Ron Palillo

Ronald Gabriel Palillo (April 2, 1949 – August 14, 2012) was an American actor and teacher. He was best known for his role as the endearingly dim-witted character Arnold Horshack on the ABC sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979).

Early life and education Ronald Gabriel Paolillo was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Italian-Americans Gabriel and Carmel Paolillo, and raised in nearby Cheshire. His father died of lung cancer when he was 10 years old. He graduated from Cheshire High School and the University of Connecticut at Storrs, where he would teach in the 1990s.

Following Kotter, Palillo appeared in leading and supporting roles in various television series and films. He voiced characters on such animated series as Laverne & Shirley in the Army, Darkwing Duck, and Rubik, the Amazing Cube, in which he played the lead character. In 1996, Palillo played himself in several episodes of the television sitcom Ellen, playing the love interest of Ellen's friend Audrey. Palillo also spent a year on the daytime show One Life to Live and also acted in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986), and the lead in The Curse of Micah Rood.

He returned to New York City in 1991, and played such stage roles as Mozart in Amadeus and regionally as George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Arthur in Camelot, and Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls. He appeared on Broadway in 2008 in Broadway Backwards 4, a charity event benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center. Among his other New York City credits was a one-person show in 2000 where he portrayed Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann in The Diary of Adolf Eichmann off-Broadway. Palillo, in a newspaper interview in 1997, said he lamented his role as Horshack, as he was permanently typecast, which he believed had damaged his career. The following year, Palillo starred in The Fourposter at the Wayside Theatre in Middletown, Virginia.

As a director, Palillo led successful productions of the musical Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down in Los Angeles, A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, and a new edition of Phantom of the Opera at the Cuillo Center for the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. In 2007, he introduced a clothing line specializing in limited-edition T-shirts produced by Rotter and Friends. Palillo was also an artist, providing artwork for two children's books: The Red Wings of Christmas and A Gift for the Contessa. premiered at the Helen Hayes Theatre in Nyack, New York, and later played at the Queens Theatre in the Park in Queens, New York, and at El Dorado Springs High School in El Dorado Springs, Missouri.

Personal life and death Palillo and his partner of 41 years, Joseph Gramm, lived in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Palillo's funeral service was held in Palm Beach Gardens on August 22, 2012. He is buried at St. Lawrence Cemetery in West Haven, Connecticut. A memorial tribute, directed by Lawrence Leritz and hosted by Tyne Daly, was held to honor and celebrate Palillo's life and career at New York City's Triad Theatre on October 3, 2012.

Filmography Film and television Year Title Role Notes 1975–1979 Welcome Back, Kotter Arnold Horshack 94 episodes 1976 Mr. T and Tina Arnold Horshack Episode: "Pilot" 1979 The Love Boat Al Breyer Episode: "Gopher's Opportunity / The Switch / Home Sweet Home" S2 E15 1979 $weepstake$ Harold Episode: "Dewey and Harold and Sarah and Maggie" 1979 Greatest Heroes of the Bible Hevet Episode: "The Tower of Babel" 1979 Skatetown, U.S.A. Frankey Feature film 1981 The Love Boat Casper Martin Episode: "Lose One, Win One / The $10,000 Lover/Mind My Wife" 1981–1982 Laverne & Shirley in the Army Sergeant Voice, 13 episodes 1981 Alice Mutner Episode: "The Wild One" 1982 Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour Sergeant Voice, 8 episodes (Laverne & Shirley with the Fonz segment) 1983 Rubik, the Amazing Cube Rubik Voice, 13 episodes 1983 The A-Team Zack Episode: "Mexican Slayride" 1983 CHiPs Nick Episode: "Journey to a Spacecraft" 1983 The Invisible Woman "Spike" Mitchell TV film 1983 Matt Houston Charley Arbis Episode: "The Beverly Woods Social Club" 1984 Surf II Inspector "Underwear" Feature film 1984 Murder, She Wrote Norman Lester, Esq. Episode: "Hooray for Homicide" 1985 Doin' Time Pappion Feature film 1985 Pound Puppies Scrounger Voice, TV special 1986 Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives Allen Hawes Feature film 1986 Trapper John, M.D. Kussman Episode: "Elusive Butterfly" 1986 Cagney & Lacey Mr. Larkin Episode: "Rites of Passage" 1987–1988 Little Clowns of Happytown Whiner Voice, 18 episodes 1988 Superman Additional Voices Episode: "Night of the Living Shadows / Graduation" 1989 Snake Eater "Torchy" Feature film 1989 Hellgate Matt Feature film 1989 Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster "Torchy" Feature film 1990 The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda Additional Voices Episode: "Pity the Poor Pirate" 1990 Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone Additional Voices 13 episodes; aka Potsworth & Co. 1991 Committed Ronnie Feature film 1991 Darkwing Duck Ordinary Guy Voice, Episode: "Planet of the Capes" 1992 Wind Tony Feature film 1992 Phil Donahue Show Himself Famous Past Celebrities 1994 One Life to Live Gary Warren Daytime drama 1996 Ellen Himself Sitcom, 3 episodes 1997 Mr. Rhodes Arnold Horshack Episode: "The Welcome Back Show" 1997 Duckman Himself Episode: "Westward, No!" 2003 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star Himself Cameo, Feature film 2003 Style Court Juror Episode #2.26 2004 Trees 2: The Root of All Evil Dougie Styles Feature film 2008 The Curse of Micah Rood Micah Rood Short film 2010 The Guardians Professor Walker Feature film 2010 It's a Dog Gone Tale: Destiny's Stand Randolph Baines Feature film (final film role)