"Tell Mike it was only business...." Also great as Detective Fish on "Barney Miller", one of the classic comedy shows from back in the day.

[www.youtube.com]

to be honest I thought he was 104 and not 94 RIP

He has been on my dead pool list for the past 10 years. I guess this is the year I hit it with him.

Fish! No disrespect but I had no idea he was still with us. RIP.
He was hilarious. Anybody remember the spin off show after Barney Miller?

I used to love his "Fish" role in both of the series. Since hearing of his passing, I've been trying to remember just how long ago those shows were on. I can remember thinking at the time "he must be older than dirt". Kinda like Christopher Lloyd... they both looked older than they were when they weren't all that old... And then never seemed to age past that point.

RIP Abe.

Peace,
Mr DJA

I'll always remember him as Sal Tessio in The Godfather.

Tessio: Can you get me off the hook, Tom? For old times' sake?

Tom: Can't do it, Sally.

RIP Abe Vigoda.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

He had a good long life, didn't he? Can't ask for much more than that...RIP, Abe.

Can't beat living to 94. RIP, Sal.

The decades-long history of the Abe Vigoda death hoax

Long before the Internet helped celebrity death rumors spread like rapid fire, there was the Abe Vigoda hoax.

The character actor best known for roles in “The Godfather” and “Barney Miller” died Tuesday at the age of 94. But for decades, Vigoda’s death had been rumored and mistakenly reported. His status among the living became a joke unto itself, and Vigoda played along.

It all began in 1982 when People mistakenly referred to the “Barney Miller” actor as “the late” Abe Vigoda. He was 60 at the time and missed a wrap party for the show.

People corrected the mistake, the idea of “the late” Vigoda persisted and media outlets throughout the years have erroneously reported him as dead. (A reporter at local television station in New Jersey corrected her mistake in 1987, a day after she called him “the late Abe Vigoda” on air.)

“My wife keeps getting condolence cards from people who believe I died,” Vigoda told the Toronto Star in 1988. “Many are producers. I’m sure there are many who may have thought about me for a role but said, ‘No, he’s dead.'”


Link to full article:
[www.washingtonpost.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-27 04:31 by latebloomer.

It's hard to believe he was only 50 when he did The Godfather. He looked closer to 65 .... and that was 44 years ago.

The man died of old age peacefully. What more could any of us want?

Loved Barney Miller, what a class act and funny show. Abe's character added a lot to the chemistry. That's the way I'll remember him.

R.I.P.

Quote
tatters
It's hard to believe he was only 50 when he did The Godfather. He looked closer to 65 .... and that was 44 years ago.

Exactly...he was one of those guys who just looked old young...kinda like Ed Asner, who's also still alive.

Vigoda was actually a workout fanatic, which I didn't know...there's video of him from just a few years back working out and running in place and it's fantastic.

The "Godfather" movies led to his successful run on "Barney Miller," which ran from 1974-82 and starred Hal Linden as the title character. Vigoda was on the show until 1977.

"Abe was responsible for as much of the success of 'Barney Miller' as I was -- easily. More so than me," Linden told CNN. "We all owe a great debt of gratitude to a fine character actor who created a very memorable character that will go on and on, with all the re-runs. Thank God people will get to see what Abe did."

Fantastic as Tessio. Perfect for that role.

I've fond memories of Abe Vigoda, growing up watching Barney Miller and later seeing The Godfather multiple times. RIP to one of the great t.v. and film character actors (whatever that is).

Tessio sleeps with the fishes.