Elliot Harvey Atkin (18 December 1942 – 18 July 2017) was a Canadian actor. He was best known for his roles as Morty Melnick in ''

Meatballs A meatball is ground meat (mince) rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, egg (food), eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. ...

'', Sergeant Ronald Coleman in '' Cagney & Lacey'', and for voicing King Koopa in '' The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' and Sam in '' The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police''.

Early life

Atkin was born 18 December 1942 in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

to parents of Russian-Jewish descent. He developed his interest in acting while a student at Northview Heights Secondary School by performing in a high school production of

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

's one-act play ''The Rope'', for which he won an award at the Simpson's Drama Festival. Atkin initially worked at his father's

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

company. He then became a real estate agent, eventually transitioning to acting in commercials.

Career

Atkin played Morty Melnick in the comedy film ''

'' (1979), for which performance he earned a

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nomination. Atkin had a role in

William Fruet William Fruet (born January 1, 1933) is a Canadian film and television director, playwright and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut with the drama '' Wedding in White'' (1972), based on a play he had also written. The film won Best Pictur ...

's horror film ''

Funeral Home A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary is a business that provides burial, entombment and cremation services for the dead and their families. These services may include a prepared visitation and funeral, and the provision of a chapel for t ...

'' (1980), as well as the role of Sam in '' The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police'', and also played

Mario Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...

's and

Luigi Luigi (; ) is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Part of Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, he is a kind-hearted, cowardly Italian plumber, and the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario. Like ...

's archenemy King Koopa on

DiC Entertainment DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions, sometimes stylized as DİC) was a French American film and television production company that ...

's cartoon version of ''

Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 Platformer, platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series. It was origi ...

'' (notably, he was the first English voice actor for the character). Playing Koopa in all three Mario animated series, he was one of the only voice actors to appear in all three series as the same character. He voiced Mr. Mushnik on '' Little Shop'', loosely based on the movie ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 American film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986 film), a 1986 American film based on th ...

''. He also played characters in other series such as ''

Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American Gothic film, gothic dark fantasy comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell (author), Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson (sc ...

'', '' Bad Dog'' and '' Ruby Gloom''. Atkin appeared in more than 75 films and on many television series. He did voice-over work in approximately 3,000 television and radio commercials, notably for the Leon's Furniture chain, for which he won three Clio Awards. He appeared in 95 episodes of '' Cagney & Lacey'' as Sergeant Ronald Coleman. Atkin played Judge Alan Ridenour in a recurring role on the television drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', a role he also played in '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

'', and was the voice-over in Leon's and "Buy Israel Bonds" commercials in Canada. He also made a cameo playing a bus driver in the classic film ''

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

'' (1980) starring

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

, and was the voice for Morty in the television series '' Jacob Two-Two''. He made a guest appearance in 2010 as a rabbi on the CBC Television series '' 18 to Life''.

Personal life

Atkin married Celia Tessler in 1963. Together they had two children, and went on to become grandparents to five.

Death

Atkin died of a

brain tumor A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...

on 18 July 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, at the age of 74.

Legacy

A re-animated version of the ''Super Mario World'' episode "Mama Luigi", commissioned and directed by animation artist Andrew Dickman within a year with over 227 animators and artists participating, was dedicated to Atkin alongside Tony Rosato (Luigi), who died earlier that year on 10 January. The video was released on 29 August 2017.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkin, Harvey 1942 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian people of Russian-Jewish descent Deaths from brain cancer in Canada Jewish Canadian male actors Male actors from Toronto