Abe Vigoda, ‘Godfather’ And ‘Barney Miller’ Star, Dies At 94

1CK1S · January 2016

Actor was nominated for 3 Emmys in his career

Abe Vigoda has died at the age of 94, his daughter told the Associated Press.

Vigoda’s daughter, Carol Vigoda Fuchs, said that Vigoda died Tuesday morning in his sleep at her home in New Jersey. The cause of death was old age, with Fuchs saying, “This man was never sick.”

Vigoda was born in 1921 in New York City. He scored some early roles in the late 1940’s with a few television appearances, but his big break did not come until 1972 when he landed the role of Tessio in “The Godfather.” Vigoda would reprise that role several times, including a brief cameo in the 1974 sequel.

Vigoda went on to appear in numerous film and television projects over the next 40 years. He found great success when he appeared as Det. Phil Fish on “Barney Miller.” The character proved so popular the Vigoda got his own spinoff series, “Fish” from 1977-1978.

Vigoda was the subject of several death hoaxes over the course of his career, with People Magazine erroneously claiming the actor had died in 1982. Reports of his death have persisted ever since, with Vigoda taking them with humor and in stride.

Despite his advanced age, Vigoda continued to work well into his 80’s and 90’s. Most recently, he provided a voice in the TV series “High School USA!” in 2013, according to his IMDB page.

huey · January 2016

good burger too. i thought he was already gone. rip

nawledge_god · January 2016

RIP Salvatore Tessio And Too A Lesser Extent Det.Fish ...I Remember Him Fondly From The Conan O'Brien Skits...I'd Be Like "Yo Tessio Is Still Alive?"...Dude Looked Old In The 70's As It Was