Celebrities are mourning the death of character actor Abe Vigoda, who died in his sleep Tuesday at the age of 94, according to the Associated Press.
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Actors like Abe Vigoda are always alive, on screen and in our shared cultural memory, even when a website delivers that bummer news that the man himself has passed away.
In the last 30 years of his life, Vigoda became nearly the symbol for the “death hoaxes” that seem to have become now commonplace in today’s day and cyber age. “He would shake their hands”, Fuchs said. Vigoda reprised the role in The Godfather: Part II in 1974, and went on to become a household name as Detective Phil Fish, appearing on the Barney Miller TV series from 1974 to 1981.
The good-natured Vigoda capitalized on the freakish situation to keep his career going in his later years. (The actor riffed on his cop role in Peter Falk feature comedy “The Cheap Detective” in 1978.) Vigoda also guested on series including “Hawaii Five-O”, “Kojak”, “The Bionic Woman”, “The Rockford Files” and “Eight Is Enough”. Like Triumph The Insult Comic Dog and The Masturbating Bear, Abe Vigoda fit right into the cast of randomly assembled characters on NBC’s proudly post-modern, irony-drenched Late Night With Conan O’Brien.
“Alan King, Abe Vigoda, there was one other person (in the audience), Abe Beame maybe, the former mayor… and I said something to the effect of ‘holy mackerel, I’ve seen younger faces on cash!” he laughed.
In addition to his role as Sgt. Philip K. Fish on “Barney Miller”, Vigoda is best known for playing mobster Salvatore Tessio in “The Godfather”. In 1982, People magazine wrote that “the late” Abe Vigoda did not attend the Barney Miller wrap party, spawning years of reports that Vigoda was no longer alive. In the film, Michael anticipates that Sal’s suggestion for a “peace summit” among crime families is a setup and has him executed by the men Sal thought were his escorts.
Robert Duvall, a “Godfather” co-star, remembered Vigoda in a statement.
The role was a springboard to a number of others, including his turn as Det. However, he continued to make occaisional appearances on Barney Miller. Some considered Vigoda the “real” star of Barney Miller and his popularity resulted in a spinoff show called Fish.
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Born in New York City on February 24, 1921, Abraham Charles Vigodah was the son of Jewish immigrants from Russian Federation. He had his daughter with his first wife, Sonja Gohlke, who has also died. “Vigoda is survived by his daughter, grandchildren Jamie, Paul and Steven, and a great-grandson”, Brietbart reports.
