Skip to main content

Godfather actor Abe Vigoda died at age 94

abe vigoda death godfather actor
Abe Vigoda died in his sleep on Tuesday morning. The cause of the 94-year-old character actor’s death was old age, according to The Associated Press. “This man was never sick,” said his daughter, Carol Vigoda Fuchs, according to ABC News.

Vigoda had a long and impressive acting career, including notable roles in the films The GodfatherLook Who’s Talking, Cannonball Run II, and Joe Versus the Volcano, among others. He was also well known for playing the crotchety veteran detective Phil Fish in the 1970s TV series Barney Miller as well as in its subsequent spinoff series, Fish. The character was a memorable one, solving cases while battling hemorrhoids, grouching at others, and contemplating retirement.

Barney Miller, Vigoda’s first steady acting job, ran from 1975 to 1982. Vigoda was a regular on the show for the first three seasons and even juggled both Barney Miller and Fish simultaneously. Not only did Fish season 1 overlap with Barney Miller season 3, the actor continued to guest star on the former in the years after he left it.

Prior to making a name for himself as a talented character actor, Vigoda, who was born in 1921, had attended the Theater School of Dramatic Arts at Carnegie Hall. He found work in the theater and appeared in a variety of productions, including Richard II and the Broadway comedy Tough to Get Help, over multiple decades. Playing Sal in The Godfather, of course, was a game-changer; not surprisingly, he earned more film and TV roles following the success of the classic 1972 mafia movie.

Twice married, the actor is survived by his family, including his daughter, three grandchildren, and a great-grandson. Vigoda’s death is certainly a loss to his family, the film industry, and movie fans alike.

Stephanie Topacio Long
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
The best animated movies on Netflix right now
A cat points a bat at another cat in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

While Nimona has been the big Netflix original animated film of the summer, it's far from the only addition to the lineup. Netflix is making sure that animation fans are well served in August with the first two Despicable Me movies, Bee Movie, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. However, Netflix's biggest recent addition is one of 2022's biggest animated hits: DreamWorks' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Netflix's deals with Sony Pictures Animation, DreamWorks Animation, and Universal Pictures have given it a powerhouse library of animated films. And that's before we even get into Netflix's impressive originals like The Sea Beast. To help you keep track of what's new and what you can stream right now, we've updated our list of the best animated movies on Netflix.

Read more
From Barbarella to Howard the Duck: the 7 cheesiest sci-fi movies ever
Howard the Duck in "Howard the Duck."

The science-fiction genre has a vast smorgasbord of cheesy films stretching way back to the early days of cinema. Such pictures are known for their weird stories, unrealistic dialogue, low-budget productions, and exaggerated acting.

While many of these films have been panned by critics and audiences alike, some of them have garnered success for being "so bad, they're good." Whether or not they have been held up by a dedicated fan base, these seven movies stand out as the cream of the cheesy sci-fi crop.
Flash Gordon (1980)

Read more
10 best Batman stories ever, ranked
Batman Year One cover

Bounding from rooftop to rooftop, the Dark Knight never misses his mark. He operates like a well-oiled machine tracking bad guys, beating them to a bloody pulp, and throwing them in the slammer - or Arkham Asylum should they be anyone of Gotham's notable supervillains. As the brainchild of Bob Kane and Bill Finger, an artist and writer duo, Batman has been pounding the pavement of Gotham ever since his debut in Detective Comics in 1939. He's undergone a number of changes since his original conception ultimately becoming the brooding powerhouse we know today.

Most understand the basic tenants of Batman these days. His parents were murdered before his young eyes leading him down this path of personal vindication and pursuit of justice. Batman, in most iterations, never resorts to killing -- the one crime that separates his outlaw vigilante operations from the real criminals. Of course, it wasn't always that way. In Batman's earliest days, he had no qualms about ending the lives of baddies on the streets. Even now, some stories and films like Tim Burton's gothic take on the character depict him looking on with cold and uncaring glares as criminals meet their end. Regardless, Batman is mostly a well-established hero simply seeking justice and there are countless stories of the Caped Crusader. Let's take a look at the best among them.
10. Hush

Read more