Paul Anthony Sorvino (/sɔːrˈviːnoʊ/, Italian: [sorˈviːno]; April 13, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American actor, opera singer, businessman, writer, and sculptor. He often portrayed authority figures on both sides of the law and was known for his roles as Paulie Cicero (based on Paul Vario) in the 1990 gangster film Goodfellas, and NYPD Sergeant Phil Cerreta on the TV series Law & Order. He took on supporting roles in A Touch of Class, Reds, The Rocketeer, Nixon, and Romeo + Juliet. He was the father of actors Mira Sorvino and Michael Sorvino.
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Olympia Dukakis (June 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021) was an American actress. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, more than 60 films and in 50 television series. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in theater. Not long after her arrival in New York City, she won an Obie Award for Best Actress in 1963 for her off-Broadway performance in Bertolt Brecht's Man Equals Man.
She later moved to film acting and won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, among other accolades, for her performance in Moonstruck (1987). She received another Golden Globe nomination for Sinatra (1992) and Emmy Award nominations for Lucky Day (1991), More Tales of the City (1998) and Joan of Arc (1999). Dukakis's autobiography, Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, was published in 2003. In 2018, a feature-length documentary about her life, titled Olympia, was released theatrically in the United States.
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He was a notably short, Italian, nasal-toned and mischievous-looking fellow, a perfect type for the stand-up comedy circuit and for playing Brooklynesque characters in T.V. sitcoms and films...which is just what Ron Carey did. He was born Ronald Joseph Cicenia in Newark, New Jersey, on December eleventh, 1935, into a huge Italian family; his father was a singing waiter at one time. Ron earned his Bachelor's degree in communications from Seton Hall University in South Orange in 1956, but it didn't take him long to change directions. Together his pint-sized frame (actually, he was 5'7", but "acted" much shorter), pushy attitude and elastic face seemed like an ideal blend for inducing laughs, so he decided to begin a career in entertainment instead.
Ron moved to near-by New York and took to the comedy stage, finding work in such prime clubs as "The Improvisation". He soon earned notice for his "little man" humor, which was built around Italian family and Roman Catholic "guilt" jokes (in reality, he once considered being a priest). Ron finally gained some momentum on T.V. making various funnyman appearances on the talk/variety show formats hosted by the best of the best -- Jack Paar, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson. He also found lucrative work in commercials playing various feisty or hapless characters.
Ron finally broke into films with the Jack Lemmon/Sandy Dennis comedy The Out of Towners (1970) as a Boston taxi driver, then continued on with other minor bits in Who Killed Mary Whats'ername? (1971) and the cult film Made for Each Other (1971) starring Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor. Earlier Ron appeared on Broadway in the couple's 1968 hit comedy "Lovers and Other Strangers." It wasn't until his work as a secondary staple in Mel Brooks' madcap company that he earned even a modicum of success in films. His participation in the zany parodies Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1977) and History of the World: Part I (1981) occurred during the height of his T.V. fame. Likewise, he went on to deliver a substantial role as plus-sized Dom DeLuise's unsympathetic brother Frankie in Fatso (1980), directed by Brooks' wife Anne Bancroft.
As for the smaller screen, a regular player on the summer variety series The Melba Moore-Clifton Davis Show (1972) led to his being cast in the New York-area sitcom The Corner Bar (1972) and the ethnic family comedy The Montefuscos (1975). A steady pay-check was not to be had, however, until he was added to the second season ensemble of Barney Miller (1975) headed by Hal Linden and Abe Vigoda. Ron earned sympathy strokes as Carl Levitt, a brown-nosing, eager-beaver patrolman who yearned to be a plainclothes detective in Barney's police agency, but just didn't measure up because of his vertically challenged stature. Ron, whose character finally received a promotion after the long haul, stayed with the popular show until its cancellation in 1982. Ron died of complications from a stroke at seventy-one years old in Los Angeles and is survived by long-time wife Sharon.
Despoina "Despo" Diamantidou (Greek: Δέσπω Διαμαντίδου; 13 July 1916 – 18 February 2004) was a Greek actress. She appeared in more than seventy films from 1949 to 2003. She played Tatiana in Alan King's summer replacement sitcom, Ivan the Terrible starring Lou Jacobi, which aired on ABC from 21 August to 18 September 1976.
Source: Article "Despo Diamantidou" from Wikipedia in english, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Peggy Pope (May 15, 1929 – May 27, 2020) was an American actress of stage, television and film.
Pope made many acting appearances, including in such television series as Bewitched, Hart to Hart, Eight Is Enough, Barney Miller (in six episodes), Soap, The Golden Girls, Hope & Faith, and Law & Order.
She is likely best remembered, if not by name, as "the office lush", and later, recovering alcoholic, Margaret Foster, in the 1980 movie 9 to 5. She also had a small role as Elvira in the 1984 science fiction movie The Last Starfighter. A year later, she appeared in Once Bitten as Mark Kendall's mother. In 2008, she appeared as Sister Angela in Clark Gregg's Choke.
Pope's Broadway credits include Doctor Jazz (1975), The School for Wives (1971), Harvey (1970), The Rose Tattoo (1966), Viva Madison Avenue! (1960), The Long Dream (1960), and Moonbirds (1959).
Pope won an Obie Award for Best Actress in 1968 for her performance in Muzeeka.
Adam Arkin (born August 19, 1956) is an American actor and director. His father is Oscar Award-winning actor Alan Arkin and his brother is actor Matthew Arkin. He is known for playing the role of Aaron Shutt on Chicago Hope. He has been nominated for numerous awards, including a Tony (Best Actor, 1991, I Hate Hamlet) as well as three primetime Emmys, four SAG Awards (Ensemble, Chicago Hope), and a DGA Award (My Louisiana Sky). Beginning in 1990, he had a recurring guest role on Northern Exposure playing the angry, paranoid Adam, for which he received an Emmy nomination. In 2002, Arkin won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special for My Louisiana Sky. Between 2007 and 2009, he co-starred in the drama series Life. In 2009, he portrayed villain Ethan Zobelle, a white separatist gang leader, in Sons of Anarchy, and Principal Ed Gibb in 8 Simple Rules (2003–2005).
Regina Baff was born on March 31, 1949 in The Bronx, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Escape from Alcatraz (1979), The Great Gatsby (1974) and The Paper Chase(1973).
Was nominated for Broadway's 1974 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "Veronica's Room."
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Candice "Candy" Azzara (born May 18, 1945) is an American character actress frequently cast in Italian or Jewish roles.
Azzara was born in Brooklyn, the daughter of Josephine (née Bravo) and Samuel Azzara. She was inspired to pursue acting by the film La Strada and theatre legend Eleanora Duse. She studied with Lee Strasberg and Gene Frankel and soon began appearing off-Broadway and in regional theatres.
Billed as Candy Azzara, she made her Broadway debut in Lovers and Other Strangers in 1968. Additional stage credits include Jake's Women, Cactus Flower, Any Wednesday, Barefoot in the Park, and The Moon Is Blue.
Azzara was cast as Gloria in the second pilot of All in the Family when it was entitled Those Were the Days and the family name was Justice instead of Bunker.[2] She was a regular on the sitcom Calucci's Department and had recurring roles on Caroline in the City, Who's the Boss, Soap, and Rhoda. She has guested on numerous series, including Diff'rent Strokes, The Practice, Married With Children, Kojak, Barney Miller (as a manicurist, in Season 2 Episode 3), Trapper John, M.D., L.A. Law, Murder, She Wrote, ER, Married with Children (1992) and Joan of Arcadia.
On screen Azzara has appeared in In Her Shoes, Ocean's Twelve, Catch Me If You Can, Easy Money, House Calls, Unstrung Heroes, Pandemonium, Fatso, and Made for Each Other.
Azzara is the aunt of actress Lana Parrilla.
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Eddie Barth was born on September 29, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA as Edward Bartholetti. He was an actor, known for Fame (1980), Babe: Pig in the City (1998) and Bananas (1971). He was married to Sally Hada. He died on May 28, 2010 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Jerry Fujikawa was born on February 18, 1912 in Monterey County, California, USA as Hatsuo Fujikawa. He was an actor, known for Chinatown (1974), The Winds of War (1983) and Farewell, My Lovely (1975). He was married to Marion Gates. He died on April 30, 1983 in Los Angeles County, California.