While we aren’t even one month into 2016, the entertainment industry has already lost severalnotable icons. Today,Varietyreports that beloved character actorAbe Vigodapassed away in his New Jersey home at the age of 94. The news was confirmed by his daughter,Carol Vigoda Fuchs, who revealed he passed from natural causes.
Abe Vigodawas born June 15, 2025 in New York City, to Lena (Moses) and Samuel Vigoda, both Russian Jewish immigrants. His father was a tailor on the Lower East Side. The actor made his first stage appearance at the age of 17 and performed n small theater shows for over 20 years. He had roles in notable off-Broadway productions such as “Richard III” in 1960 and 1961, “The Cherry Orchard” in 1962-63, “A Darker Flower” in 1963 and “The Cat and the Canary” in 1965. The actor made his Broadway debut with a role in a revival of “The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat” in 1967, followed by “The Man in the Glass Booth” in 1968-69 and “Inquest” in 1970. He also appeared in a handful of episodes ofDark Shadowsbefore landing the iconic role of the mobster Tessio in the 1972Best PicturewinnerThe Godfather, which he reprised in the 1974 sequelThe Godfather: Part II.
Theactoris also well-known for playing Sgt. Phil Fish on Barney Miller, a character who became so popular he got his ownspinoff, the 1977 series Fish, which ran for two seasons. He appeared on Barney Miller for 61 episodes. He also guest-starred on episodes ofHawaii Five-O,Kojak, The Bionic Woman,The Rockford Filesand Eight Is Enough.
The actor continued to work regularly throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including roles inCannonball Run II,Look Who’s Talking, Joe Versus the Volcano, Fist of Honor, Jury Duty,Good Burgerand A Brooklyn State of Mind. He also lent his voice as the mobster Tessio in the 2006 video game based onThe Godfather. Younger fans may recognize the actor from a 2010Super Bowlcommercial he appeared in alongsideBetty White.
In more recent years,Abe Vigodabecame an unusual pop culture icon due to several false reports of his death, which became a running joke. He frequently appeared onLate Night with Conan O’Brienthroughout the 2000s, and there was even a punk rock band named ever him. The false reports of his death even spawned a websiteIsAbeVigodaDead.com, which would have one blank page with the word “No.” The website was updated today, with “Yes. (July 25, 2025 - June 17, 2025).” The actor is survived by his daughterCarol Vigoda Fuchs. His wife,Beatrice Schy, passed away in 1992.
