Acting
Abe Vigoda
Born Feb 24, 1921 · New York City, New York, USA · Died Jan 26, 2016
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.
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Acting
The Unknown Trilogy
2008
Horror · Thriller
Farce of the Penguins
2006
Comedy · Romance · Documentary
Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special
2003
Comedy · TV Movie · Documentary
Crime Spree
2003
Comedy · Crime · Action
Tea Cakes or Cannoli
2000
Family
Deadline
2000
Drama
Chump Change
2000
Comedy
The Norm Show
1999
Comedy
Family Guy
1999
Animation · Comedy
Witness to the Mob
1998
TV Movie · Crime · Drama
Just the Ticket
1998
Comedy · Romance
A Brooklyn State of Mind
1998
Drama · Action · Thriller
Good Burger
1997
Family · Comedy
Farticus
1997
Comedy
Promised Land
1996
Drama
Underworld
1996
Drama · Action · Comedy
Love Is All There Is
1996
Comedy · Romance
Jury Duty
1995
Comedy · Drama
The Misery Brothers
1995
Comedy
Touched by an Angel
1994
Sci-Fi & Fantasy · Drama · Family
North
1994
Comedy · Family · Adventure
Weird Science
1994
Sci-Fi & Fantasy · Comedy
Sugar Hill
1994
Drama · Action · Thriller
Home of Angels
1994
Family · Comedy
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
1993
Animation · Crime · Mystery
Diagnosis: Murder
1993
Drama · Family · Mystery
Me and the Kid
1993
Family · Comedy · Crime
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
Comedy · Talk
Fist of Honor
1993
Adventure · Drama · Action
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
1992
Crime · Drama
Mad About You
1992
Comedy
Lucky Luke
1992
Western · Comedy
The Adventures of the Black Stallion
1992
Action & Adventure · Drama · Family
Law & Order
1990
Crime · Drama
Night of 100 Stars III
1990
Comedy · Music · TV Movie
Wings
1990
Comedy · Drama
Keaton's Cop
1990
Crime
Joe Versus the Volcano
1990
Comedy · Romance · Adventure
Prancer
1989
Family · Drama · Fantasy
Look Who's Talking
1989
Comedy · Romance
B.L. Stryker
1989
Drama · Mystery
Monsters
1988
Sci-Fi & Fantasy · Mystery · Comedy
Superboy
1988
Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Plain Clothes
1988
Comedy · Thriller · Mystery
Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter
1986
Drama · Comedy
MacGyver
1985
Drama · Action & Adventure · Crime
The Stuff
1985
Horror · Science Fiction · Comedy
Murder, She Wrote
1984
Mystery · Crime · Drama
Tales from the Darkside
1984
Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cannonball Run II
1984
Action · Comedy
The Big Stuffed Dog
1981
TV Movie · Comedy · Family
Harper Valley
1981
Comedy
Gridlock
1980
Comedy · TV Movie
The Littlest Hobo
1979
Action & Adventure · Family · Drama
Death Car on the Freeway
1979
Mystery · Thriller · Horror
B. J. and the Bear
1979
Drama · Comedy
Supertrain
1979
Action & Adventure · Comedy · Drama
How to Pick Up Girls!
1978
Comedy · TV Movie
Vega$
1978
Drama · Crime
The Comedy Company
1978
Comedy · Drama · TV Movie
The Cheap Detective
1978
Comedy · Crime · Mystery
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
1977
Crime · Drama
The Love Boat
1977
Drama · Comedy
Eight Is Enough
1977
Drama · Comedy
Fish
1977
Comedy
Having Babies
1976
Drama · TV Movie
Joys
1976
Comedy · TV Movie
The Bionic Woman
1976
Sci-Fi & Fantasy · Action & Adventure · Drama
Barney Miller
1975
Comedy
The Godfather Part II
1974
Drama · Crime
The Rockford Files
1974
Crime · Drama · Mystery
Newman's Law
1974
Action · Crime
The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd
1974
Crime · Drama · TV Movie
Tattletales
1974
Comedy
The Don Is Dead
1973
Crime · Drama
Kojak
1973
Crime · Drama · Mystery
Toma
1973
Toma
1973
Action · Crime · Drama
The Devil's Daughter
1973
Horror · TV Movie
The Rookies
1972
Drama · Crime
The Godfather
1972
Drama · Crime
Cannon
1971
Drama · Action & Adventure
Love, American Style
1969
Comedy
Hawaii Five-O
1969
Action & Adventure · Drama
Mannix
1967
Action & Adventure · Crime · Mystery
Dark Shadows
1966
Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy · Soap
Three Rooms in Manhattan
1965
Drama · Romance
Buck Rogers
1950
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Suspense
1949
Drama
Studio One
1948
Drama