Famous mafia actor from The Sopranos and Goodfellas dead at 80
Frank
Vincent, whose tough-guy looks brought him steady work as a character
actor in film and television for four decades, including mobster roles
on “The Sopranos” and in “Goodfellas,” died on Wednesday in New Jersey.
The
Associated Press said Mr. Vincent’s family had confirmed the death in a
statement and gave his age as 80, though some websites list his birth
year as 1939. John A. Gallagher, who directed Mr. Vincent in “Street
Hunter” and “The Deli,” said the actor had long identified himself as
being younger to avoid the age discrimination common in Hollywood. No
cause of death was given.
Mr. Vincent
was born in North Adams, Mass., and raised in Jersey City. His first
forays into show business were as a drummer, playing in nightclubs and
on recordings with the singers Paul Anka and Trini Lopez.
He
made his film debut in 1976 in “The Death Collector,” whose cast also
included his friend Joe Pesci, a fellow musician. (Mr. Pesci plays
guitar.) The two had once worked up a comedy act.
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Among
those who took note of “The Death Collector” was Martin Scorsese, who
cast both Mr. Vincent and Mr. Pesci in “Raging Bull” (1980), about the
boxer Jake LaMotta, and, a decade later, “Goodfellas.”
That film gave Mr. Vincent perhaps his most memorable line,
in the role of Billy Batts, a mobster who profanely invites Mr. Pesci’s
character to go home and get his shine box, an insult that proved
fatal. Mugs and T-shirts emblazoned with the line were soon being sold.
The character of Billy Batts made such an impression that it kept him off “The Sopranos,” at least at first, Mr. Vincent told an interviewer.
He originally auditioned for the pilot of that series, created by David
Chase, which began its long run on HBO in 1999. Dominic Chianese and
Tony Sirico auditioned with him.
“They
got hired and I didn’t,” Mr. Vincent said in a 2006 interview. “David
now in retrospect says he didn’t want to hire me at that time because
‘Goodfellas’ was too popular and the character Billy Batts was too known
to put him into that mix.”
Mr.
Vincent was brought into the cast in 2004 as Phil Leotardo, a crime
boss. The character appeared in more than 30 episodes, ultimately
meeting a gruesome end.
Mr.
Vincent’s other credits included another film by Mr. Scorsese, “Casino”
(1995), and Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” (1989) and “Jungle Fever”
(1991). He was also the author, with Steven Prigge, of “A Guy’s Guide to
Being a Man’s Man,” published in 2006.
In
the book, he wrote of being approached at a mall by three women who
gushed over his “Sopranos” character. He expressed surprise, since the
character is so tough.
“They
went on to tell me that it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact
that Phil Leotardo kills people on the show — it had to do with the fact
that he exudes confidence and power,” he wrote. “He’s a man’s man, for
sure. For the record, there’s a good bit of myself in Phil Leotardo.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/arts/television/frank-vincent-goodfellas-sopranos.html
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