Abe Vigoda dead: Godfather actor dies aged 94
The actor became famous late in life, and once said: 'I was told success had to come in my youth. I found this to be a myth'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Abe Vigoda, the actor who played Sal Tessio in the classic Godfather film series, has died. He was 94.
His daughter, Carol Vigoda Fuchs, confirmed his death to AP. The cause was old age.
In The Godfather, he played Sal Tessio, a friend of patriarch Vito Corleone. Mr Vigoda's character tried to take over Corleone's crime family following his death. However, his attempt to kill heir Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, was thwarted and Tessio killed.
Mr Vigoda also found great success on TV playing Detective Phil Fish in seventies sitcom ‘Barney Miller’. His character proved so successful that he later began his own spin off, entitled 'Fish'. However, he continued to make occaisional appearances on the original show.
In addition to appearing on screen, he worked in theatre for 30 years. His roles included John of Gaunt in Richard II and Abraham Lincoln in short lived Broadway comedy Tough to Get Help.
He became famous late in life, once saying: "When I was a young man, I was told success had to come in my youth. I found this to be a myth. My experiences have taught me that if you deeply believe in what you are doing, success can come at any age."
He gained noteriety over time due to repeated reports that he had died, which all proved to be false.
Tributes have been emerging on social media to the actor:
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments