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Rick Aviles 1952 - 1995

Rick Aviles was born on October 14, 1952 in New York, New York United States, and died at age 42 years old on March 17, 1995 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA. Rick Aviles was buried at Cremated, Ashes given to his mother. in Los Angeles..

Rick Aviles

Rick Aviles, Richard Aviles, Richard Anthony Aviles

October 14, 1952

New York, New York, United States

March 17, 1995

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States

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Rick Aviles Rick Aviles (1952 - 1995)

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Rick Aviles' History: 1952 - 1995

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Introduction

Rick Aviles Born October 14, 1952 in New York City, New York, USA Died March 17, 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA (AIDS) Birth Name Richard Anthony Aviles Height 6' 2½" (1.89 m) Rick Aviles was born on October 14, 1952 in New York City, New York, USA as Richard Anthony Aviles. He was an actor, known for Waterworld (1995), The Cannonball Run (1981) and Carlito's Way (1993). He died on March 17, 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Was a stand-up comedian. In 1990, he had small supporting roles in two of the year's Best Picture nominees Ghost (1990) and The Godfather Part III (1990). Became a host of "It's Showtime at the Apollo" in 1987, and continued hosting on an occasional basis until 1991. Developed a heroin habit which led to his contracting AIDS. Died of a pulmonary embolism. Brother Rod Reyes has been a regular of the New York comedy scene, performing in most of the big comedy clubs in New York City: The Comic Strip Live, Comedy Cellar, New York Comedy Club, Boston Comedy Club, Duplex, Gothan Comedy Club, and Stand-Up New York, as well as cable TV. He has also appeared on HBO's "One Night Stand", and NBC's "Five Alive," and was given an unbilled role as a subway passenger in the movie Carlito's Way (1993), which featured Rick. Worked as a street performer and stand-up comic in the Greenwich Village night club circuit in New York. In 1981, he auditioned and landed the role of Mad Dog in the movie The Cannonball Run (1981). He went on to appear in 14 other movies. His parents emigrated from Puerto Rico to the U.S. in the late 1940s. They settled in Manhattan, New York City, where Rick was born. Best remembered for his feral roles in urban movies, notably as Willie Lopez, the killer of Patrick Swayze's character who gets his payback by Swayze's ghost, in the smash hit movie Ghost (1990). Appeared in two Best Picture nominees in 1990: Ghost (1990) and The Godfather: Part III (1990). The only other actor to do this was Robert De Niro, who appeared in Goodfellas (1990) and Awakenings (1990). De Niro had also appeared in The Godfather: Part II (1974). Brother of actress Angel Aviles and stand-up comic 'Rod Reyes'. His last name, Aviles, is too the name of a little coastal city belonging Principality of Asturias (north to Spain). It spells as "Avilés".
10/14

1952

Birthday

October 14, 1952

Birthdate

New York, New York United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Puerto Rico.
Early Life & Education

New York City.
Religious Beliefs

He definitely believed in God.
Professional Career

A KILLER IN COMIC’S CLOTHES : Rick Aviles Says Role as Heavy in ‘Ghost’ Aided Stand-Up Career By DENNIS MCLELLAN FEB. 4, 199312 AM DENNIS MCLELLAN IS A TIMES STAFF WRITER WHO REGULARLY COVERS COMEDY FOR OC LIVE! No one who saw the hit movie “Ghost” will forget the ruthless lowlife who emerged from the shadows to kill Patrick Swayze on the streets of New York. It wasn’t exactly the kind of role you’d expect from a stand-up comic. But for Rick Aviles, a Puerto Rican comedian from New York’s Lower East Side, the character was irresistible. As the raspy-voiced former street comic says in his act, his first reaction to hearing about the “Ghost” script was, “You mean I get to kill Patrick Swayze and slap Demi Moore? Lemme see that!” In fact, he’s still a bit awed by it. “I can’t believe they cast me as a killer,” Aviles said by phone from his home in Los Angeles last week. “I mean, I’m a comedian. Why don’t they cast other comedians as killers?” Aviles, who’s headlining at the Irvine Improv through Sunday, acknowledges that his “Ghost” appearance gave his stand-up career a boost. “Any kind of movie exposure does,” he said. “I’m trying to get agents to bill me as the Killer Comic!” That would be an appropriate tag. Aviles has been killing audiences since the mid-'70s, when he began performing stand-up in Washington Square, Central Park and other New York City locales. The street, where he said he would often make $200 a day passing the hat, is where the one-time printer and salesman honed his comedy style and developed his strong stage presence. These days, he wears flashy designer clothes on stage topped off with his trademark black pork pie hat or a fedora. But Aviles hasn’t lost his streetwise sensibility in a distinctly urban-flavored act which he acknowledges is hard to pigeonhole. “I’d call it a melange because I do impressions, I do characters, I do observations,” he explained. “I also do skits, reality comedy and off-the-wall” humor. A master of dialects, thanks to growing up in New York’s City’s “melting pot,” Aviles is just as likely to slip into an Irish accent as he is Italian or East Indian. His routine on drug dealers even includes an old Jewish man selling marijuana out of a pushcart: “Vat do you mean, dat’s not an ounce? Dis is an ounce, mister!’ His sometimes-racy act also includes a lewd reading of the old Dick and Jane school primer and a bit on dating outside his ethnic background. Aviles, whose credits include hosting NBC’s “It’s Showtime at the Apollo” and starring in an HBO “One Night Stand” special, now chooses routines that are more universal than urban. In fact, he said, he recently returned from performing in Amsterdam, where “I was making people laugh in their second language and they were screaming.” The street-bred comic expects the same results in yuppie-tinged Irvine. “Don’t let the streetwise (stuff) fool you,” he said. “Because of the success I’ve had, I’m probably just as yuppie as the people there. I’m a stone-cold businessman. I call my broker. I got investments and other things. . . . “I might even be more yuppie than some of them. “
Personal Life & Family

Showtime at the Apollo.
03/17

1995

Death

March 17, 1995

Death date

Heroin addiction.

Cause of death

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Cremated, Ashes given to his mother. in Los Angeles.
Burial location
Obituary

He was cremated and his ashes given to his mother.

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