Abe Vigoda of the Godfather

Best known as the double-crossing Salvatore Tessio in Francis Ford Coppola’s and Mario Puzo’s The Godfather and its sequel, The Godfather II, slouch-shouldered and long faced Abraham Charles Vigoda or better known as Abe Vigoda is a movie and television stars that have graced numerous roles in various television shows and movies. Born on February 21st 1921 in NYC, New York, the New York native is the son of Samuel and Lena Vigoda, looking to set up a living after emigrating from Russia. Abe Vigoda grew up with his father as a tailor and his brother, a comic-strip artist.

Abe Vigoda

Abe Vigoda entered the glitzy and glamorous world of entertainment in 1949 and was largely cast as a supporting character world throughout his career. His roles went largely unnoticed and uncredited until he was cast the role of Tessio in The Godfather, a role he won after being selected from over five hundred other unknown actors who had auditioned for it. The success of Tessio, along with his unusual and morose looking face, led him to being cast in other crime/mafia type roles, with mafia movies being in high demand throughout the 1980s. Vigoda’s best known role was that of Sergeant Phil Fish on the sitcom Barney Miller. A role he comprised from 1975-1977. His role was hugely popular amongst the public and critics that it led to Abe Vigoda having his own spinoff series, titled Fish, though the series lasted for only one season.

Abe Vigoda also dabbled on Broadway, featuring on mostly comedic plays such as Tough To Get Help and Arsenic and Old Lace. Despite being famous and a celebrity, Vigoda remained largely reclusive. He preferred to spend quality time with his family when not in front of a camera. This, surprisingly, led him to more fame since he was erroneously declared dead by several media sources. Throughout the 1980s, producers frequently needed someone like him to fill Mafioso roles but not casting Vigoda himself since they believed him to be dead when Abe Vigoda was actually very much alive and well.

Abe Vigoda - Skeleton

In 1982, Abe Vigoda was once again, presumed to be dead by well-known People magazine but a photograph of him posing sitting up in a coffin holding up the magazine has proved his death was indeed, another premature obituary. Since then, Vigoda has used the erroneous reports as a running joke, with him constantly appearing on talk shows as a deceased person or appearing after being summoned by a host. Vigoda’s website also jokes regarding his living or dead status and television sitcoms have often used Abe Vigoda as a running gag of sorts as well.

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Despite being well in his eighties, Abe Vigoda is still very much plying his trade in the industry and entertaining audiences with his unusual yet comedic behavior. Having lived in New York City throughout his life, Vigoda is still living in New York and most recently appeared on The Today Show on NBC in January 2009, announcing his good health and his upcoming appearances in the media. Vigoda looks set to appear in the remake of the 1978 classic The Driver to be released in 2010, playing the role of Don Politano. True to his mafia-style looks and character, Vigoda is also slated to play the role as a priest in 2010’s mafia movie, Mafioso II.

Even though Vigoda was cast in largely supportive roles in television series and movies, his fan base is wide and very much global. Audiences enjoy his largely entertaining performances and he even has a punk rock band based in Los Angeles, California named after him. Though still largely unrecognized by many in this current day, Abe Vigoda is a true star and deserves recognition for his contributions to Hollywood.