Abraham Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor, known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather (1972) and Phil Fish in both Barney Miller (1975–1977, 1982) and Fish (1977–1978). His career as an actor began in 1947 performing with the American Theatre Wing and continued in Broadway productions throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
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Early life and education
Vigoda was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 24, 1921, the son of Samuel Vigoda (Yiddish: שמואל וויגאָדאַ; Russian: Самуэль Вигода) and Lena Moses (Yiddish: לענאַ משה וויגאָדאַ; Russian: Лена Мозес Вигода), Jewish immigrants from Russia.
After leaving school, Vigoda worked as a printer before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1943, serving in World War II. After his military service, he studied acting on the G.I. Bill at the American Theatre Wing. In the late 1940s, he began working in radio, and made his television debut in an installment of the live drama series Studio One.
Career
Vigoda began acting while in his 20s, working with the American Theatre Wing. His career as a professional actor began in 1947.
He gained acting notoriety in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his work in Broadway productions, including Marat/Sade (1967), portraying Mad Animal; The Man in the Glass Booth (1968), portraying Landau; Inquest (1970); and Tough to Get Help (1972), portraying Abraham Lincoln.
His best-known film role is that of Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather (1972). He also appeared briefly in The Godfather Part II, in a flashback sequence at the end of the film. According to Francis Ford Coppola's commentary on the DVD's widescreen edition, Vigoda landed the role of Tessio in an "open call", in which actors who did not have agents could come for an audition.
He gained further fame as Phil Fish on Barney Miller, a character known for his world-weary demeanor and persistent hemorrhoids. Vigoda landed the role after an unusual audition, in which he unwittingly displayed that he was a perfect fit for the role:
While living in Los Angeles, I'd jog three to five miles a day. One morning jogging, my agent calls about a new series called Barney Miller, saying, "Go there at once."Well, I was tired and exhausted ... I must have run five miles that morning. I said. "I have to go home and take a shower.""No, no, no. Go right now to Studio City, you're very right for it, they know you from The Godfather, they want to see you.""With my shorts?""Go."Danny Arnold and Ted Flicker, the producers, look at me, I look at them, they look at me again. "You look tired.""Of course I'm tired, I jogged five miles this morning, I'm exhausted.""Yeah, yeah, tell me, you look like you have hemorrhoids.""What are you, a doctor or a producer?"
Vigoda's character on Barney Miller was popular, and a spin-off television series, Fish, was created for him in 1977. The series, a situation comedy, ran from February 5, 1977, to May 18, 1978.
Mistaken reports of death
Prior to his actual death in January 2016, Vigoda was a repeated victim of mistaken death announcements. These led to jokes, often with Vigoda as a participant.
In 1982, People magazine mistakenly referred to Vigoda as dead. At the time, Vigoda, aged 60, was performing in a stage play in Calgary. He took the mistake with good humor, posing for a photograph published in Variety, in which he is sitting up in a coffin, holding the erroneous issue of People. Jeff Jarvis, a People employee at the time, said that the magazine's editors were known for "messing up" stories, and one of them repeatedly inserted the phrase "the late" in reference to Vigoda, even after a researcher correctly removed it. The erroneous version was what went to print.
In 1987, the same mistake was made when a reporter for WWOR, Channel 9 serving the New York metropolitan area mistakenly referred to him as the "late Abe Vigoda". She realized and corrected her mistake the next day.
He had been the subject of many running gags pertaining to the mistaken reports of his death. In 1997, Vigoda appeared in Good Burger as the character Otis, the titular restaurant's French fry man. Several jokes were made about his high age, including his character Otis saying, "I should've died years ago". That same year, he was shopping at Bloomingdale's in Manhattan when the salesman remarked, "You look like Abe Vigoda. But you can't be Abe Vigoda because he's dead." A Late Night with David Letterman skit showed Letterman trying to summon Vigoda's ghost, but Vigoda walked in and declared, "I'm not dead yet, you pinhead!"
At a New York Friars Club roast of Rob Reiner that Vigoda attended, Billy Crystal joked, "I have nothing to say about Abe. I was always taught to speak well of the dead."
In May 2001, a website was created to report whether Vigoda was alive or dead; it eventually went offline no later than 2023. In addition, in 2005, a "tongue-in-cheek" Firefox extension was released, with the sole purpose of telling the browser's user of Vigoda's status.
Continuing the gag, he frequently appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien to make fun of his status, including a guest appearance on the show's final episode. Host Conan O’Brien later named a rock band he formed The Vigodas in Abe’s honor.
Personal life
Vigoda and his first wife Sonja Gohlke had one daughter named Carol. Their marriage ended in divorce. His second marriage to Beatrice Schy lasted from 1968 until her death in 1992.
Vigoda enjoyed playing handball, and stated in an interview that he was "almost" a champion at the game in his youth.
Death
On January 26, 2016, one month before his 95th birthday, Vigoda died in his sleep at his daughter Carol Fuchs's home in Woodland Park, New Jersey, of natural causes. He had gone there "to escape the hazards of a blizzard".
Vigoda's funeral was held on January 31, 2016. Notable figures including comic Gilbert Gottfried and former New York City mayor David Dinkins attended. He was buried in the Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, Nassau County, New York.
At the 2016 Academy Awards show, Vigoda was not included in the show's memorial reel, surprising many and prompting a small backlash.
