First inclined toward newspaper work, he studied journalism at the University of Missouri, but was drawn to acting and returned to NY to study at the Actors Studio. Some of his later characters included being a general, and an advisor to the president in the 1996 movie, “Independence Day”.
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His theater background served him well when he broke into television in the late 1950s, appearing on “Studio One”, “Playhouse 90” and other live dramatic anthology series.
His film debut came in “Somebody Up There Likes Me” (1956), playing mobster Frankie Peppo, who tries to persuade boxer Rocky Graziano (Paul Newman) to throw a fight. He earned an Emmy nomination in 1989 for Mancuso FBI and a guest appearance on Malcolm in the Middle in 2000.
Well know for his roles Brian De Palma’s 1983 drama “Scarface” and “Big”, Loggia had been battling Alzheimer’s Disease for the past five years, reported Variety.
Besides his wife, the former Audrey O’Brien, he is survived by three children: Tracy, John and Kristina, from a previous marriage, to Della Marjorie Sloan, and six grandchildren.
Hanks played an adolescent granted a wish to be big, overnight becoming a 30-something man who – still mentally a boy – eventually finds work at a toy company run by Mr. Loggia’s character.
“I really believed in that character”, he told The Times in 1991.
“And that’s why it’s a movie-magic scene”, Loggia said.
Loggia later starred in a number of TV series, including “Mancuso, FBI” and “Sunday Dinner”, but his forte was generally supporting roles in both TV and film productions.
For a guy who was regularly pigeonholed as a gangster or tough talker, Loggia appreciated being offered parts with range.
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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.
