Character actor Abe Vigoda, known for his work on The Godfather and on the television series Barney Miller, died Tuesday aged 94. Vigoda, recognizable for his leathery, sunken-eyed face, came to fame in 1972 after Francis Ford Coppola cast him in The Godfather as Sal Tessio, an old friend of Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) who aims to take over the family by killing Vito’s son, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino).
“I’m really not a Mafia person,” Mr. Vigoda, who was of Russian-Jewish descent, told Vanity Fair magazine in 2009. “I’m an actor who spent his life in the theater. But Francis said, ‘I want to look at the Mafia not as thugs and gangsters but like royalty in Rome.’ And he saw something in me that fit Tessio as one would look at the classics in Rome.”
The success of the Godfather films brought Vigoda’s face and voice to fame and led to numerous roles. But it was his turn in Barney Miller as Phil Fish that brought the actor the most recognition. For his portrayal of Detective Fish, Vigoda received Emmy nominations three years in a row (1976-1978).
