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1-11 of 11
- Tough, gruff, thick-browed, volatile-looking character actor Alex Rocco was born Alessandro Federico Petricone, Jr. on February 29, 1936, to Italian immigrants in Cambridge, Mass. He grew up a member of Boston's Winter Hill gang (his nickname was "Bobo") and was briefly detained regarding a murder at one point after an alleged personal incident triggered the Boston Irish Gang War (1961-1967). Rocco decided to straighten his life and relocated to Hollywood in 1962 following his detainment and release.
Developing an interest in acting, Alex initially trained with such notable teachers as Leonard Nimoy and Jeff Corey in order to curb his thick Boston accent. Working as a bartender during the lean years, his film and TV career finally kick-started in 1965, immediately relying on his sly, lethal menace, toothy toughness, and prior gangland past to realistically portray gritty anti-heroes and villains. He made an effective movie debut, co-starring as a vengeful veterinarian and Vietnam vet who goes after motorcycle "bad boys" following his wife's beating and rape in the exploitation flick Motorpsycho! (1965) directed by Russ Meyer. Despite this bold beginning, it was followed by a disappointing gangster bit in The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) and a nothing role as a police Lieutenant in The Boston Strangler (1968). On TV, he found sporadic work playing thugs and other unsavory types on such TV shows as "Run for Your Life," "Batman" and "Get Smart."
Rocco came into his own in the early 1970s. After featured roles in such violent exploitation like Blood Mania (1970) and Brute Corps (1971), he received a huge boost in an Oscar-winning "A" film. He made a brief but potent impact essaying the role of Las Vegas syndicate boss Moe Green who gets a bullet in the eye during the violently explosive "christening sequence" of Mario Puzo's The Godfather (1972). From there he found a comfortable supporting niche playing various swarthy-looking cronies, hoods and cops in such crime films as The Outside Man (1972), Slither (1973), The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) (in which he made good use of his Boston criminal past), Freebie and the Bean (1974), Three the Hard Way (1974) and A Woman for All Men (1975). Similar urban roles followed him on TV with yeoman work on such 1970s cop shows as "The Rookies", "Get Christie Love", "Kojak", "Cannon", "The Blue Knight", "Police Story", "The Rockford Files", "Barnaby Jones", "Dog and Cat", "Baretta", "Starsky and Hutch", "Delvecchio", "CHiPs", "Matt Houston", "Hardcastle and McCormick", and "Simon & Simon", along with the TV movies or miniseries A Question of Guilt (1978), The Gangster Chronicles (1981) and Badge of the Assassin (1985).
In the midst of all this, Alex was handed the starring role of his own series Three for the Road (1975) in which he played a new widower photographer with two teenage sons (played by Vincent Van Patten and Leif Garrett) who assuage their grief by leaving town and "discovering America" together. Although well-received, it was short-lived (13 episodes) as a result of poor scheduling. The actor returned to series TV in the late 1980s and was much more successful as a slick Hollywood agent in The Famous Teddy Z (1989) for which he won a "Supporting Actor" Emmy Award. Other regular comedy series work, such as Sibs (1991), The George Carlin Show (1994), The Division (2001) and Magic City (2012), added to his healthy resume over the years, with over 400 TV appearances racked up in all. Recurring roles on such programs as The Simpsons (1989) and The Facts of Life (1979) (as Nancy McKeon's father) also kept his career going at a steady pace. Other memorably flashy film roles include Freebie and the Bean (1974), The Stunt Man (1980), Lady in White (1988), Get Shorty (1995) and Just Write (1997).
Twice married, Rocco's first wife, Sandra Garrett, a nightclub performer and screenwriter, died of cancer in 2002. He married actress Shannon Wilcox in 2005 and together they appeared in the film Scammerhead (2014). Rocco appeared in two films helmed by his adopted son, screenwriter and director Marc Rocco: Scenes from the Goldmine (1987) and Dream a Little Dream (1989), who died in 2009. Two other children by his first wife were Lucian, a poet, and Jennifer, an attorney. Alex Rocco died of pancreatic cancer on July 18, 2015 at age 79. - Actor
- Producer
- Director
George Coe was born on 10 May 1929 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and The Stepford Wives (1975). He was married to Karen Foray, Nancy Baker and Susan Allsopp Massaron. He died on 18 July 2015 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Igor Artashonov was born on 17 March 1964. He was an actor, known for Liquidation (2007), Dikiy (2009) and Lektor (2011). He was married to Kristina Ruban. He died on 18 July 2015.
- Rabbit Yang was born on 17 September 1987 in Taipei, Taiwan. She was an actress, known for The New World (2015), Flavor of Life (2013) and Love Family (2013). She died on 18 July 2015 in Taipei, Taiwan.
- Jorg Biel died on 18 July 2015 in Germany.
- Xabier Erauskin was born on 21 March 1969 in Zaldibia, Guipúzcoa, País Vasco, Spain. He was an actor, known for Hospital Central (2000), Goenkale (2000) and Usoa (2000). He died on 18 July 2015 in Zaldibia, Guipúzcoa, País Vasco, Spain.
- Buddy Buie was born on 23 January 1941 in Marianna, Florida, USA. He was married to Gloria Seay. He died on 18 July 2015 in Dothan, Alabama, USA.
- Additional Crew
- Special Effects
- Make-Up Department
N. Brock Winkless IV was born in 1959 in the USA. He is known for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Congo (1995) and The X Files (1998). He died on 18 July 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Producer
- Writer
Christopher Hazelett was born on 17 December 1981 in Gary, Indiana, USA. Christopher was a producer and writer, known for A Secret Handshake (2007) and Lose Fat Now (2011). Christopher died on 18 July 2015 in Houston, Texas, USA.- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Tamás Koltai was born on 10 September 1942 in Budapest, Hungary. Tamás was a writer, known for Snuki (1978), Falusi udvarlás (1975) and Tévedések vígjátéka, avagy Tévedések víg játéka (1988). Tamás died on 18 July 2015 in Budapest, Hungary.- Hazen J. Schumacher Jr. was born on 28 March 1927 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. Hazen J. was a production manager, known for Understanding Our World: An Interview with Ayn Rand (1961). Hazen J. was married to Shirley (Rusty). Hazen J. died on 18 July 2015 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.