Known For
Acting
Born
Feb 24, 1921
Died
Jan 26, 2016
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Credits
104 titles
Abe Vigoda
Biography
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
Filmography
The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959
Salvatore "Sal" Tessio (uncredited)
Cutaways
The Unknown Trilogy
Uncle Morty (segment "Frankie the Squirrel")
Farce of the Penguins
Penguin from Boca (voice)
Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special
Self
Crime Spree
Angelo Giancarlo
TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV
Tea Cakes or Cannoli
Deadline
Joseph Spiaggio
Chump Change
The Frog
The Norm Show
Family Guy
Abe Vigoda (voice)
Witness to the Mob
Paul Castellano
Just the Ticket
Arty
A Brooklyn State of Mind
Uncle Guy
Good Burger
Otis
Farticus
Zeus
A Christmas Journey Home
Grandpa
Promised Land
Underworld
Will Cassady
Love Is All There Is
Rudy
Jury Duty
Judge Powell
The Misery Brothers
Don Frito Layleone
Touched by an Angel
Receptionist Angel
North
Alaskan Grandpa
Weird Science
Sugar Hill
Gus Molino
Home of Angels
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Salvatore Valestra (voice)
Diagnosis: Murder
Alfredo Bartolo / Al Bartell / Mr. Johnson
Me and the Kid
Pawn Broker
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self (uncredited)
Fist of Honor
Victor Malucci
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
Salvatore 'Sal' Tessio
Mad About You
Kalman Wertzel
Lucky Luke
Judge Rinehart
The Adventures of the Black Stallion
Law & Order
Detective Landis
Night of 100 Stars III
Self
Wings
Harry
Joe Versus the Volcano
Chief of the Waponis
Keaton's Cop
Louis Keaton
Prancer
Orel Benton
Look Who's Talking
Grandpa
B.L. Stryker
Clayton Baskin
Monsters
Dolan
Superboy
Plain Clothes
Mr. Wiseman
Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter
Abe
MacGyver
Bill Cody