Godfather Actor Abe Vigoda Dies Aged 94

Carol Vigoda Fuchs said her father – best known for roles in The Godfather and sitcom Barney Miller – passed away at her home in New Jersey. “This man was never sick, ” Fuchs said.

In casting “The Godfather” (1972), filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola went looking for little-known stage actors to play in supporting roles.

The actor took out an ad in Variety, shortly after the false report of his demise, which showed him sitting up in a coffin holding the offending issue of People, the New York Times reported.

Like so many great character actors, including Charles Lane and Beaulah Bondi (both of whom were in the holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life”), Vigoda always looked older than he actually was. But he may be best remembered as Fish on the ABC sitcom “Barney Miller”, a role that led to a short-lived starring role on the spinoff “Fish“.

Vigoda even took the joke to the silver screen, playing an old cook named Otis in “Good Burger”. Interestingly, “Is Abe Vigoda dead?” was the most Google question back then.

Vigoda, who through handball and jogging was actually in terrific physical condition well into his senior years, said he identified with Fish because of his own struggle as an actor. We mourn the loss of a great actor like Abe Vigoda, but we leave you with a fond memory from Late Night with David Letterman, in which Abe Vigoda was forced to prove – in person – that he was still with us. In the wake of “The Godfather”, in which Vigoda managed to make an impression despite the amount of high-powered acting talent in the film, the middle-aged actor became in demand.

In a typical line from Barney Miller, Fish bemoaned the effects of age: “Do you know what it feels like to be running down 43rd Street and your partner is cornering a guy on 52nd?”

Other movies Vigoda appeared in include Joe vs. the Volcano, Look Who’s Talking and Jury Duty.

With the success of Barney Miller, Abe soon became a household name.

It’s a look that defined the career of the oddly beloved character actor, who died Tuesday at age 94, after years sharing the face that launched a thousand laughs. “I couldn’t believe how many times Abe would come on the show and do hilarious things for us”, O’Brien said.

One of Olmeda’s favorite posts: “Let the joyous news be spread: Abe Vigoda is still not dead!” He had his daughter with his first wife, Sonja Gohlke, who has also died.

“When I was a young man, I was told success had to come in my youth”.