Biography
Tall, dour-faced and slouch-shouldered character actor Abraham Charles Vigoda (February 24, 1921 β January 26, 2016) proved himself in both gritty dramatic roles, and as an actor with wonderful comedic timing.
Vigoda was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lena (Moses) and Samuel Vigoda, both Russian Jewish immigrants. His father was a tailor on the Lower East Side. He made his first stage appearance at the age of 17 and plodded away in small theater shows for over 20 years. For the majority of film-goers, Vigoda first came to prominence in The Godfather (1972) as the double-crossing Tessio, pleading with Robert Duvall to get him off the hook "for old times' sake." He also appeared in its sequel.
Vigoda had roles in a few nondescript TV films before landing the plum part of Sgt. Phil Fish on the brilliant sitcom Barney Miller (1974). Perhaps his best known role, Sgt. Fish proved popular enough to be spun off to his own (short-lived) series Fish (1977).
With his long face and unusual looks, Vigoda remained in high demand in mafioso-type roles, and for a while in the mid-1980s, he was mistakenly believed to have been dead, leading producers to remark, "I need an Abe Vigoda type actor," not realizing Vigoda was still alive and well. The 1990s and beyond became busy again for him, with appearances in North (1994), The Misery Brothers (1995), A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998), and Crime Spree (2003). He continued acting into his 90s, surprising audiences with his entertaining style.
Abe Vigoda died in his sleep on January 26, 2016 in Woodland Park, New Jersey.
Filmography
all 99
Movies 50
TV Shows 49
self 9
Voice 2
Cutaways (2013)
The Unknown Trilogy (2008)
Farce of the Penguins (2007)
Crime Spree (2003)
TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV (2003)
Tea Cakes or Cannoli (2000)
Deadline (2000)
Manhattan, AZ (2000)
Chump Change (2000)
Norm (1999)
Family Guy (1999)
Witness to the Mob (1998)
Just the Ticket (1998)
A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998)
Good Burger (1997)
Farticus (1997)
A Christmas Journey Home (1996)
Promised Land (1996)
Underworld (1996)
Love Is All There Is (1996)
Jury Duty (1995)
The Misery Brothers (1995)
Touched by an Angel (1994)
North (1994)
Weird Science (1994)
Sugar Hill (1994)
Home of Angels (1994)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Diagnosis: Murder (1993)
Me and the Kid (1993)
Fist of Honor (1993)
Mad About You (1992)
Lucky Luke (1992)
The Adventures of the Black Stallion (1992)
Lucky Luke il treno fantasma (1991)
Adventures of the Black Stallion (1990)
Law & Order (1990)
Night of 100 Stars III (1990)
Wings (1990)
Keaton's Cop (1990)
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
Prancer (1989)
Look Who's Talking (1989)
B.L. Stryker (1989)
Monsters (1988)
Superboy (1988)
Plain Clothes (1988)
Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter (1986)
MacGyver (1985)
The Stuff (1985)
Tales from the Darkside (1984)
Murder, She Wrote (1984)
Cannonball Run II (1984)
The Godfather 1901β1959: The Complete Epic (1981)
The Big Stuffed Dog (1981)
Harper Valley (1981)
Gridlock (1980)
The Littlest Hobo (1979)
Death Car on the Freeway (1979)
B. J. and the Bear (1979)
Supertrain (1979)
Sweepstakes (1979)
How to Pick Up Girls! (1978)
Vega$ (1978)
The Comedy Company (1978)
The Cheap Detective (1978)
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television (1977)
The Love Boat (1977)
Eight Is Enough (1977)
Fish (1977)
Dean Martin's Red Hot Scandals of 1926 (1976)
Having Babies (1976)
The Captain and Tennille (1976)
Cos (1976)
Break the Bank (1976)
Joys (1976)
The Bionic Woman (1976)
Barney Miller (1975)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Tony Orlando and Dawn (1974)
The Rockford Files (1974)
Newman's Law (1974)
The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd (1974)
Tattletales (1974)
The Don Is Dead (1973)
Kojak (1973)
Toma (1973)
The Devil's Daughter (1973)
The Sandy Duncan Show (1972)
The Rookies (1972)
The Godfather (1972)
Cannon (1971)
Hawaii Five-O (1968)
Mannix (1967)
Dark Shadows (1966)
Three Rooms in Manhattan (1965)
The Bob Hope Show (1950)
Suspense (1949)
Studio One (1948)
Ratings
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1921-02-24
Deathday2016-01-26 (94 years old)
Birth PlaceBrooklyn, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsAbraham Charles Vigodah
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