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.
Tea Cakes or Cannoli
North
(Alaskan Grandpa)
Cannonball Run II
(Caesar)
Prancer
(Orel Benton)
Look Who's Talking
(Grandpa)
Just the Ticket
(Arty)
The Godfather 1901–1959: The Complete Epic
(Salvatore "Sal" Tessio (uncredited))
The Cheap Detective
(Sergeant Rizzuto)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
(Salvatore Valestra (voice))
Witness to the Mob
(Paul Castellano)
Sugar Hill
(Gus Molino)
A Brooklyn State of Mind
(Uncle Guy)
Jury Duty
(Judge Powell)
Me and the Kid
(Pawn Broker)
Fist of Honor
(Victor Malucci)
Love Is All There Is
(Rudy)
Underworld
(Will Cassady)
The Don Is Dead
(Don Talusso)
The Godfather
(Sal Tessio)
The Devil's Daughter
(Alikhine)
Keaton's Cop
(Louis Keaton)
Death Car on the Freeway
(Mr. Frisch)
A Christmas Journey Home
(Grandpa)
Good Burger
(Otis)
The Comedy Company
(Jake)
Newman's Law
(John Dellanzia)
Night of 100 Stars III
(Self)
Crime Spree
(Angelo Giancarlo)
Plain Clothes
(Mr. Wiseman)
Gridlock
(Herb)
The Godfather Part II
(Salvatore 'Sal' Tessio)
Joe Versus the Volcano
(Chief of the Waponis)
Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter
(Abe)
The Misery Brothers
(Don Frito Layleone)
The Stuff
(Stuff Commercial Spokesman)
Three Rooms in Manhattan
(Waiter (uncredited))
Joys
(Self)
Farce of the Penguins
(Penguin from Boca (voice))
The Big Stuffed Dog
(Carnival Pitchman)
The Unknown Trilogy
(Uncle Morty (segment "Frankie the Squirrel"))
Dean Martin's Red Hot Scandals of 1926
(Self)
The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd
(Dominic Morrell)
Chump Change
(The Frog)
Home of Angels
Cutaways
Having Babies
(Al Schneider)
How to Pick Up Girls!
(Nathan Perlmutter)
Farticus
(Zeus)
Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special
(Self)
Toma
(Donzer)
Murder, She Wrote
(George)
Mad About You
(Kalman Wertzel)
The Norm Show
Supertrain
B. J. and the Bear
Harper Valley
The Rookies
Family Guy
(Abe Vigoda (voice))
The Adventures of the Black Stallion
The Love Boat
(Charlie Fletcher)
The Bionic Woman
Hawaii Five-O
(Abe Kemper)
Deadline
(Joseph Spiaggio)
Wings
(Harry)
Dark Shadows
Diagnosis: Murder
(Alfredo Bartolo / Al Bartell / Mr. Johnson)
Kojak
(Kilty)
Weird Science
Studio One
(Old Train Passenger)
Cannon
Superboy
Eight Is Enough
Tattletales
Monsters
The Sandy Duncan Show
Fish
(Phil Fish)
Vega$
Promised Land
The Littlest Hobo
Barney Miller
(Philip Fish)
Toma
Suspense
Sweepstakes
The Captain and Tennille
(Self)
TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV
Tony Orlando and Dawn
(Self)
B.L. Stryker
Tales from the Darkside
(Jake Corelli)
The Rockford Files
(Al Dancer)
Touched by an Angel
(Receptionist Angel)
The Bob Hope Show
(Self)
Law & Order
(Detective Landis)
The Rockford Files
(Phil 'The Dancer' Gabriel)
Mannix
(Anton Valine)
MacGyver
(Bill Cody)
Saturday Night Live
(Self - Cameo (uncredited))
Barney Miller
(Det. Phil Fish (uncredited))
Lucky Luke
(Judge Rinehart)
Barney Miller
(Det. Phil Fish)
Love, American Style
(Mr. Burdick (uncredited))
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
(Salvatore "Sal" Tessio (uncredited))