1921-02-24 New York City, New York, USA
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.
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Cutaways | 2013-11-23 | |
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The Unknown Trilogy | Uncle Morty (segment "Frankie the Squirrel") | 2008-01-29 |
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Farce of the Penguins | Penguin from Boca (voice) | 2006-12-01 |
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Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special | Self | 2003-09-14 |
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Crime Spree | Angelo Giancarlo | 2003-04-16 |
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Tea Cakes or Cannoli | 2000-12-31 | |
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Chump Change | The Frog | 2000-01-01 |
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Witness to the Mob | Paul Castellano | 1998-05-10 |
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Just the Ticket | Arty | 1998-02-01 |
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A Brooklyn State of Mind | Uncle Guy | 1998-01-01 |
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Good Burger | Otis | 1997-07-25 |
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Farticus | Zeus | 1997-01-01 |
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Underworld | Will Cassady | 1996-06-01 |
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Love Is All There Is | Rudy | 1996-05-10 |
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A Christmas Journey Home | Grandpa | 1996-12-01 |
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The Misery Brothers | Don Frito Layleone | 1995-01-01 |
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Jury Duty | Judge Powell | 1995-04-12 |
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Sugar Hill | Gus Molino | 1994-02-25 |
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North | Alaskan Grandpa | 1994-07-22 |
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Home of Angels | 1994-01-01 | |
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Fist of Honor | Victor Malucci | 1993-05-19 |
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Batman: Mask of the Phantasm | Salvatore Valestra (voice) | 1993-12-25 |
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Me and the Kid | Pawn Broker | 1993-10-22 |
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Night of 100 Stars III | Self | 1990-05-21 |
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Keaton's Cop | Louis Keaton | 1990-03-09 |
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Joe Versus the Volcano | Chief of the Waponis | 1990-03-09 |
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Look Who's Talking | Grandpa | 1989-10-12 |
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Prancer | Orel Benton | 1989-11-17 |
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Plain Clothes | Mr. Wiseman | 1988-04-15 |
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Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter | Abe | 1986-01-01 |
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The Stuff | Stuff Commercial Spokesman | 1985-06-14 |
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Cannonball Run II | Caesar | 1984-06-29 |
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The Godfather 1901–1959: The Complete Epic | Salvatore "Sal" Tessio (uncredited) | 1981-03-24 |
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The Big Stuffed Dog | Carnival Pitchman | 1981-02-08 |
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Gridlock | Herb | 1980-10-02 |
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Death Car on the Freeway | Mr. Frisch | 1979-09-24 |
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How to Pick Up Girls! | Nathan Perlmutter | 1978-11-03 |
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The Comedy Company | Jake | 1978-07-21 |
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The Cheap Detective | Sergeant Rizzuto | 1978-06-23 |
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Having Babies | Al Schneider | 1976-10-17 |
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Dean Martin's Red Hot Scandals of 1926 | Self | 1976-11-08 |
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Joys | Self | 1976-03-05 |
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Newman's Law | John Dellanzia | 1974-08-21 |
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The Godfather Part II | Salvatore 'Sal' Tessio | 1974-12-20 |
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The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd | Dominic Morrell | 1974-05-07 |
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The Don Is Dead | Don Talusso | 1973-11-14 |
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The Devil's Daughter | Alikhine | 1973-01-09 |
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Toma | Donzer | 1973-03-21 |
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The Godfather | Sal Tessio | 1972-03-14 |
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Trois chambres à Manhattan | Waiter (uncredited) | 1965-11-10 |
