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