Abraham Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor, known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather (1972) and Phil Fish in both Barney Miller (1975–1977, 1982) and Fish (1977–1978). His career as an actor began in 1947 performing with the American Theatre Wing and continued in Broadway productions throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Early life and education Vigoda was born and raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, on February 24, 1921, the son of Samuel Vigoda (; ) and Lena Moses (; ), Jewish immigrants from Russia.US Census, April 1, 1930, State of New York, County of Kings, Borough of Brooklyn, enumeration district 566, p. 14-A, family 10.
After leaving school, Vigoda worked as a printer before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1943, serving in World War II. After his military service, he studied acting on the G.I. Bill at the American Theatre Wing. In the late 1940s, he began working in radio, and made his television debut in an installment of the live drama series Studio One.
Career
Vigoda began acting while in his 20s, working with the American Theatre Wing. His career as a professional actor began in 1947.
He gained acting notoriety in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his work in Broadway productions, including Marat/Sade (1967), portraying Mad Animal; The Man in the Glass Booth (1968), portraying Landau; Inquest (1970); and Tough to Get Help (1972), portraying Abraham Lincoln.
His best-known film role is that of Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather (1972). He also appeared briefly in The Godfather Part II, in a flashback sequence at the end of the film. According to Francis Ford Coppola's commentary on the DVD's widescreen edition, Vigoda landed the role of Tessio in an "open call", in which actors who did not have agents could come for an audition.
He gained further fame as Phil Fish on Barney Miller, a character known for his world-weary demeanor and persistent hemorrhoids. Vigoda landed the role after an unusual audition, in which he unwittingly displayed that he was a perfect fit for the role:
Vigoda's character on Barney Miller was popular, and a spin-off television series, Fish, was created for him in 1977. The series, a situation comedy, ran from February 5, 1977, to May 18, 1978.
Mistaken reports of death Prior to his actual death in January 2016, Vigoda was a repeated victim of mistaken death announcements. These led to jokes, often with Vigoda as a participant.
In 1982, People magazine mistakenly referred to Vigoda as dead. At the time, Vigoda, aged 60, was performing in a stage play in Calgary. He took the mistake with good humor, posing for a photograph published in Variety, in which he is sitting up in a coffin, holding the erroneous issue of People. Jeff Jarvis, a People employee at the time, said that the magazine's editors were known for "messing up" stories, and one of them repeatedly inserted the phrase "the late" in reference to Vigoda, even after a researcher correctly removed it. The erroneous version was what went to print.
In 1987, the same mistake was made when a reporter for WWOR, Channel 9 serving the New York metropolitan area mistakenly referred to him as the "late Abe Vigoda". She realized and corrected her mistake the next day.
He had been the subject of many running gags pertaining to the mistaken reports of his death. In 1997, Vigoda appeared in Good Burger as the character Otis, the titular restaurant's French fry man. Several jokes were made about his high age, including his character Otis saying, "I should've died years ago". That same year, he was shopping at Bloomingdale's in Manhattan when the salesman remarked, "You look like Abe Vigoda. But you can't be Abe Vigoda because he's dead." A Late Night with David Letterman skit showed Letterman trying to summon Vigoda's ghost, but Vigoda walked in and declared, "I'm not dead yet, you pinhead!"Rumours of his death are premature The Hollywood Scandal Almanac Page 125 6 February 2016.
At a New York Friars Club roast of Rob Reiner that Vigoda attended, Billy Crystal joked, "I have nothing to say about Abe. I was always taught to speak well of the dead."
In May 2001, a website was created to report whether Vigoda was alive or dead; it eventually went offline no later than 2023. In addition, in 2005, a "tongue-in-cheek" Firefox extension was released, with the sole purpose of telling the browser's user of Vigoda's status.
Continuing the gag, he frequently appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien to make fun of his status, including a guest appearance on the show's final episode. Host Conan O’Brien later named a rock band he formed The Vigodas in Abe’s honor.
At the 1998 New York Friars Club roast of Drew Carey, with Vigoda in the audience, Jeff Ross joked, "My one regret is that Abe Vigoda isn't alive to see this." He followed that with, "Drew, you go to Vegas; what's the over–under on Abe Vigoda?" On January 23, 2009, Vigoda appeared on The Today Show, after host Matt Lauer commented that Vigoda was dead. He said he was doing well, joked about previous reports of his death, and announced that he had just completed a voice-over for an H&R Block commercial to air during the Super Bowl.
Vigoda and Betty White, both 88 years old, appeared in "Game", a Snickers commercial that debuted during Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010. The synopsis made fun of the advanced age of the actors. The Super Bowl Ad Meter poll respondents rated the ad the highest of any shown during the game.
On October 31, 2013, at age 92, Vigoda again defied rumors of his demise by appearing on stage with the American rock band Phish in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during a performance of the band's song "Wombat", from their 2014 album Fuego, which mentions Vigoda by name.
Personal life Vigoda and his first wife Sonja Gohlke had one daughter named Carol. Their marriage ended in divorce. His second marriage to Beatrice Schy lasted from 1968 until her death in 1992.
Vigoda enjoyed playing handball, and stated in an interview that he was "almost" a champion at the game in his youth.
Death On January 26, 2016, Vigoda died in his sleep at his daughter Carol Fuchs's home in Woodland Park, New Jersey, of natural causes. He was 94. He had gone there "to escape the hazards of a blizzard".
Vigoda's funeral was held on January 31, 2016. Notable figures including comic Gilbert Gottfried and former New York City mayor David Dinkins attended. He was buried in the Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, Nassau County, New York.
At the 2016 Academy Awards show, Vigoda was not included in the show's memorial reel, surprising many and prompting a small backlash.
Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNotes1965Three Rooms in ManhattanWaiterUncredited1972The GodfatherSalvatore Tessio1973The Devil's DaughterAlikhineThe Don Is DeadDon Talusso1974The Story of Pretty Boy FloydDominic MorrellNewman's LawJohn DellanziaThe Godfather Part IISalvatore Tessio1978The Cheap DetectiveSgt. Rizzuto1979Death Car on the FreewayMr. Frisch1981The Big Stuffed DogCarnival Pitchman1984Cannonball Run IICaesar1985The StuffStuff Commercial Guest StarCameo1986Vasectomy: A Delicate MatterDetective Abe Fossi1987Plain ClothesMr. Wiseman1988Grandmother's HouseGrandpa1989Look Who's TalkingGrandpaPrancerOrel Benton1990Keaton's CopLouis KeatonJoe Versus the VolcanoWaponis Chief1993Fist of HonorVictor MalucciSugar HillGus MolinoMe and the KidPawn BrokerBatman: Mask of the PhantasmSal Valestra (voice)1994NorthAlaskan GrandpaHome of AngelsGrandpa1995Jury DutyJudge PowellThe Misery BrothersDon Frito Layleone1996Love Is All There IsRudyUnderworldWill Cassady1997Good BurgerOtisMe and the GodsZeusA Brooklyn State of MindUncle Guy1998Witness to the MobPaul Castellano1999Just the TicketArty2000Chump ChangeThe Frog2003Crime SpreeAngelo Giancarlo2006Farce of the PenguinsBoca Penguin (voice)2007The Unknown TrilogyUncle MortySegment: "Frankie the Squirrel"
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1949Studio OneOld Train PassengerEpisode: "Two Sharp Knives"1969–1970Dark ShadowsEzra Braithwaite, Otis Greene3 episodes1973MannixAnton ValineEpisode: "A Matter of Principle"1973–1974TomaDonzer, Carl Bello2 episodes1974The RookiesMichael LanceEpisode: "Something Less Than a Man"Hawaii Five-OAbe KemperEpisode: "The Two-Faced Corpse"KojakKiltyEpisode: "The Best Judge Money Can Buy"1974–1981Barney MillerDet. Phil FishMain role1974, 1978The Rockford FilesPhil Gabriel, Al Dancer2 episodes1975CannonMr. CouzellousEpisode: "Search and Destroy"1976The Bionic WomanBarlowEpisode: "Black Magic"1977–1978FishDet. Phil FishMain role1978Vega$MaxEpisode: "Centerfold"1979SweepstakesAnthonyEpisode: "Lynn and Grover and Joey"SupertrainRay YellburtonEpisode: "A Very Formal Heist"Eight Is EnoughBen RyanEpisode: "The Final Days"B. J. and the BearBen RuleEpisode: "Mary Ellen"1980The Littlest HoboHoward MattsonEpisode: "Million Dollar Fur Heist"1984Mike HammerArthurEpisode: "A Bullet for Benny"1986Tales from the DarksideJake CorelliEpisode: "A Choice of Dreams"1988SuperboyMr. WagnerEpisode: "Back to Oblivion"1989B.L. StrykerClayton BaskinEpisode: "The Dancer's Touch"1990MacGyverBill CodyEpisode: "Harry's Will"1991Murder, She WroteGeorgeEpisode: "The Prodigal Father"1996Law & OrderDetective LandisEpisode: "Remand"Weird ScienceOld Man LisaEpisode: "Grumpy Old Genie"WingsHarryEpisode: "All About Christmas Eve"1997Touched by an AngelReceptionist AngelEpisode: "Clipped Wings"1998Promised LandAlbert SpokaineEpisode: "Jury Duty"1999Mad About YouKalman WertzelEpisode: "Farmer Buchman"The Norm ShowSalEpisode: "Norm, Crusading Social Worker"2000Manhattan, AZBen3 episodes2001DeadlineJoseph SpiaggioEpisode: "Don't I Know You?"Family GuyHimself (voice)Episode: "The Kiss Seen Round the World"2013High School USA!Otto (voice)Episode: "Sweet 16" A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
Video game Year Title Role Notes2006The GodfatherSalvatore Tessio (voice)
References
General references
External links