Anthony Longo (August 19, 1961 – June 20, 2015) was an American actor who appeared in seventy films and nearly ninety television shows.

Early life and education

Born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, Longo attended Marist High School in

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Gateway Region on Bergen Neck, a peninsula between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York ...

, and the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...

Career

Because of his , frame, Longo was often chosen for roles that depict him as an imposing giant with freakish strength, and sub-standard intelligence, such as Mad Dog in the 1980s comedy/drama '' 1st and Ten'' where he was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the fictional football team, the California Bulls. Mad Dog was paired with fellow linebacker Dr. Death, played by actor

Donald Gibb Donald Richard Gibb (born August 4, 1954) is an American actor, best known for his roles as the hulking, dimwitted fraternity brother Ogre in several installments of the '' Revenge of the Nerds'' film series, as Kumite fighter Ray Jackson in '' ...

who has had a career playing similar roles as Longo. He also appeared in ''

Suburban Commando ''Suburban Commando'' is a 1991 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Burt Kennedy, produced by Howard Gottfried, and written by Frank Cappello. The film stars Hulk Hogan, Christopher Lloyd, Shelley Duvall, and Larry Mil ...

'' starring

Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...

as a bounty hunter alongside

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by his ring name the Undertaker, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway ...

. Longo appeared in numerous television series, including '' The Equalizer'', '' Family Matters'', '' The Facts of Life'', ''

Laverne & Shirley ''Laverne & Shirley'' is an American television sitcom that ran for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of ''Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Wi ...

'', ''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who ope ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Perfect Strangers'', ''

High Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

'', '' Renegade'', ''

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

'', ''

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

'', '' Six Feet Under'', ''

Drake & Josh ''Drake & Josh'' is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series follows teenage stepbrothers Drake Parker (Drake Bell) and Josh Nichols (Josh Peck) as they live together despite their opposite personalities. Na ...

'', and ''

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

''. His film credits include '' Sixteen Candles'', '' Mulholland Drive'', ''

Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw ''Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw'' is a 1988 American Animation, animated Musical film, musical adventure film based on the Tonka toy line and the Hanna-Barbera Pound Puppies (1986 TV series), television series of the same name, which ai ...

'', '' The Last Boy Scout'', the

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

version of '' Angels in the Outfield'', '' The Cooler'', ''

Eraser An eraser (also known as a rubber in some Commonwealth countries, including South Africa from which the material first used got its name) is an article of stationery that is used for removing marks from paper or skin (e.g. parchment or vellu ...

'', ''

'', and ''

The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas ''The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'' is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by Brian Levant, written by Jim Cash, Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, and Jack Epps, Jr., and is the prequel to Levant's ''The Flintstones'' (1994), based ...

''.

Death

Longo died in his sleep at his home in

Marina del Rey, California Marina del Rey ( Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The eponymous harbor is a major boating and water recreation destination of the Greater Los Angeles ar ...

, on June 21, 2015, at the age of 53 after a long battle with congestive heart failure and kidney issues. He was survived by his daughters Chloe Longo and Danielle Schramm, his stepdaughter Alexis Dejoria, and his wife of 23 years, Jamie Briggs.

Filmography

Film

*1981: '' Tarzan, the Ape Man'' as Stunts (uncredited) *1982: ''

Pink Motel ''Pink Motel'' is a 1982 American sex comedy film. Premise A couple who own a cheap hotel (Phyllis Diller and Slim Pickens, in his final role) must deal with the various eccentric people who rent their rooms. The ''New York Times'' called the fi ...

'' as Mark *1983: ''The Vals'' as Mike, Fraternity President *1984: '' Splash'' as Augie *1984: '' Sixteen Candles'' as 'Rock' *1985: '' Fletch'' as Detective #1 *1985: '' Stitches'' as Student Jock *1987: '' Winners Take All'' as 'Bear' Nolan *1987: ''

In the Mood "In the Mood" is a popular big band-era jazz standard recorded by Americans, American bandleader Glenn Miller. "In the Mood" is based on the composition "Tar Paper Stomp" by Wingy Manone. The first recording under the name "In the Mood" was re ...

'' as Carlo, Judy's Husband *1988: ''

'' as Big Paw (voice) *1988: '' Illegally Yours'' as Konrat *1988: '' Feds'' as Sailor *1989: '' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' as 'Crunch' Sweeney *1989: '' Let It Ride'' as Simpson *1989: '' Worth Winning'' as Terry Childs *1989: '' Think Big'' as Supervisor *1990: '' Mr. Destiny'' as Huge Guy *1991: '' The Marrying Man'' as Sam *1991: ''

'' as 'Knuckles' *1991: ''The Art of Dying'' as Victor *1991: '' The Last Boy Scout'' as Ray 'Big Ray' Walton *1992: ''

Unlawful Entry ''Unlawful Entry'' is a 1992 American psychological thriller film directed by Jonathan Kaplan, and starring Kurt Russell, Madeleine Stowe and Ray Liotta. The film involves a couple who befriend a lonely policeman, only for him to develop an un ...

'' as Angelo 'Big Angelo' *1992: '' Rapid Fire'' as Brunner Gazzi *1993: ''Prehysteria!'' as Louis *1993: ''Remote '' as Louis *1994: '' Angels in the Outfield'' as Triscuitt Messmer *1995: ''

Houseguest ''Houseguest'' is a 1995 American comedy film starring Sinbad and Phil Hartman and directed by Randall Miller, released to theaters in the United States on January 6, 1995. Plot Kevin Franklin is an inner city Pittsburgh native. Raised in an o ...

'' as Joey Gasperini *1996: ''

'' as Mike 'Little Mike' *1996: ''Big Packages'' as Phil *1997: ''Living in Peril'' as Truck Driver *2000: ''

'' as Rocko 'Big Rocko' *2001: '' Road to Redemption'' as Vincent, The Enforcer *2001: '' Lloyd'' Coach *2001: '' Mulholland Drive'' as Kenny *2001: ''Hard Luck'' as Bobby *2002: ''Fangs'' as Louis *2002: '' Serving Sara'' as Petey *2003: '' The Cooler'' as Tony *2003: '' How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'' as Sensitive Moviegoer *2005: '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' as Big Bad Bathroom Dude (uncredited) *2005: ''Souled Out'' as Soul Broker *2005: ''Hercules in Hollywood'' as Pool Hustler *2007: '' Bunny Whipped'' as Sandro *2007: ''The Fall of Night'' as 'Atlas' *2008: '' Jake's Corner'' as Gus *2009: ''Benny Bliss and the Disciples of Greatness'' as Tony *2010: ''Jelly'' as Random Guy *2010: ''Pizza with Bullets'' as Frankie 'Thats Right' *2010: ''Cause We're Family'' as Uncle Tony *2010: '' Pete Smalls Is Dead'' as Joey 'Sausa' *2010: ''Sinatra Club'' as Lenny *2010: ''Changing Hands'' as Vito *2011: '' From the Head'' as Customer G *2012: ''Changing Hands Feature'' as Unknown *2015: ''Intersection'' as Fighting Barfly (final film role)

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Longo, Tony 1961 births 2015 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Italian descent Male actors from Jersey City, New Jersey Marist High School (New Jersey) alumni University of Rhode Island alumni