Abe Vigoda
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.
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.
Known for
The Unknown Trilogy
Farce of the Penguins
Crime Spree
Tea Cakes or Cannoli
Deadline
Chump Change
Norm
Family Guy
Witness to the Mob
Just the Ticket
A Brooklyn State of Mind
Good Burger
Farticus
Promised Land
Underworld
Love Is All There Is
Jury Duty
The Misery Brothers
Touched by an Angel
North
Weird Science
Sugar Hill
Home of Angels
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Diagnosis: Murder
Me and the Kid
Fist of Honor
Mad About You
Lucky Luke
The Adventures of the Black Stallion
Law & Order
Night of 100 Stars III
Wings
Joe Versus the Volcano
Prancer
Look Who's Talking
B.L. Stryker
Monsters
Superboy
Plain Clothes
Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter
MacGyver
The Stuff
Tales from the Darkside
Cannonball Run II
The Godfather 1901–1959: The Complete Epic
Harper Valley
Gridlock
The Littlest Hobo
Death Car on the Freeway
B. J. and the Bear
Supertrain
How to Pick Up Girls!
Vega$
The Comedy Company
The Cheap Detective
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
The Love Boat
Eight Is Enough
Fish
Dean Martin's Red Hot Scandals of 1926
Having Babies
The Captain and Tennille
Joys
The Bionic Woman
Saturday Night Live
Barney Miller
The Godfather Part II
Tony Orlando and Dawn
The Rockford Files
Newman's Law
The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd
Tattletales
The Don Is Dead
Kojak
Toma
The Devil's Daughter
The Rookies
The Godfather
Cannon
Love, American Style
Hawaii Five-O
Mannix
Dark Shadows
Three Rooms in Manhattan
The Bob Hope Show
Suspense
Studio One
Acting
1977
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
—
Salvatore "Sal" Tessio (uncredited)