Abe Vigoda
Acting
Tall, dour-faced and slouch-shouldered character actor Abraham Charles Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) proved himself in both gritty dramatic roles, and as an actor with wonderful comedic timing. Vigoda was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lena (Moses) and Samuel Vigoda, both Russian Jewish immigrants. His father was a tailor on the Lower East Side. He made his first stage appearance at the age of 17 and plodded away in small theater shows for over 20 years. For the majority of film-goers, Vigoda first came to prominence in The Godfather (1972) as the double-crossing Tessio, pleading with Robert Duvall to get him off the hook "for old times' sake." He also appeared in its sequel. Vigoda had roles in a few nondescript TV films before landing the plum part of Sgt. Phil Fish on the brilliant sitcom Barney Miller (1974). Perhaps his best known role, Sgt. Fish proved popular enough to be spun off to his own (short-lived) series Fish (1977). With his long face and unusual looks, Vigoda remained in high demand in mafioso-type roles, and for a while in the mid-1980s, he was mistakenly believed to have been dead, leading producers to remark, "I need an Abe Vigoda type actor," not realizing Vigoda was still alive and well. The 1990s and beyond became busy again for him, with appearances in North (1994), The Misery Brothers (1995), A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998), and Crime Spree (2003). He continued acting into his 90s, surprising audiences with his entertaining style. Abe Vigoda died in his sleep on January 26, 2016 in Woodland Park, New Jersey.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
as Salvatore Valestra (voice)
Age 72 (now 94)
The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959
as Salvatore "Sal" Tessio (uncredited)
Age 94
The Unknown Trilogy
as Uncle Morty (segment "Frankie the Squirrel")
Age 86 (now 94)
Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special
as Self
Age 82 (now 94)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
as Salvatore Valestra (voice)
Age 72 (now 94)
Dean Martin's Red Hot Scandals of 1926
as Self
Age 55 (now 94)
The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd
as Dominic Morrell
Age 53 (now 94)
TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV
Diagnosis: Murder
as Alfredo Bartolo / Al Bartell / Mr. Johnson
Age 72 (now 94)
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
as Self (uncredited)
Age 72 (now 94) Late Night with Conan O'Brien
as Self - Guest
Age 72 (now 94)
The Adventures of the Black Stallion
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
as Salvatore "Sal" Tessio (uncredited)
Age 56 (now 94)
Love, American Style
as Mr. Burdick (uncredited)
Age 48 (now 94)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self
Age 41 (now 94)
Gathering insights...
Also Known As
Abraham Charles Vigodah, ایب ویگودا
IMDB
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