The weekend brings some sad news out of Hollywood with word from The New York Times of Robert Loggia dead at age 85 after a five year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
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Robert Loggia, who was best known for playing drug kingpin Frank Lopez in the 1983 classic “Scarface”, passed away on Friday.
He was nominated for a supporting actor Academy Award for “Jagged Edge” in 1986 for his role of blunt private detective Sam Ransom. He was also loved by the audience for essaying the role of toy company boss Macmilan in the 1985 comedy Big. A chance meeting in a toy store leads to the pair tapping out joyful duets of “Chopsticks” and “Heart and Soul” on the piano keys built into the floor.
Loggia was first married to Marjorie Sloane, whom he married in 1954 and divorced in 1981.
A favorite of the director Blake Edwards, Mr. Loggia appeared in five of his films, including three in the “Pink Panther” franchise. (1981). He also portrayed Joseph, husband of Mary, in George Stevens’s 1965 biblical epic “The Greatest Story Ever Told”.
On television, he had the starring role in the NBC television crime drama “T.H.E. Cat”, playing a former circus acrobat and cat burglar who hires himself out to clients in need of protection.
Among his later roles was as a general and presidential adviser in the 1996 sci-fi thriller “Independence Day”.
The actor’s wife of 41 years, Audrey Loggia, confirmed the actor’s passing at his home in California, citing the natural progression of Alzheimer’s disease as the cause of death.
Loggia was nominated for an Emmy in 1989 for his portrayal of FBI agent Nick Mancuso in the series “Mancuso FBI“.
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Loggia was a native of Staten Island, born to Italian immigrants. After studying journalism at the University of Missouri for a brief time, he made a decision to pursue acting, becoming part of the prestigious Actors Studio in NY.
