The inside of author and screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi’s home reflects an accomplished career, as well as the life he shared with his wife, writer and director Nora Ephron. 

Pileggi is known for his impressive roster of mob movies, including “Goodfellas” (1990), the Oscar-nominated film he co-wrote with director Martin Scorsese. The screenplay is based on Pileggi’s book, “Wiseguy,” which follows the true story of Henry Hill, a mobster-turned-federal-informant. 

Pileggi went on to write the book “Casino,” along with the screenplay for the film adaptation. His latest film, “The Alto Knights,” which released March 21, stars Robert De Niro and follows infamous New York crime bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. 

Ephron, on the other hand, is known for her influence in the romantic-comedy genre. Ephron wrote and produced “When Harry Met Sally” (1989) and wrote and directed the Tom Hanks romantic comedy “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), among other notable films. Both her and Pileggi’s work have been lauded for their realistic dialogue and compelling characters. 

Pileggi said he was “trying to get a little deeper than the guys showing up with a gun and sticking up a bank,” in his films. “There’s more to it than that,” he said. 

Pileggi spoke about the importance of character development in his films.

“You need people … You need Henry marrying Karen,” said Pileggi, referring to “Wiseguy” protagonist Hill and his wife Karen Friedman Hill. “For my kind of movie, I always had to find those characters.” 

The authors-turned-filmmakers both started out as journalists. Pileggi wrote for the Associated Press, and Ephron was a reporter for the New York Post.

Geoff Schumacher, vice president of exhibits and programs at The Mob Museum in Las Vegas, said that working as a journalist helped Pileggi to develop meaningful skills and connect with readers. 

“There’s a level of authenticity to the storytelling that can only be incorporated when you have lived this as a journalist,” Schumacher said.

Although Pileggi and Ephron worked together when they both wrote for New York Magazine in 1968, they didn’t start dating until the 1980s. They were married for 25 years, until Ephron’s death in 2012 at age 71. 

Ephron still plays a special part in Pileggi’s life. He refers to her tenderly during casual conversations. The couple’s Beverly Hills home is filled with photos and memorabilia of their life together. 

Pileggi and Ephron’s small, glass Writers Guild of America awards for “Goodfellas” and “When Harry Met Sally” sit side by side in the kitchen window. Ephron’s golden, H-shaped Hollywood Screenwriter Award perches on the kitchen counter behind some plastic cups, propping up a wooden cutting board. 

One of Pileggi’s prized possessions is a framed photo of Ephron as a young girl sitting on a desk in his home office. His eyes fill with pride when he holds up the photo and talks about Ephron.

When they were shopping for a place on the West Coast, the couple was drawn to their mid-century modern home. Ephron had grown up in the Beverly Hills Flats. When it came time to purchase a home in Los Angeles, she wanted to live close to where she was raised but have sweeping views. 

“[Ephron] said, ‘You know, let’s find something in the hills,’” Pileggi said. “We got up here and took one look at that view and said, ‘This is it.’”

Casey McBride, curator of Uncle Frank’s Place, an online site dedicated to Costello, said Pileggi and Ephron’s work influenced each other.

“I think when you have two creative personalities that are also very successful,” McBride said, “it would make you up your game.” 

McBride also recalled a scene from a popular Ephron movie that he believes was influenced by Pileggi.

“I remember in ‘You’ve Got Mail’ (1998), there’s a whole section in there about men and their obsession with ‘The Godfather’ (1972) movie. That’s probably something [Ephron] got from [Pileggi],” he said.

Schumacher said the couple critiqued each other’s writing, which made them better. He cited a published report quoting Pileggi saying he and Ephron were “thick-skinned enough to swap some very blunt criticism without fomenting marital strife.”

Now aged 92, Pileggi is hard at work on future projects. Still, Pileggi and Ephron have left a lasting legacy of films.

“They’re never really going to go away,” McBride said. “They’re always going to be in circulation.”

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated how Nora Ephron and Nicholas Pileggi met. The article was updated April 20 at 3:18 p.m. to reflect that Ephron and Pileggi met before they both worked at New York Magazine. The Daily Trojan regrets this error.