"Abe Vigoda, who has died aged 94, was a jobbing stage actor with a few Broadway credits to his name when Francis Ford Coppola cast him as Salvatore Tessio, the lugubrious Mafia capo in The Godfather; it is “Sal” Tessio who, as he faces his own death after betraying the heir apparent Michael Corleone, utters the immortal lines: “Tell Mike it was only business. I always liked him.” That scene and the others in which he appeared in the film (and in its first sequel) turned Vigoda into one of America’s most beloved character actors. Abraham Vigoda was born on February 24 1921 in New York City. His parents, Samuel and Lena, were Jewish immigrants from Russia; his father was a tailor. On leaving school, Vigoda worked as a printer before enlisting in the US Army in 1943. After military service he studied acting on the GI Bill at the American Theatre Wing. In the late 1940s he began working in radio, and he made his television debut in an instalment of the live drama series Studio One." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/12125433/Abe-Vigoda-actor-obituary.html
A wonderful actor. Played comedy and serious roles well. In case anyone is interested, this appears to be his electronic enlistment record: Vigoda, Abraham
Damn, loved "Fish" from Barney Miller... Recognized by the Beastie Boys - Posse In Effect @ 1:05 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NOakdZolYQ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Vigoda
From Wikipedia Vigoda landed the role after an unusual audition in which he unwittingly displayed that he was a perfect fit for the role: While living in Los Angeles, I'd jog three to five miles a day. One morning jogging, my agent calls about a new series called Barney Miller, saying, "Go there at once." Well, I was tired and exhausted ... I must have run five miles that morning. I said. "I have to go home and take a shower." "No, no, no. Go right now to Studio City, you're very right for it, they know you from The Godfather, they want to see you." "With my shorts?" "Go." Danny Arnold and Ted Flicker, the producers, look at me, I look at them, they look at me again. "You look tired." "Of course I'm tired, I jogged five miles this morning, I'm exhausted." "Yeah, yeah, tell me, you look like you have hemorrhoids." "What are you, a doctor or a producer?"[11] — Abe Vigoda, quoted in Louis Zorich's What Have You Done?: The Inside Stories of Auditioning—from the Ridiculous to the Sublime (2009) Vigoda starred in a brief spinoff of Barney Miller that centered on his character, eponymously called Fish,[2] until it was canceled in June 1978.[12]
With the Jewish humour. Maybe where i learned a smidgen...Had some Jew friends in highschool. Damn, miss those days.
