Vincent Gardenia

Vincent Gardenia (born Vincenzo Scognamiglio; January 7, 1920 – December 9, 1992) was an Italian American stage, film and television actor. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, first for Bang the Drum Slowly and again for Moonstruck (1987). He also portrayed Det. Frank Ochoa in Death Wish (1974) and its 1982 sequel, Death Wish II, and played Mr. Mushnik in the musical film adaptation Little Shop of Horrors (1986). His other notable feature films include Murder Inc. (1960), The Hustler (1961), The Front Page (1974), Greased Lightning (1977), Heaven Can Wait (1978) and The Super (1991).

In 1990, Gardenia was awarded the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a television movie or television series for the HBO production Age-Old Friends. He was twice honored for his performances on Broadway. In 1972, he won the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor in The Prisoner of Second Avenue, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical in 1979 for Ballroom. Off-Broadway, he was twice awarded with the Obie Award for Most Distinguished Performance Award by an Actor, in 1960 for Machinal, and again in 1969 for Passing Through From Exotic Places.

Early life Gardenia was born Vincenzo Scognamiglio in Ercolano, Città Metropolitana di Napoli, Campania, Italy, to Elisa ( Ausiello) and Gennaro Scognamiglio.

In November 1922, the family immigrated to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, New York.

Gardenia also served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Career Gardenia played a small role in the film The House on 92nd Street and bit parts in other films, including Cop Hater and A View From the Bridge. His first English-speaking role was in 1955, as a pirate in the Broadway play In April Once. The following year, at age 36, he appeared as Piggy in his off-Broadway debut in The Man with the Golden Arm. Gardenia won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1972 for his performance in The Prisoner of Second Avenue, opposite Peter Falk. In 1979, he was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Ballroom.

In film, he was twice nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in Bang the Drum Slowly and Moonstruck.

In television, Gardenia won the 1990 Emmy Award for his performance in Age-Old Friends, with Hume Cronyn. Among his best remembered TV roles is his portrayal of Archie Bunker's neighbor Frank Lorenzo on All in the Family (he also made earlier episodes as neighbor Jim Bowman and later as a part of a swinger couple) and J. Edgar Hoover in the miniseries Kennedy (1983). He was featured in an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea titled "Escape From Venice". In addition, Gardenia gave memorable performances in popular TV shows such as The Twilight Zone, Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Ironside, The Big Valley and The Fugitive.

In 1975, Gardenia appeared in season 3, episode 13 of Kojak, "A House of Prayer, a Den of Thieves", in which he portrayed Vince LaGuardia, a former NYC police detective and close friend and colleague of Lt. Kojak's, but now living and working in Las Vegas. The characters and storyline were a test for audience response with the goal of selling this as a pilot for a new series starring Gardenia. The pilot was not picked up by CBS.

Death In December 1992, Gardenia was in Philadelphia to perform in the stage production of the Tom Dulack comedy Breaking Legs. He was beginning a three-week run as restaurant owner Lou Graziano in the off-Broadway hit at the Forrest Theatre. It was a role he had performed since the show's New York City opening in May 1991. Around 1 a.m. on December 9, 1992, hours after the final preview performance, Gardenia had returned to his hotel room after dining with stage director John Tillinger, producer Elliot Martin and cast members. According to Martin, Gardenia showed no signs of illness, adding, "It was just a jolly evening." According to authorities, when Gardenia failed to appear the next morning for a radio interview to promote the play's run, press representative Irene Gandy and cast member Vince Viverito became alarmed. When they arrived at Gardenia's hotel room, there was no answer. The hotel sent an engineer who opened the door and Gardenia was discovered dead of a heart attack, dressed and clutching the telephone.

That evening, in the theatrical tradition of "the show must go on" and just hours after Gardenia's death, the play's official opening took place. The company dedicated its opening performance to Gardenia's memory. Harry Guardino assumed Gardenia's role as the restaurant owner.

Gardenia never married or had children. He was survived by his younger brother, Ralph Frank Scognamiglio (September 30, 1925 – January 31, 2018). A section of 16th Avenue in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, where he resided until his death, bears the honorary name of Vincent Gardenia Boulevard in his honor.

Filmography

Television

Some of Gardenia's many television appearances include: Year Film Role Notes 1954 Studio One Bailiff (uncredited) Season 7, episode 1: "Twelve Angry Men" 1955 1st mover Season 8, episode 2: "Three Empty Rooms" 1957 Dick Season 10, episode 1: "The Night America Trembled" 1958 Decoy Bull Season1, episode 19 ("The Challenger")1961 The Untouchables Jake Petrie Season 3, episode 1 ("The Troubleshooter")1965 The Big Valley John Sample Season 1, episode 1 ("Palms of Glory")Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Bellini Season 2, episode 5 ("Escape from Venice")1967 The Fugitive Capt. Bill Gibbs Season 4, episode 20 ("There Goes the Ball Game") Mannix Eddie Cortina Season 1, episode 2 ("Skid Marks on a Dry Run") I Spy Dr. Mellado Season 2, episode 23 ("Get Thee to a Nunnery") The Big Valley Briggs Season 2, episode 17 ("Image of Yesterday") The Rat Patrol Colonel Centis Season 1, episode 27 ("Take Me to Your Leader Raid") The Monkees Bruno Season 1 episode 17 ("The Case of the Missing Monkee") Gunsmoke Charles Shepherd Season 12, episode 24 ("Noose of Gold") Mission: Impossible Vito Lugana Season 2, episodes 11 & 12 ("The Council")1968 Lou Parma Season 3, episode 5 ("The Execution") Ironside Roy Faber Season 1, episode 22 ("Something for Nothing") 1971 McCloud Barney Sweetwater Season 2, episode 2 ("Top of the World, Ma!")1972 The Rookies Saul Season 1, episode 8 ("Dirge for Sunday") Love American Style Mr. Cooperman Season 4, episode 4 ("Love and the Girlish Groom") Maude Judge Motorman Season 1, episode 6 ("The Ticket") 1973–74 All in the Family Frank Lorenzo Before being cast regularly as Frank Lorenzo in season 4, Gardenia had played neighbor Jim Bowman in a single episode of season 1 and swinger Curtis Rempley in a single episode of season 3. 1975 Kojak Vince LaGuardia Season 3, episode 13 ("A House of Prayer, a Den of Thieves") 1977 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Frank Coleman Season 7, episode 24 ("The Last Show") 1980–81 Breaking Away Ray Stoller Starring role (all 8 episodes) 1985 The Twilight Zone Harry Faulk Season 1, episode 3 ("Healer") 1990 L.A. Law Murray Melman 7 episodes