
Abe Vigoda
Department: Acting
Biography
Tall, dour-faced and slouch-shouldered character actor Abraham Charles Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – 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.
Known For

Tea Cakes or Cannoli
2000

North
1994

Cannonball Run II
1984

Prancer
1989

Look Who's Talking
1989

Just the Ticket
1998

The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959
2016

The Cheap Detective
1978

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
1993

Witness to the Mob
1998

Sugar Hill
1994

A Brooklyn State of Mind
1998

Jury Duty
1995

Me and the Kid
1993

Fist of Honor
1993

Love Is All There Is
1996

Underworld
1996

The Don Is Dead
1973

The Godfather
1972

The Devil's Daughter
1973

Keaton's Cop
1990

Death Car on the Freeway
1979

A Christmas Journey Home
1996

Good Burger
1997

The Comedy Company
1978

Newman's Law
1974

Night of 100 Stars III
1990

Crime Spree
2003

Plain Clothes
1988

Gridlock
1980

The Godfather Part II
1974

Joe Versus the Volcano
1990

Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter
1986

The Misery Brothers
1995

The Stuff
1985

Three Rooms in Manhattan
1965

Joys
1976

Farce of the Penguins
2006

The Big Stuffed Dog
1981

The Unknown Trilogy
2008

Dean Martin's Red Hot Scandals of 1926
1976

The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd
1974

Chump Change
2000

Home of Angels
1994

Cutaways
2013

Having Babies
1976

How to Pick Up Girls!
1978

Farticus
1997

Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special
2003

Toma
1973

Murder, She Wrote
1984

Mad About You
1992

The Norm Show
1999

Supertrain
1979

B. J. and the Bear
1979

Harper Valley
1981

The Rookies
1972

Family Guy
1999

The Adventures of the Black Stallion
1992

The Love Boat
1977

The Bionic Woman
1976

Hawaii Five-O
1968

Deadline
2000

Wings
1990

Dark Shadows
1966

Diagnosis: Murder
1993

Kojak
1973

Weird Science
1994

Studio One
1948

Superboy
1988

Eight Is Enough
1977

Tattletales
1974

Monsters
1988

The Sandy Duncan Show
1972

Fish
1977

Vega$
1978

Promised Land
1996

The Littlest Hobo
1979

Barney Miller
1975

Toma
1973

Suspense
1949

The Captain and Tennille
1976

TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV
2003

Tony Orlando and Dawn
1974

B.L. Stryker
1989

Tales from the Darkside
1984

The Rockford Files
1974

Touched by an Angel
1994

The Bob Hope Show
1950

Law & Order
1990

The Rockford Files
1974

Mannix
1967

MacGyver
1985

Saturday Night Live
1975

Barney Miller
1975

Lucky Luke
1992

Barney Miller
1975

Love, American Style
1969

Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
1977

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962

$weepstake$
1979

Dinah!
1974

The Mike Douglas Show
1961

Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993

Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993

Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993

Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993

Cannon
1971