Well this sucks...
ROME (Dec. 26) - Character actor Vincent Schiavelli, who appeared in scores of movies, including "One Flew Over the Cuckoo�s Nest" and "Ghost," died Monday at his home in Sicily. He was 57.
He died of lung cancer, said Salvatore Glorioso, mayor of Polizzi Generosa, the Sicilian village where Schiavelli resided.
Schiavelli, whose gloomy, droopy-eyed look made him perfect to play creepy or eccentric characters, made appearances in some 150 film and television productions, according to the Internet Movie Database.
Among the movies: "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Amadeus," "Batman Returns," and "The People vs. Larry Flint." He was selected in 1997 by Vanity Fair as one of America�s best character actors.
Schiavelli, who was born and raised in New York, studied acting at New York University�s School of the Arts.
He also wrote three cookbooks and many food articles for magazines and newspapers, possibly inheriting his love for cooking from his grandfather, who had been a cook for an Italian baron before moving to the United States, according to IMDB.
"He was a great friend, a great chef and a great talker," Glorioso, who has known Schiavelli for almost four years, said in a telephone interview.
"With a smooth, witty conversation, he would make everything look more colorful. I�ve lost a brother," he said.
Schiavelli also had worked in Italy, including in 2001 when he directed a theater piece in Sicily based on nine fables.
A funeral service will be held Tuesday in Polizzi Generosa, Glorioso said.
[Music: Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists]
2 Comments:
I did a booksigning with Vincent a few years ago and I tried my best not to geek out too much. But when I told him I was a big fan and was really excited to be sitting with him to sign books, he was genuinely kind and giving, even bought a copy of my book. We chatted for the hour we signed together (it was one of those big fesitvals, so there were thousands of folks milling about) and periodically people would stop by and say, "Do I know you?" Or "Weren't you in Ghost?" and he'd say yes and sign whatever they wanted him to sign and was generally just quite cool. I didn't realize he was so young, since he's been on TV and in films my entire life. Sad to see him go.
Hey Tod - how goes it?
That news really brought my holiday buzz down - such a great actor. I last saw him in Gli Indesiderabili (The Undesirables) with Vincent Gallo at Raindance last year. A bad film, but a great performance.
Post a Comment
<< Home