Michael Vincenzo Gazzo (April 5, 1923 – February 14, 1995) was an American playwright who later in life became a movie and television actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in ''

The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic film, epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, loosely based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cop ...

'' (1974).

Biography

Gazzo was born on April 5, 1923. He was of Italian ancestry. Gazzo served with the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.10 ICONIC MOVIE AND TV ROLES PLAYED BY WWII VETERANS
www.sandboxx.us. Retrieved December 5, 2021.Michael V. Gazzo at
Amazon.com. Retrieved December 5, 2021.Michael V. Gazzo at
Fold3. Retrieved December 5, 2021. He was a member of the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. The studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method actin ...

and later trained actors such as Debra Winger, Henry Silva and

Tony Sirico Genaro Anthony Sirico Jr. (; July 24, 1942 – July 8, 2022) was an American actor. Often cast as a mobster, he portrayed Paulie Gualtieri in ''The Sopranos''. Born in Brooklyn to an Italian-American family, Sirico had a tumultuous early life ...

. He wrote ''A Hatful of Rain'', a Broadway play about drug addiction, which ran for 389 performances in 1955 and 1956. It featured Ben Gazzara and

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American film actress whose career spanned seven decades. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film), The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ' ...

in the two main roles, and was adapted into a

movie A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

of the same name by Oscar-winning director

Fred Zinnemann Alfred Zinnemann (April 29, 1907 – March 14, 1997) was an American film director and producer. He won four Academy Awards for directing and producing films in various genres, including thriller film, thrillers, western (genre), westerns, film ...

in 1957. The movie was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for Best Actor in a Leading Role ( Anthony Franciosa). A 1968 made-for-television version (as a filmed play) featured

Peter Falk Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo on the NBC/American Broadcasting Company, ABC series ''Columbo'' (196 ...

, Sandy Dennis and Michael Parks. Gazzo's other screen writing credits include the

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

American musical drama movie ''

King Creole ''King Creole'' is a 1958 American Musical film, musical drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and based on the 1952 novel ''A Stone for Danny Fisher'' by Harold Robbins. Produced by Hal B. Wallis, the film stars Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, W ...

'' in 1958. Gazzo authored the Broadway play ''The Night Circus'', also featuring Ben Gazzara. Gazzo was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...

for his role as Frank Pentangeli in ''

'' but lost to

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

who played

Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfath ...

in the same movie.

Death

Gazzo died on February 14, 1995, at age 71 due to complications from a stroke. He was buried in the

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary is a cemetery and Morgue, mortuary located in the Westwood, Los Angeles, Westwood area of Los Angeles. It includes a crematory for cremation services. Its location is at 1218 Glendon Av ...

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Filmography

* ''

On the Waterfront ''On the Waterfront'' is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning and Eva Marie Saint in her film de ...

'' (1954) - Bit (uncredited) * '' A Man Called Adam'' (1966) - (uncredited) * '' Out of It'' (1969) - Vinnie's friend * '' The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight'' (1971) - A Black Suit * '' Crazy Joe'' (1974) - Mob Soldier * ''

'' (1974) - Frank Pentangeli * ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

'' (1975) - Joel Adrian * '' Brinks: The Great Robbery'' (1976) - Mario Russo * ''

Ellery Queen Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1928 by the American detective fiction writers Frederic Dannay (1905–1982) and Manfred Bennington Lee (1905–1971). It is also the name of their main fictional detective, a mystery writer in New York City ...

'' (Season 1, Episode 20 "The Adventure of Caesar's Last Sleep") (1976) - Benny Franks * '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' (Season 2, Episode 12 "Hark, the Sweatkings") (1976) - Angelo DeMora * ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

'' (1977) - Gino Tarantella * '' Starsky and Hutch'' (1977) - Joe Durniak * '' Barnaby Jones'' (1977) - Mr. Farinelli * ''

Baretta ''Baretta'' is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a revised and milder version of a 1973–1974 ABC series, '' Toma'', starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey police ...

'' (1977) - Rico Giove * '' Black Sunday'' (1977) - Muzi * '' The Feather and Father Gang'' (Season 1, Episode 12 "The Mayan Connection") (1977) - Gutman * ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originall ...

'' (Season 7, Episode 2 " Murder Under Glass") (1978) - Vittorio Rossi * '' Fingers'' (1978) - Ben * '' King of the Gypsies'' (1978) - Spiro Giorgio * '' Vega$'' (Season 2, Episode 7 "Dan Tanna Is Dead") (1979) - Cruger Hallow * '' Love and Bullets'' (1979) - Lobo * '' The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh'' (1979) - Harry the Trainer * '' Beggarman, Thief'' (1979) - Sartene * '' Fantasy Island'' (Season 3, Episode 14 "The Lookalikes/Winemaker") (1979) - Frank Lassiter * ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

'' (1979) - Vince * '' Cuba Crossing'' (1980) - Rossellini * ''

Alligator An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the Family (biology), family Alligatoridae in the Order (biology), order Crocodilia. The two Extant taxon, extant species are the American alligator (''A. mis ...

'' (1980) - Chief Clark * '' Border Cop'' (1980) - Chico Suarez * ''Hoodlums'' (1980) - Gus Azziello * '' Sizzle'' (1980) * '' Magnum, P.I.'' (Season 1, Episode 8 "The Ugliest Dog in Hawaii") (1981) - Victor DiGorgio * '' Back Roads'' (1981) - Tazio * '' Body and Soul'' (1981) - Frankie * '' The Winter of Our Discontent'' (1983) - Marullo * '' Sudden Impact'' (1983) - Threlkis (uncredited) * '' Cannonball Run II'' (1984) - Sonny * '' Fear City'' (1984) - Mike * ''

Cookie A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...

'' (1989) - Carmine * ''Beyond the Ocean'' (1990) * ''Forever'' (1991) * ' (1992) * ''

Last Action Hero ''Last Action Hero'' is a 1993 American fantasy action comedy film directed and produced by John McTiernan and co-written by Shane Black and David Arnott. It is a satire of the action genre and associated clichés, containing several parodies ...

'' (1993) - Torelli * ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

'' (1994) (episode "McKenzie, Brackman, Barnum & Bailey") (1994) - Roscoe Zambini * ''Nothing to Lose'' (1994) - Joe (final film role)

References

Sources

* Bacarella, Michael, ''ItalActors: 101 Years of Italian Actors in U.S. Entertainment'', The National Italian American Foundation

External links

* * *
Michael Gazzo
at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

'
Actors Studio audio collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gazo, Michael 1923 births 1995 deaths People from Hillside, New Jersey American male screenwriters American male film actors American male television actors American writers of Italian descent Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers Screenwriters from New Jersey 20th-century American screenwriters Writers from Union County, New Jersey Actors from Union County, New Jersey