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Vincent A. Schiavelli 1948 - 2005

Vincent Andrew Schiavelli was born on November 11, 1948 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York United States, and died at age 57 years old on December 26, 2005 in Polizzi Generosa, Provincia di Palermo County, Sicilia Italy. Vincent Schiavelli was buried in Polizzi Generosa, Città metropolitana di Palermo County. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Vincent A. Schiavelli.

Vincent Andrew Schiavelli

November 11, 1948

Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, United States

December 26, 2005

Polizzi Generosa, Provincia di Palermo County, Sicilia, 90028, Italy

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Vincent A. Schiavelli Vincent Schiavelli (1948 - 2005)

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Vincent Andrew Schiavelli's History: 1948 - 2005

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Introduction

Vincent Schiavelli Born November 11, 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA Died December 26, 2005 in Polizzi Generosa, Sicily, Italy (lung cancer) Birth Name Vincent Andrew Schiavelli Nickname The Man with the Sad Eyes Height 6' 4½" (1.95 m) Vincent Schiavelli, selected in 1997 by Vanity Fair as one of the best character actors in America, had made over 120 film and television appearances. He studied acting at NYU's Theatre Program. Aside from his acting career, Vincent was the author of three cookbooks and has written numerous articles on food for magazines and newspapers. In 2001, he received the James Beard Journalism Award. Spouse (2) Carol Mukhalian (23 October 1992 - 26 December 2005) ( his death) ( 1 child) Allyce Beasley (4 August 1985 - 20 November 1988) ( divorced) ( 1 child) Large, droopy owl-like eyes. Often played Italian-American characters. Baldhead. Towering height. Frequently cast in Milos Forman films. Vince got his role as a TV exec in Man on the Moon (1999) from his few appearances with Andy Kaufman on Taxi (1978). Son, Andrea Schiavelli, with Allyce Beasley. His grandfather, whom he grew up with, was a cook for an Italian baron before moving to the United States. Vincent spoke fluent Sicilian. Studied at the New York University School of the Arts in 1969 and 1970. His character Peter Panama on The Corner Bar (1972) was the first sustained gay character on American network television. [2001] Vincent directed a theater piece in Sicily based on nine traditional fables. Six of the eight actors were Sicilian, and everything was authentic down to the local dialect. After the production, Vincent went out on stage with the actors and was met with a five-minute storm of wildflowers from the audience. During his high school years in Brooklyn (1962 - 1966), he was the star of all the Drama Society's presentations and was a member of the National Honor Society. Appeared in two different, completely unrelated productions in which he played a hitman targeting a character played by Teri Hatcher: the television series MacGyver (1985) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Wrote three cookbooks and many food articles for magazines and newspapers, possibly inheriting his love for cooking from his grandfather who had been a cook for an Italian baron. Appeared in Batman Returns (1992) and Batman: The Animated Series (1992), in the episode Batman: The Animated Series: Zatanna (1993). He was the only actor from the Michael Keaton/Tim Burton Batman films to voice a character on "Batman: The Animated Series" (1992-95). Made many guest appearances on local Sicilian TV talk shows. Made himself very popular with the "locals," by speaking proper Sicilian during his interviews. Owed his distinctive appearance largely to Marfan syndrome, from which he suffered. He was an honorary co-chairman of the National Marfan Foundation until his death. He was an alumnus of Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn. Appeared in two different, completely unrelated productions in which he played opposite Pierce Brosnan: the television series Remington Steele (1982) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Both men also worked with director Tim Burton: Schiavelli in "Batman Returns" (1992) and Brosnan in "Mars Attacks!" (1996). Along with Ray Walston, he is one of only two actors to appear in both Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and the subsequent television adaptation Fast Times (1986). Is the only actor besides Christopher Walken to have played both Batman and Bond villains. Both appeared in Batman Returns (1992); Walken as Max Shreck and Schiavelli as The Organ Grinder. Walken played Max Zorin in A View to a Kill (1985) with Roger Moore and Schiavelli played Dr. Kauffman in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) with Pierce Brosnan. Schiavelli worked with Danny DeVito in 4 different films: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Batman Returns (1992), Man on the Moon (1999), and Death to Smoochy (2002). Schiavelli was 1 of 2 actors who were born in 1948, appeared in one of the Michael Keaton/Tim Burton 'Batman' films, and died in 2005. The other was William Hootkins, who played Lt. Eckhardt in Batman (1989). Shared his November 11th birthday with his Ghost (1990) co-star Demi Moore. "Ghost" also starred Patrick Swayze, who, like Schiavelli, died of cancer at the age of 57. Appeared in four films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), An Unmarried Woman (1978), Amadeus (1984) and Ghost (1990). Of those, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Amadeus (1984) are winners in the category and both were directed by Milos Forman. Both films also won the Golden Globe Award for best drama and Milos Forman won the Golden Globe Award for best director for both films. One of three actors from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) to play a Batman villain in the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton 'Batman' movies. The others of course being Jack Nicholson as The Joker in Batman (1989) and Danny DeVito as The Penguin in Batman Returns (1992). Schiavelli appeared in "Batman Returns" as The Organ Grinder (a villain who was working for The Penguin).
11/11

1948

Birthday

November 11, 1948

Birthdate

Brooklyn, Kings County, New York United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Born and raised in Brooklyn but died in Polizzi Generosa, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Early Life & Education

New York University.
Professional Career

Filmography Taking Off (1971) as Schiavelli The Corner Bar (1972) as Peter Panama The Great Gatsby (1974) as Thin Man (uncredited) For Pete's Sake (1974) as Grocery Clerk The Happy Hooker (1975) as Music Guru One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)[6] as Bruce Frederickson Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) as Rent Party Guest (uncredited) Angels (1976) as Tex Another Man, Another Chance (1977) as Train Traveler (uncredited) An Unmarried Woman (1978) as Man at Party Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978) as Dimitri Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979) as Guard The Frisco Kid (1979) as Brother Bruno Escape (1980) as J.W. White White Mama (1980) as Medic The Gong Show Movie (1980) as Mario Romani Nightside (1980) as Tom Adams Seed of Innocence (1980) as Leo The Return (1980) as Prospector American Pop (1981)[6] as Theatre Owner Comedy Of Horrors (1981) as Gregory Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981) as B.J. Gangster Wars (1981) as Gurrah Shapiro Night Shift (1982) as Carl Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) as Mr. Vargas The Selling of Vince D'Angelo (1983) as Vince's Right Hand Man Little Shots (1983) as Smokey Joe Kidco (1984) as Phil Porzinski Buckaroo Banzai (1984) as John O'Connor Amadeus (1984)[6] as Salieri's Valet The Ratings Game (1984) as Skip Johnny Dangerously (1984) as Roman Moronie's Building Planner (uncredited) Lots of Luck (1985, TV Movie) as Skinny Better Off Dead (1985) as Mr. Kerber Bride of Boogedy (1987) as Lazarus Time Out (1988) as The Receptionist Cold Feet (1989) as Vet Homer and Eddie (1989) as Priest Playroom (1989) as Roman Hart Valmont (1989) as Jean Waiting for the Light (1990) as Mullins Mister Frost (1990) as Angelo, desk clerk Ghost (1990) as Subway Ghost Penny Ante: The Motion Picture (1990) as Davidson Another You (1991) as Dentist Ted & Venus (1991) as Publisher Batman Returns (1992) as Organ Grinder Miracle Beach (1992) as Mystic Painted Desert (1993) as Harry The Lurking Fear (1994) as Knaggs Cultivating Charlie (1994) as Martin Corpse Killer (Game Digital Pictures) (1994) as Hellman 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995) as The Mayor Escape to Witch Mountain (1995) as Waldo Fudd A Little Princess (1995) as Mr. Barrow Lord of Illusions (1995) as Vinovich The Courtyard (1995) as Ivan Brother's Destiny (1995) as Davinport Two Much (1996) as Sommelier Back To Back (1996) as Leonardo The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) as Chester The Beautician and the Beast (1997) as Jailer Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) as Dr. Kaufman Casper Meets Wendy (1998) as Dr. Matthew Jeeder M.D. Love Kills (1998) as Emmet Restons groupés (1998) as Gary Rusty: A Dog's Tale (1998) as Carney Boss Inferno (1999) as Mr. Singh American Virgin (1999) as Cab Driver Treehouse Hostage (1999) as Gardener (uncredited) Man on the Moon (1999) as Maynard Smith - ABC Executive The Prince and the Surfer (1999) as Baumgarten 3 Strikes (2000) as Cortino The Pooch and the Pauper (2000) as Willy Wishbow American Saint (2001) as Charley Grebbini Snow White: The Fairest of Them All (2001) as Wednesday (Yellow) Death to Smoochy (2002) as Buggy Ding Dong Hey Arnold!: The Movie (2002) as Mr. Bailey (voice) Solino (2002) as Director Baldi The 4th Tenor (2002) as Marcello Ferrari (2003) as Mr. Paradise Baggage (2003) as Thomas Horelick (Blind Man) Gli indesiderabili (2003) as Frank Frigenti Baadasssss! (2003) as Jerry La bambina dalle mani sporche (2005) as Silva Roibes Once Upon a Time in Polizzi (2005) as Himself Miracle in Palermo! (2005) as Federico II Nuovomondo (2006) as Marriage Broker - on board ship (Released posthumously) Oliviero Rising (2007) as Albino (Released posthumously) The Passport (2010, Short) as Inspector Manuel Silvera (Released posthumously) (final film role) Tanti Beddi Cosi (2014) as Himself (Archive footage)
Personal Life & Family

Vincent Schiavelli Schiavelli and then-wife actress Allyce Beasley on September 20, 1987 Born Vincent Andrew Schiavelli November 11, 1948 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Died December 26, 2005 (aged 57) Polizzi Generosa, Palermo, Sicily, Italy Other names Vince Schiavelli Education New York University (MFA) Occupation Actor, food writer Years active 1971–2005 1993−2005 (writing) Spouse(s) Allyce Beasley (m. 1985; div. 1988) Carol Mukhalian (m. 1992; his death 2005) Children 1 Vincent Andrew Schiavelli (/ˌskiːəˈvɛli/; November 11, 1948 – December 26, 2005) was an American character actor and food writer noted for his work on stage, screen, and television. Described as an "instantly recognizable sad-faced actor", Schiavelli was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome in childhood. Schiavelli gained fame as a character actor, mainly in supporting roles. His better-known roles include Fredrickson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Mr. Vargas in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), the Subway Ghost in Ghost (1990), Organ Grinder in Batman Returns (1992), Chester in The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Dr. Kaufman in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and ABC executive Maynard Smith in Man on the Moon (1999). Before his death in 2005, Schiavelli was considered by many as one of Hollywood's best character actors. Roger Ebert stated Schiavelli "had a way of slipping into films without people knowing his name, but they remembered his great performances as unique characters." Early life Schiavelli was born in Brooklyn to a Sicilian-American family, the son of John Schiavelli and Katherine Coco. He attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn. He studied acting through the theatre program at New York University and began performing on stage in the 1960s. Career Schiavelli's first film role occurred in Miloš Forman's 1971 production Taking Off, in which he played a counselor who taught parents of runaway teens to smoke marijuana in order to better understand their children's experiences. Schiavelli's aptitude and distinctive appearance soon provided him with a steady stream of supporting roles, often in Forman's films, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Valmont, and the 1999 biopic Man on the Moon. He played Mr. Vargas, the biology teacher, in the 1982 comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High, a role he reprised in the 1986 television spin-off Fast Times. He was cast in a similar role in Better Off Dead in which he played Mr. Kerber, a geometry teacher. In 1987, he starred alongside Tim Conway in the short film comedy Dorf on Golf, and then Dorf and the First Games of Mount Olympus in 1988. In 1990, he played the Subway Ghost in Ghost, and in 1992, he played in Tim Burton's Batman Returns as the "Organ Grinder", one of the Penguin's henchmen. He appeared as another villain in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), as a silent monk in The Frisco Kid (1979), and as John O'Connor, one of the evil Red Lectroids in 1984's The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. In 1994 he appeared in the music video for ZZ Top's "Breakaway", alongside Fairuza Balk and in 1997, was named one of America's best character actors by Vanity Fair magazine. He also made several voice appearances in the animated television show Hey Arnold!. In 2002, he played a children's television show host turned heroin addict named Buggy Ding Dong in Death to Smoochy. His first television role came in 1972 as Peter Panama in The Corner Bar, the first sustained portrayal of a gay character on American television. His other television credits include The Moneychangers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, WKRP in Cincinnati, and Taxi as the priest who marries Latka and Simka. He appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Arsenal of Freedom" as a holographic salesman, on Miami Vice as a research scientist who conspires to steal a top-secret prototype weapon from his employer, and in an uncredited role in an episode of Punky Brewster. In 1987 he appeared as Lyle, a gangster, in the MacGyver season 2 episode "Soft Touch". In Highlander: The Series, he played Leo Atkins, a homeless Vietnam War veteran accused of murder in the Season 1 episode "Innocent Man". In The X-Files, he played Lanny, a man with an underdeveloped conjoined twin in the Season 2 episode "Humbug". He wrote a number of cookbooks and food articles for various magazines and newspapers, notably Gourmet, Saveur, and the Los Angeles Times. In 1999, Schiavelli starred in a 26-episode Italian cooking show called Chefs of Cucina Amore that aired on PBS periodically for the next couple of years. He received a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award in 2001 and was nominated on several other occasions.[citation needed] Schiavelli's three cookbooks are memoirs, with recipes related to personal history and anecdotes: Papa Andrea's Sicilian Table: Recipes from a Sicilian Chef As Remembered by His Grandson, 1993 Bruculinu, America: Remembrances of Sicilian-American Brooklyn, Told in Stories and Recipes, 1998 Many Beautiful Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa, 2002 Vincent Schiavelli's tombstone in Polizzi Generosa graveyard Schiavelli served as honorary co-chair of the National Marfan Foundation, an organization that serves those affected by Marfan syndrome, from which Schiavelli suffered. Schiavelli also performed in a few video games, including Emperor: Battle for Dune (as Harkonnen Mentat Yanich Kobal) and as Dr. Hellman in the video game Corpse Killer. Personal life Schiavelli was married to actress Allyce Beasley from 1985 until their 1988 divorce. He guest-starred as the love interest of Beasley's character on one episode of Moonlighting. Their son, Andrea Schiavelli, was born in 1987. In 1992, Schiavelli married American harpist Carol Mukhalian. Death Schiavelli died of lung cancer on December 26, 2005, aged 57, at his home in Polizzi Generosa, the Sicilian town where his grandfather, Andrea Coco, was born, and about which he wrote in his 2002 book Many Beautiful Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa (ISBN 0-7432-1528-1). Schiavelli was buried at Polizzi Generosa Cemetery, near Palermo, Sicily. Coincidentally, both Schiavelli and his Ghost co-star, Patrick Swayze, died at the age of 57 from cancer. Two documentaries were made about Schiavelli's Sicilian life. The first, Once Upon a Time in Polizzi, was released on October 11, 2005 (two months before his death), and the second, Many Beautiful Things (Tanti Beddi Cosi is the Sicilian title), was produced by Aurelio Gambadoro and released in 2014. The film Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie is dedicated to his memory. (Schiavelli provided a guest voice appearance as the Pigeon Man in the original series.)
12/26

2005

Death

December 26, 2005

Death date

Lung cancer from smoking.

Cause of death

Polizzi Generosa, Provincia di Palermo County, Sicilia 90028, Italy
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Polizzi Generosa, Città metropolitana di Palermo County, Sicilia 90028, Italy
Burial location
Obituary

Vincent Schiavelli, the droopy-eyed character actor who appeared in scores of movies, including "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Ghost," died Monday at his home in Sicily. He was 57. He died of lung cancer, said Salvatore Glorioso, mayor of Polizzi Generosa, the Sicilian village where Schiavelli resided. Schiavelli, whose gloomy look made him perfect to play creepy or eccentric characters, made appearances in some 150 film and television productions, according to the Internet Movie Database. In "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," he played the science teacher Mr. Vargas, who was married to the character portrayed by Lana Clarkson. (Rock producer Phil Spector is accused of killing Clarkson at his mansion in 2003.) Schiavelli also appeared as Salieri's valet in "Amadeus," as "Cuckoo's Nest" patient Frederickson, the subway ghost in "Ghost," the organ grinder in "Batman Returns," and as Chester in "The People vs. Larry Flynt." He was selected in 1997 by Vanity Fair as one of America's best character actors. Schiavelli, who was born and raised in New York, studied acting at New York University's School of the Arts. He also wrote three cookbooks and many food articles for magazines and newspapers, possibly inheriting his love for cooking from his grandfather, who had been a cook for an Italian baron before moving to the United States, according to IMDB. "He was a great friend, a great chef, and a great talker," Glorioso, who has known Schiavelli for almost four years, said in a telephone interview. "With a smooth, witty conversation, he would make everything look more colorful. I've lost a brother," he said. Schiavelli also had worked in Italy, including in 2001 when he directed a theater piece in Sicily based on nine fables. A funeral service will be held Tuesday in Polizzi Generosa, Glorioso said.Vincent A Schiavelli passed away on December 26, 2005 in Polizzi Generosa, Sicilia Italy at age 57. He was born on November 11, 1948 in New York.

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Vincent A. Schiavelli lived 17 years shorter than the average family member when died at the age of 57.

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