Acting
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.
Law & Order
1990 · TV
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962 · TV
Family Guy
1999 · TV
The Mike Douglas Show
1961 · TV
The Love Boat
1977 · TV
Saturday Night Live
1975 · TV
Dark Shadows
1966 · TV
Murder, She Wrote
1984 · TV
The Bob Hope Show
1950 · TV
Hawaii Five-O
1968 · TV
The Godfather
1972 · Movie
MacGyver
1985 · TV
Diagnosis: Murder
1993 · TV
Wings
1990 · TV
Love, American Style
1969 · TV
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993 · TV
Mannix
1967 · TV
The Rockford Files
1974 · TV
The Godfather Part II
1974 · Movie
Studio One
1948 · TV
Touched by an Angel
1994 · TV
Mad About You
1992 · TV
Tales from the Darkside
1984 · TV
Barney Miller
1975 · TV
Cannon
1971 · TV
Suspense
1949 · TV
The Bionic Woman
1976 · TV
Dinah!
1974 · TV
Kojak
1973 · TV
The Rookies
1972 · TV
Monsters
1988 · TV
Vega$
1978 · TV
Eight Is Enough
1977 · TV
Weird Science
1994 · TV
The Littlest Hobo
1979 · TV
The Adventures of the Black Stallion
1992 · TV
Promised Land
1996 · TV
B. J. and the Bear
1979 · TV
The Norm Show
1999 · TV
Tony Orlando and Dawn
1974 · TV
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
1977 · TV
Tattletales
1974 · TV
Harper Valley
1981 · TV
Toma
1973 · TV
Superboy
1988 · TV
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
1993 · Movie
Deadline
2000 · TV
The Captain and Tennille
1976 · TV
Fish
1977 · TV
B.L. Stryker
1989 · TV
Good Burger
1997 · Movie
Look Who's Talking
1989 · Movie
Cannonball Run II
1984 · Movie
Supertrain
1979 · TV
Lucky Luke
1992 · TV
North
1994 · Movie
The Stuff
1985 · Movie
Joe Versus the Volcano
1990 · Movie
Three Rooms in Manhattan
1965 · Movie
Home of Angels
1994 · Movie
The Cheap Detective
1978 · Movie
Prancer
1989 · Movie
Farce of the Penguins
2006 · Movie
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980
1992 · Movie
The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959
2016 · Movie
Sugar Hill
1994 · Movie
Crime Spree
2003 · Movie
Plain Clothes
1988 · Movie
Night of 100 Stars III
1990 · Movie
Jury Duty
1995 · Movie
Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special
2003 · Movie
Joys
1976 · Movie
Underworld
1996 · Movie
Death Car on the Freeway
1979 · Movie
The Don Is Dead
1973 · Movie
Witness to the Mob
1998 · Movie
Just the Ticket
1998 · Movie
Farticus
1997 · Movie
The Devil's Daughter
1973 · Movie
How to Pick Up Girls!
1978 · Movie
Love Is All There Is
1996 · Movie
The Misery Brothers
1995 · Movie
Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter
1986 · Movie
The Comedy Company
1978 · Movie
A Brooklyn State of Mind
1998 · Movie
Me and the Kid
1993 · Movie
Toma
1973 · Movie
Fist of Honor
1993 · Movie
The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd
1974 · Movie
Gridlock
1980 · Movie
Having Babies
1976 · Movie
Keaton's Cop
1990 · Movie
Newman's Law
1974 · Movie
Chump Change
2000 · Movie
The Big Stuffed Dog
1981 · Movie
The Unknown Trilogy
2008 · Movie
Tea Cakes or Cannoli
2000 · Movie
