice President George H.W. Bush and President Ronald Reagan. Transgressive behavior aside, Dietl is an unmistakable presence in the media spotlight, naturally making him suited to speak to potential voters and film audiences. Martin Scorsese’s repeated casting of a former private detective evokes desperate stunt casting on the outside, but his unabashed frankness and inseparable New York qualities made him a natural as a narcotic officer, mob boss, or himself serving as the watchful guardian to Jordan Belfort.

Martin Scorsese Casts His Projects Authentically

There is a precedent for Scorsese casting historical figures to play themselves. Edward McDonald, the real prosecutor who convinces Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) to be placed under witness protection and subsequently indict his fellow mobsters, is played by none other than Edward McDonald. Pulling directly from the source material of real life is the most accurate form of authenticity. Scorsese’s overlooked film about the 14th Dalai Lama living under Chinese oppression, Kundun, was rounded out by non-professional actors from Tibet. The real Jordan Belfort appears in the final sequence of The Wolf of Wall Street, where he introduces the dramatized Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is speaking at a seminar.

Speaking of The Wolf of Wall Street, Bo Dietl reunited with Scorsese with an interesting wrinkle. He previously starred in Goodfellas as the narcotics officer who arrests Henry Hill during his cocaine-induced bout with paranoia while being followed by a helicopter. Nearly 30 years later, Dietl appeared in Scorsese’s gangster picture swan song, The Irishman, as a mob-connected union representative who introduces Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) to Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). In between this time, Dietl played himself in The Wolf of Wall Street as an advisory figure to Belfort regarding his confrontations with the FBI, particularly his attempts to bribe the agent spearheading the investigation into Stratton Oakmont, Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler).

Bo Dietl Worked With ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’s Real Jordan Belfort

Staying true to reality, Bo Dietl, a former detective for the New York City Police Department and private investigator, served as Belfort’s head of security, installing the corrupt stockbroker’s home security and staying vigilant of his fraudulent activities in the 1990s. He acted as an enforcer figure protecting his client from extortion from organized crime. In an interview with the New York-based media company Mic, Dietl stated “He…had the gangsters lurking… When [these guys] see a lot of money … well, you need some protection. [The gangsters] want to weasel their way in so [Belfort] called me up to weasel them out.” Similarly, in The Wolf of Wall Street, Dietl urges Belfort to be cautious of his excessive indulgence in drugs and reprimands him for his bid to pay off Denham. When it came to sobering his client up, he was too late, as he was talking on the phone with Belfort mere moments before his intake of Quaaludes kicked in, causing him to lose his motor skills in an iconic sequence of physical comedy.

Where Dietl’s interview with Mic stands out is his disparagement of his former client. Staunchly rejecting any streak of remorse coming from Belfort, Dietl referred to him as a “scumbag,” arguing that he is merely trying to cash in on his infamous past glories. “Just think about your life, having the greatest actors playing you…having the Martin Scorsese directing it…having a $100 million budget… He’s like Robin Hood now, and he stole $200 million from grandma and grandpa.” Dietl said. The detective-turned-actor additionally claimed that Belfort has only paid $243,000 in restitution since 2007 and still owes $110.4 million to his victims. This is a surprising turn of events for someone who had just starred in a film about Belfort’s illicit Wall Street practices — a film in which Belfort served as a consultant to Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance.

Bo Dietl Is a Perfect Match With Martin Scorsese

The retired police detective fits perfectly in the director’s oeuvre. His hard-nosed attitude and style of speech blend him with the milieu of gangsters. The authenticity of Dietl does not solely derive from his real-life background. His demeanor likens him to a pure embodiment of New York City, Scorsese’s formative place of origin and an essential trait in his greater thematic arc. His blue-collar, street-level comportment seamlessly integrates into the director’s lived-in atmosphere and grounded approach to storytelling.

Dietl shares the screen in some of the most indelible moments of Scorsese’s filmography, such as when he points a gun at Henry Hill, signaling a morose end to the gangster’s roller-coaster ride in the amusement park that is the mafia. Despite its harrowing conclusion, The Irishman is filled with humor, and one of the most wry moments comes when Dietl’s character, Joseph Glimco, secretly injects a watermelon with vodka to comply with Hoffa’s alcohol-free policy. Scorsese has a particular eye for casting, and it often leads to him utilizing the comedic talents of Albert Brooks, Don Rickles, and Ray Romano to punch up disposable roles in Taxi Driver, Casino, and The Irishman, respectively. His fondness for Dietl speaks to a kinship with his vibrant New York energy.