Early this morning, Abe Vigoda passed away peacefully in his New Jersey home due to natural causes. The star of stage and screen (both big and small) was ninety-four years old.
Most will first recognize Vigoda’s unique face with sunken features from The Godfather (1972) and ABC’s long-running show Barney Miller (and spinoff show Fish), but the memorable actor first broke onto the scene as a professional stage actor. Vigoda, born and raised in New York City, honed his exceptional craft on Broadway almost exclusively for two decades. After a solid career in theater—including roles in The Tempest, The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat, and Richard II—Vigoda transferred his talents to film and television. Beyond his two most famous roles as doomed mobster Tessio and Detective Sgt. Fish, Vigoda had a long career in both fields including big screen roles in 1989’s Look Who’s Talking, 1990’s Joe Versus the Volcano, and 1997’s Good Burger and small screen appearances on Law & Order, Wings, and As the World Turns.
In 1982, People magazine falsely claimed that Vigoda had passed, which started the actor’s second career as a cult icon. Vigoda appeared several times on Late Night with Conan O’Brien to confirm that he was still alive as well as be a part of some truly hilarious and ridiculous bits.
Vigoda spent his free time as an avid handball player. He is survived by his daughter, Carol.
