Robert Joseph Pastorelli (June 21, 1954 – March 8, 2004) was an American actor.
After he acquired a reputation as a skilled
character actor
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...
in the 1980s and 1990s, Pastorelli's career went into decline after the death of his girlfriend under mysterious circumstances at his home in 1999. He died of a narcotic overdose in 2004. He was best known as Eldin in ''
Murphy Brown
''Murphy Brown'' is an American television sitcom created by Diane English that premiered on November 14, 1988, on CBS. The series stars Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for ''FYI'', a ...
'' (1988–1994), Johnny C. in '' Eraser'' (1996), and Hughey in '' Michael'' (1996).
Early life
Pastorelli was born in
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.opera singer and a real estate agent.
He spent his childhood years in Edison, New Jersey, graduating from Edison High School in 1972. He initially intended a career as a professional boxer, but had to abandon the sport due to injuries sustained in a near-fatal high-speed car crash at the age of 19 (he later claimed that he had a " near death" incident at this time, and that he had experienced himself looking down from above upon his body in the hospital bed with his father at the bedside overcome with grief). He acquired a narcotic habit in his early twenties prior to his acting career that he overcame, but he would relapse throughout his later life.
Theater career
He entered the acting profession via New York City theater in the late 1970s after studying at the New York Academy of Theatrical Arts and the
Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded ...
, financially maintaining himself by working as a bartender. In 1977 he made his stage debut in a production of ''Rebel Without a Cause''. He also performed in productions of '' The Rainmaker'', and '' Death of a Salesman''. Later in his career he performed at London's
South Bank
The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial district in central London, next to the River Thames opposite the City of Westminster. It forms a narrow strip of riverside land within the London Borough of Lambeth (where it adjoins Alber ...
In 1982 Pastorelli headed west to Los Angeles seeking opportunities in Hollywood. Spending the early 1980s employed in television
bit-part
In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British televisio ...
appearances, he found a niche playing streetwise characters, appearing also in supporting roles in the cinema films '' Outrageous Fortune'' (1987) and '' Beverly Hills Cop II'' (1987). His first substantial cinematic role came with '' Dances with Wolves'' (1990). His big break in television came with the role of the gruff but lovable house painter Eldin Bernecky on the series ''
Murphy Brown
''Murphy Brown'' is an American television sitcom created by Diane English that premiered on November 14, 1988, on CBS. The series stars Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for ''FYI'', a ...
'', which was a ratings hit, and he stayed with the show for seven seasons from 1988 to 1994. ''Murphy Brown'' producer Diane English was sufficiently impressed with his abilities that she worked with him to produce his first starring vehicle, the television sitcom '' Double Rush'' which lasted one season in 1995. Two years later, he starred in the American adaptation of the British detective series ''
Cracker
Cracker, crackers or The Crackers may refer to:
Animals
* ''Hamadryas'' (butterfly), or crackers, a genus of brush-footed butterflies
* '' Sparodon'', a monotypic genus whose species is sometimes known as "Cracker"
Arts and entertainment Films ...
'' (1997–1999).
As his television career gained momentum Pastorelli's opportunities in cinema roles increased: '' Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit'' (1993); a career defining performance playing a demented serial killer in the 1993 murder mystery thriller ''
Striking Distance
''Striking Distance'' is a 1993 American action thriller film starring Bruce Willis as Pittsburgh Police homicide detective Thomas Hardy. The film co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Farina, and Tom Sizemore. It was directed by Rowdy Herringto ...
'' (although the movie was not a commercial success); '' Eraser'' (1996), '' Michael'' (1996), and '' Modern Vampires'' (1998).
Charemon Jonovich shooting
On the evening of March 15, 1999, during an incident at his Hollywood home, Pastorelli's 25-year-old girlfriend, Charemon Jonovich, was killed by a gunshot to the head. During the authorities' investigation that followed, Pastorelli testified that in the midst of an argument between the two of them, she suddenly produced a handgun and killed herself. The incident was investigated as an accident or suicide, and the Los Angeles Coroner's Office declared the cause of death undetermined.
Final years
Pastorelli was exonerated of responsibility for Charemon Jonovich's death and received public expressions of sympathy within Hollywood and from the Los Angeles media, but his career went into noticeable decline afterwards. He appeared in two more cinema productions in small roles in the early 2000s as well as some minor supporting roles in television productions. He developed a friendship with Glenn Close towards the end of his career, and appeared alongside her in the television films ''The Ballad of Lucy Whipple'', and in ''
South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
'' in 2001. In 2002 he again appeared alongside her at London's
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...
in a performance of Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. In 2002 he co-founded the Garden State Film Festival. His posthumous final screen appearance was in the movie '' Be Cool'' (2005).
Death
Pastorelli was found dead at the age of 49 at his home in the Hollywood Hills on March 8, 2004, from a
narcotics
The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "to make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...
overdose. 'Murphy Brown star was murder suspect'. At the time of his death he had been forewarned that authorities were planning on arresting him for further questioning regarding the shooting of Charemon Jonovich in March 1999. A review of the original evidence had resulted in her death being reclassified as a homicide, with Pastorelli being identified as a suspect for further investigation. The Coroner's Office reported Pastorelli died of a "fatal blood concentration of morphine". Report 4 August 2004. Pastorelli's body was interred in the mausoleum at Saint Catharine's Cemetery in Sea Girt, New Jersey.
Personal life
Pastorelli had two daughters, Gianna Li Pastorelli (born February 6, 1998) with Charemon Jonovich, and Giannina Marie Pastorelli (born March 6, 2000) with his then-girlfriend, Jalee Carder.