Tony Rosato

Early life Antonio Rosato was born in Naples, Campania on 26 December 1954, and came to Canada at age four. Rosato then moved with Duke to the cast of Saturday Night Live for the 1981–82 season. Following Jean Doumanian's tenure during the sixth season and Dick Ebersol trying to retool the show (and relying on Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo to spice up the sketches),

Rosato is one of three SCTV cast members (along with Duke and, later, Martin Short) to appear on Saturday Night Live and the first SNL cast member to not be born in either the United States or Canada. Celebrities impersonated by Rosato on SCTV include: Lou Costello (whom he also impersonated when he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live), William Conrad, Danny Thomas, Woodstock co-organizer Chip Monck, SNL cast member John Belushi, Tony Orlando, Don Ho, and Ella Fitzgerald. His characters on SNL, despite his short tenure, were memorable as well, and included Ed Asner (in character as Lou Grant), Captain Kangaroo, and U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese.

In 1983, he starred as Aldo, the busboy in the short-lived Bea Arthur series Amanda's. The show was based on Fawlty Towers but was not well-received by audiences and was cancelled after 10 episodes.

Rosato next appeared on the Canadian police drama Night Heat, playing Arthur "Whitey" Morelli, from 1985 through 1989. He continued to appear in television and film throughout the 1990s.

Voice work In autumn of 1990, Rosato portrayed Nintendo's character Luigi on DiC's television show The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 (based on Super Mario Bros. 3). He continued his role as Luigi in 1991 for the Super Mario World cartoon. Rosato had a small voice part in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis as Dario Rosso and the titular creature. In Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders, he voiced Dharak.

Rosato also provided voices for many other animated series including Pelswick, George and Martha, The Busy World of Richard Scarry, The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, Monster by Mistake, The Ripping Friends, Bakugan: Mechtanium Surge, Da Boom Crew, Get Ed and Odd Job Jack.

Personal life Rosato married Leah Murray on 31 December 2003; together they have a daughter. The charge was laid after Rosato complained repeatedly to Toronto and Kingston police that his wife, who had recently left him, and daughter had been abducted and replaced by impostors, a belief characteristic of Capgras delusion, a delusional misidentification syndrome with which the Crown's expert psychiatrist had diagnosed Rosato, according to Rosato's lawyer, Daniel Brodsky. It was alleged that the harassment occurred from 28 December 2003 and escalated until 21 April 2005. In spite of the diagnosis, Rosato, who denied mental illness and refused to plead insanity, was held for over two years without bail at a maximum-security detention centre. Brodsky, who called his client's two-year detention awaiting trial "shocking," asserted that Rosato "spent more time in custody on a harassment charge" than anyone ever convicted of the offence in Canada, estimating that "on average, someone convicted of criminal harassment spends one day in jail and two years on probation." The trial finally commenced on 7 August 2007, in Kingston and it ended on 5 September. Prosecutors downgraded the charge to a summary offence from an indictable offence, handing Rosato a conditional discharge, including a psychiatric hospital residence order, of which he ended up serving 19 months of a maximum of three years. Rosato was released from the hospital in March 2009 but remained on probation until September 2010.

Death Rosato died of a heart attack on 10 January 2017, at the age of 62.

Tributes Saturday Night Live paid tribute to Rosato at the end of its 14 January 2017 episode. Also, a re-animated version of the Super Mario World episode "Mama Luigi", commissioned and directed by animation artist Andrew Dickman within a year with over 227 animators and artists participating, was dedicated to Rosato and his fellow voice actor and coworker Harvey Atkin, the voice of King Koopa, who had also died later in July that year. The video was released on 29 August 2017.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1978 The Silent Partner Person Standing Outside Bank Door Being Unlocked 1979 Running Italian Athlete 1980 Nothing Personal Pickup Truck Driver 1980 Hog Wild "Bull" 1981 Improper Channels Dr. Arpenthaler 1983 Utilities Wendell 1985 Shellgame Chuck Television film 1986 Separate Vacations Harry Blender 1986 Popeye Doyle Wise-Ass Reporter Television film 1986 Courage "Jellybean" Pastori Television film 1986 Busted Up Irving Drayton 1986 Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star Joe Devito (uncredited) Television film 1986 One Police Plaza Sol Television film 1987 Hands of a Stranger Anthony Ligouri Television film 1987 Nightstick Tony Television film 1987 Sadie and Son Morris Television film 1987 Hearts of Fire Woody 1987 City of Shadows Rosie 1988 Switching Channels "Joker" 1989 Good Night, Michaelangelo Older Michaelabgelo Buonanotto (voice) 1989 Friends, Lovers & Lunatics Mat's Boss 1990 In Defense of a Married Man Frank Ticelli Television film 1991 Mystery Date Sharpie 1991 Super Mario World: Yoshi the Superstar Luigi (voice) Video 1992 The Diamond Fleece Cliff Vahrenhorst Television film 1992 The Good Fight Philip Brown Television film 1995 Rent-a-Kid Cliff Haber Television film 1995 The Conspiracy of Fear Raintree Video 1995 Sugartime Frank Ferraro Television film 1995 Kissinger and Nixon Charles Colson Television film 1996 The Haunting of Lisa Dr. Perry Azzaro Television film 1997 Family Plan Cliff Haber 1998 Seeds of Doubt Nick Brand 1998 In the Doghouse Tom Cheehak Television film 1999 Coming Unglued Marty Television film 2002 You Belong to Me Ernie Television film 2003 Mafia Doctor Detective Ralph Disanti Television film 2013 Real Gangsters Mario 2013 It Was You Charlie Gus 2013 We Are Not Here Grover Short 2014 The Christmas Switch Salesman 2014 The Big Fat Stone Morrie Goldstein 2015 No Deposit Detective Tony Charkoff 2015 La Trattoria Sitcom Chief Tony Television film 2015 Sicilian Vampire Maitre D' At Don Giovanni's 2016 Idiot Parade Wil Epstein Television film 2016 The Red Maple Leaf Vincent Marcella 2017 Born Dead Tony

Television Year Title Role Notes 1977–1981 SCTV Various Characters Season 3 (36 episodes) 1980 The Littlest Hobo Cab Driver 2 episodes 1980 King of Kensington Joe Cartino 1 episode 1981–1982 Saturday Night Live Various Characters 20 episodes 1983 Amanda's Aldo 13 episodes (3 unaired) 1986 Seeing Things Terry 1 episode 1986 Hot Shots King 1 episode 1986–1987 Hangin' In Frank, Berry 2 episodes 1987 CBS Schoolbreak Special Mr. Lopez 1 episode 1985–1989 Night Heat Arthur "Whitey" Morelli 54 episodes 1987–1989 Diamonds Lieutenant Lou Gianetti 3 episodes 1990 Maniac Mansion Tony 1 episode 1990 The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 Luigi (voice) 26 episodes 1990 Wiseguy Carlos Verduga 1 episode 1991 Sweating Bullets Malto Episode: "The Mariah Connection" 1991 Street Legal Phil Jacobs 3 episodes 1991 Super Mario World Luigi (voice) 12 episodes 1992 L.A. Law Richard Cruz 1 episode 1993 Secret Service Blake 1 episode 1994 RoboCop: The Series Kevin Frosh Episode: "Trouble in Delta City" 1994 Lonesome Dove: The Series Prisoner TV Miniseries 1995 Highlander Benny Carbassa 1 episode 1995 The Great Defender Murray 1 Episode 1996 Due South Clifford 1 episode 1996 F/X: The Series Sammy Valenzuela 1 Episode 1993–1997 The Busy World of Richard Scarry Additional Voices (voice) 36 episodes 1996–1998 Stickin' Around Additional voices 32 episodes 1997–1998 The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police Additional voices 13 episodes 1998 Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension Armand Tempus 1 episode 1998–1999 Mythic Warriors Orpheus, Male Peasant (voice) 4 episodes 1999–2000 George and Martha Duke (voice) 26 episodes 1999–2000 Relic Hunter Stewie Harper Season 1 (3 Episodes) 1999–2000 Blaster's Universe Additional Voices (voice) 10 episodes 1999–2003 Monster by Mistake Tom, Dad (voice) 3 episodes 2000 Hollywood Off-Ramp Ben Harvey 1 episode 2000 Mentors Casanova 1 episode 2000 The Accuser Robert Heath, Member 1 (voices) 2000–2002 Pelswick Quentin Eggert (voice) 26 episodes 2001–2004 Doc Don / Jake 2 episodes 2002 The Ripping Friends Goat Waiter / Minister of War Episode: "The Infernal Wedding" 2003 Lucky Tony Episode: "Up the Steaks" 2003–2005 King Additional voices 42 episodes 2004–2005 Da Boom Crew Namdra (voice) 13 episodes 2004–2010 Atomic Betty Additional voices 79 episodes 2005 Odd Job Jack Sheriff Ironsides (voice) Episode: "Odd Job John" 2005 Carl² Additional Voice (voice) 1 episode 2005 6teen Zane (voice) Episode: "Unhappy Anniversary" 2005–2008 Wayside Additional voices 25 episodes 2005–2006 Get Ed Crouch (voice) 2011 Detentionaire Additional voices 1 episode 2011–2013 Scaredy Squirrel Additional voices 2014–2016 Odd Squad Sabatino Confalone 2 episodes

Video games Year Title Role Notes 1999 M.U.G.E.N Unknown 1999 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Dario Rosso / Nemesis