Brian Tarantina (March 27, 1959 – November 2, 2019) was an American stage, screen, and television

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

. He was known for his roles on such shows as ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'', '' The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'', and ''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...

''.

Early life

Tarantina was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on March 27, 1959, to father Frank William Tarantina and an unknown mother. He attended what is now the

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia or "LaG", is a public High school (North America), high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, near Lincoln ...

of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where he then began to pursue an acting career.

Death

Shortly after midnight on November 2, 2019, Tarantina was found dead at his home in the

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

neighborhood of Manhattan. At the time of his death, his publicist attributed the cause to "complications from a severe health crisis he experienced a few months rior" However, New York City Chief Medical Examiner report released in December 2019, stated that he died from an accidental overdose of

fentanyl Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic piperidine opioid primarily used as an analgesic (pain medication). It is 30 to 50 times more Potency (pharmacology), potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Its primary Medici ...

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

and

diazepam Diazepam, sold under the brand name Valium among others, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety disorder, anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndr ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games

Stage appearances

Off-Broadway

*''Innocent Thoughts, Harmless Intentions'' (March 6, 1980 – March 30, 1980) - "Enzio 'Spats' Spadanti" *'' Angels Fall'' (October 17, 1982 – November 28, 1982) – "Salvatore (Zappy) Zappala" *Young Playwrights Festival (April 13, 1983 – May 1, 1983) – "Frank" (''Third Street'') / "TV Host" (''The Birthday Present'') *''

Balm in Gilead ''Balm in Gilead'' is a 1965 American play written by American playwright Lanford Wilson. Dramatic structure Wilson's first full-length play, ''Balm in Gilead'' centers on a café frequented by heroin addicts, prostitutes, and thieves. It featu ...

'' (May 31, 1984 – January 6, 1985) - "David" *''V & V Only'' (May 25, 1988 – July 3, 1988) – "Donny" SourceInternet Off-Broadway Database
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Broadway

*'' Angels Fall'' (January 22, 1983 – March 13, 1983) – "Salvatore (Zappy) Zappala" *''

Biloxi Blues ''Biloxi Blues'' is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. It portrays the conflict of Sergeant Merwin J. Toomey and Arnold Epstein, one of many privates enlisted in the military stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi, seen through the eyes of E ...

'' (March 28, 1985 – June 28, 1986) – "Roy Selridge" *''The Boys of Winter'' (December 1, 1985 – December 8, 1985) – "Prick" *''Sacrilege'' (November 2, 1995 – November 19, 1995) – "Crackerjack" SourceInternet Broadway Database
/ref>

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tarantina, Brian 1959 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Accidental deaths in New York (state) American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors American people of Italian descent Cocaine-related deaths in New York (state) Deaths by heroin overdose in New York (state) Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Male actors from Manhattan People from Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan Drug-related deaths in New York City