Abe Vigoda (born Abraham Charles Vigodah on February 24, 1921) is an American movie and television actor.Vigoda was born in New York City to Lena and Samuel Vigodah, Jewish immigrants from Russia.U.S. Census, April 1, 1930, State of New York, County of Kings, Borough of Brooklyn, enumeration district 566, p. 14-A, family 10. Vigoda gained fame through his supporting character roles, notably as mobster Sal Tessio in the 1972 movie The Godfather. He later played Detective Sgt. Fish on the television series Barney Miller and its spinoff Fish. Before Barney Miller, he made a few appearances on the ABC-TV soap Dark Shadows. He has appeared on Broadway in Marat/Sade (1967), The Man in the Glass Booth (1968), Inquest (1970), Tough to Get Help (1972), and Arsenic and Old Lace (1987).He has been mentioned in popular works by artists such as the Beastie Boys and Liz Phair. He makes regular appearances as himself (usually in skits relating to his age) on the television show Late Night with Conan O'Brien.His brother Bill Vigoda was a comic-book artist who drew for the "Archie" comics franchise and others in the 1940s.
Excerpts from interview with artist Gil Kane, The Comics Journal #186 (April 1986)
Reports of his death
In 1982, People magazine erroneously declared him dead. Vigoda took the error with good humor, posing for a photograph showing him sitting up in a coffin, holding the magazine in question. This rumor was nearly started again in 1987 when a reporter for Secaucus, New Jersey television station WWOR, Channel 9 erroneously referred to him as "the late Abe Vigoda". She corrected herself on the air the next day. His erroneous death has remained a running joke for Vigoda. For example, a Late Night with David Letterman skit showed Letterman trying to summon Vigoda's ghost. Vigoda then walked in and declared, "I'm not dead, you idiot!" In 2002, Greg Galcik recorded a gothic rock song "Abe Vigoda's Dead", a parody of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus. A November 2006 Conan O'Brien sketch showed an audience member summoning the dead. The "deceased person" turned out to be Vigoda.As of January 2008, Mr. Vigoda resides in Manhattan's Upper East Side.
Filmography
- Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (1965)
- Three Rooms in Manhattan (1965)
- The Godfather (1972)
- The Don Is Dead (1973)
- Newman's Law (1974)
- Part II (1974)
- The Cheap Detective (1978)
- Cannonball Run II (1984)
- The Stuff (1985) (Cameo)
- A Delicate Matter (1986)
- Keaton's Cop (1988)
- Plain Clothes (1988)
- Look Who's Talking (1989)
- Prancer (1989)
- Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
- Fist of Honor (1993)
- Me and the Kid (1993)
- Mask of the Phantasm (1993) (voice)
- Home of Angels (1994)
- Sugar Hill (1994)
- North (1994)
- The Misery Brothers (1995)
- Jury Duty (1995)
- Love Is All There Is (1996)
- Underworld (1996)
- Me and the Gods (1997)
- A Brooklyn State of Mind (1997)
- Good Burger (1997)
- Just the Ticket (1999)
- Tea Cake or Cannoli (2000)
- Crime Spree (2003)
- Chump Change (2004)
- Farce of the Penguins (2007) (voice)
Upcoming:
- Frankie the Squirrel (2007)
Television work
- Studio One (1949)
- Dark Shadows (cast member in 1969)
- The Devil's Daughter (1973)
- Toma (1973)
- The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd (1974)
- Barney Miller (cast member from 1975-1977)
- The Bionic Woman (1976)
- Having Babies (1976)
- Fish (1977-1978)
- Soap (1978)
- The Comedy Company (1978)
- How to Pick Up Girls! (1978)
- Death Car on the Freeway (1979)
- Gridlock (1980)
- The Big Stuffed Dog (1981)
- As the World Turns (cast member in 1985)
- Tales from the Darkside - A Choice of Dreams in 1986
- Santa Barbara (cast member in 1989)
- Lucky Luke (1993) (canceled after 8 episodes)
- Law & Order (1995) (1 ep. as Brisco's retired partner)
- Witness to the Mob (1998)
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (recurring character)
- Family Guy (2001) (Cameo)
Footnotes
External links
American JewsJewish actors1921 birthsAmerican film actorsAmerican television actorsPeople from New York CityLiving peopleAbe VigodaAbe VigodaAbe VigodaAbe VigodaAbe Vigoda
