Abe Vigoda

Abraham Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in ''The Godfather'' (1972) and Phil Fish in both ''Barney Miller'' (1975–1977, 1982) and ''Fish'' (1977–1978). His career as an actor began in 1947 performing with the American Theatre Wing and continued in Broadway productions throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Early life and education

Vigoda was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 24, 1921, the son of Samuel Vigoda and Lena Moses, Jewish immigrants from Russia. His father was a tailor who had two other sons: Hy and Bill. The latter was a comic book artist who drew for the ''Archie Comics'' franchise and others in the 1940s. After leaving school, Vigoda worked as a printer before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1943, serving in World War II. After his military service, he studied acting on the G.I. Bill at the American Theatre Wing. In the late 1940s, he began working in radio, and made his television debut in an installment of the live drama series '' Studio One''.

Career

Vigoda began acting while in his 20s, working with the American Theatre Wing. His career as a professional actor began in 1947.

He gained acting notability in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his work in Broadway productions, including ''Marat/Sade'' (1967), portraying Mad Animal; '' The Man in the Glass Booth'' (1968), portraying Landau; ''Inquest'' (1970); and ''Tough to Get Help'' (1972), portraying Abraham Lincoln.

His best known film role is that of Salvatore Tessio in ''The Godfather'' (1972). He also appeared briefly in ''The Godfather Part II'', in a flashback sequence at the end of the film. According to Francis Ford Coppola's commentary on the DVD's widescreen edition, Vigoda landed the role of Tessio in an "open call", in which actors who did not have agents could come for an audition.

He gained further fame as Phil Fish on ''Barney Miller'', a character known for his world-weary demeanor and persistent hemorrhoids. Vigoda landed the role after an unusual audition, in which he unwittingly displayed that he was a perfect fit for the role:

Vigoda's character on ''Barney Miller'' was popular, and a spin-off television series, ''Fish,'' was created for him in 1977. The series, a situation comedy, ran from February 5, 1977, to May 18, 1978.

Mistaken reports of death

Prior to his actual death in January 2016, Vigoda was a repeated victim of mistaken death announcements. These led to jokes, often with Vigoda as a participant.

In 1982, ''People'' magazine mistakenly referred to Vigoda as dead. At the time, Vigoda, aged 60, was performing in a stage play in Calgary. He took the mistake with good humor, posing for a photograph published in ''Variety'', in which he is sitting up in a coffin, holding the erroneous issue of ''People.'' Jeff Jarvis, a ''People'' employee at the time, said that the magazine's editors were known for "messing up" stories, and one of them repeatedly inserted the phrase "the late" in reference to Vigoda, even after a researcher correctly removed it. The erroneous version was what went to print.

In 1987, the same mistake was made when a reporter for WWOR, Channel 9 in Secaucus, New Jersey, mistakenly referred to him as the "late Abe Vigoda". She realized and corrected her mistake the next day.

He had been the subject of many running gags pertaining to the mistaken reports of his death. In 1997, Vigoda appeared in ''Good Burger'' as the character Otis, the titular restaurant's french fry man. Several jokes were made about his high age, including his character Otis saying, "I should've died years ago". That same year, he was shopping at Bloomingdale's in Manhattan when the salesman remarked, "You look like Abe Vigoda. But you can't be Abe Vigoda because he's dead." A ''Late Night with David Letterman'' skit showed Letterman trying to summon Vigoda's ghost, but Vigoda walked in and declared, "I'm not dead yet, you pinhead!"

At a New York Friars Club roast of Rob Reiner that Vigoda attended, Billy Crystal joked, "I have nothing to say about Abe. I was always taught to speak well of the dead."

In May 2001, a website was created with only one purpose: to report whether Vigoda was alive or dead. In addition, in 2005, a "tongue-in-cheek" Firefox extension was released, with the sole purpose of telling the browser's user of Vigoda's status.

Continuing the gag, he frequently appeared on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' to make fun of his status, including a guest appearance on the show's final episode. At the 1998 New York Friars Club roast of Drew Carey, with Vigoda in the audience, Jeff Ross joked, "My one regret is that Abe Vigoda isn't alive to see this." He followed that with, "Drew, you go to Vegas; what's the over–under on Abe Vigoda?" On January 23, 2009, Vigoda appeared on ''The Today Show.'' He said he was doing well, joked about previous reports of his death, and announced that he had just completed a voice-over for an H&R Block commercial to air during the Super Bowl.

Vigoda and Betty White, both 88 years old, appeared in "Game", a Snickers commercial that debuted during Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010. The synopsis made fun of the advanced age of the actors. The Super Bowl Ad Meter poll respondents rated the ad the highest of any shown during the game.

On October 31, 2013, at age 92, Vigoda again defied rumors of his demise by appearing on stage with the American rock band Phish in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during a performance of the band's song "Wombat", from their 2014 album ''Fuego'', which mentions Vigoda by name.

Personal life

Vigoda and his first wife Sonja Gohlke had one daughter named Carol. Their marriage ended in divorce. His second marriage to Beatrice Schy lasted from 1968 until her death in 1992.

Vigoda enjoyed playing handball, and stated in an interview that he was "almost" a champion at the game in his youth.

Death

On January 26, 2016, one month before his 95th birthday, Vigoda died in his sleep at his daughter Carol Fuchs's home in Woodland Park, New Jersey, of natural causes. He had gone there "to escape the hazards of a blizzard".

Vigoda's funeral was held on January 31, 2016. Notable figures including comic Gilbert Gottfried and former New York City mayor David Dinkins attended. He was buried in the Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, Nassau County, New York.

At the 2016 Academy Awards show, Vigoda was not included in the show's memorial reel, surprising many and prompting a small backlash.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video game

References

General references

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vigoda, Abe
1921 births
2016 deaths
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American Jews
American male film actors
American male television actors
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
Burials at Beth David Cemetery
Jewish American male actors
Jewish American military personnel
Members of The Lambs Club
Military personnel from New York City
Military personnel from New York (state)
Male actors from Brooklyn
Male actors from Manhattan
People from the Upper East Side
United States Army personnel of World War II