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