Tony Giorgio

American actor

Tony Giorgio
Born	Joseph Anthony Giorgio (1923-09-27)September 27, 1923 Herkimer, New York, U.S.
Died	February 1, 2012(2012-02-01) (aged 88) Van Nuys, California, U.S.
Burial place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Occupation(s)	Actor, magician
Years active	1966–2004
Spouse	Kaye S. Jacobs-Giorgio (1971–2012) (his death)^[1]

Joseph Anthony Giorgio (September 27, 1923 – February 1, 2012) was an Italian-American actor^[2] and magician^[3] and known for his portrayal of Bruno Tattaglia in Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film The Godfather.^[4]

Career

Giorgio was a prolific stage magician and card manipulator. He ran away from home at the age of 12 to join a circus and eventually performed at venues including conventions, fraternal clubs, country clubs, casinos, and film studios. He was hired by Playboy Clubs in the 1960s to be their resident gambling expert, and he gave paid lectures on the nature of confidence games and gambling scams. He was one of the first performers at The Magic Castle nightclub, winning Close-up Magician of the Year in the 1990s.

Giorgio acted in films such as The Godfather (1972), Black Gunn (1972), Magnum Force (1973),^[2] Foxy Brown (1974), Capone (1975), Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), The Sting II (1983), The Lonely Guy (1984), Night Train to Terror (1985) and American Me (1992).^[2] He also acted in numerous television programs including Mannix, Mission Impossible, Kojak, and The A-Team. In theatre, Giorgio originated the role of 'Big Julie' in the stage musical Guys and Dolls.^[5]

Death

On February 1, 2012, aged 88, Giorgio died of heart failure.^[6]

Filmography

Film

1966 A Big Hand for the Little Lady as "Steamboat" (uncredited)
1968 Sol Madrid as Tall Man (uncredited)
1968 The Wrecking Crew as Agent (uncredited)
1969 Changes as Joe, Arcade Owner (uncredited)
1969 Paint Your Wagon as Card Player (uncredited)
1972 The Godfather as Bruno Tattaglia
1972 Black Gunn as Ben
1973 Harry in Your Pocket as 1st Detective
1973 Magnum Force as Frank Palancio
1974 Foxy Brown as Eddie
1974 Adam-12 11/12/1974 as Bandit
1975 Escape to Witch Mountain as Hunter #2
1975 Capone as Antonio "Tony The Scourge" Lombardo
1978 Record City as Mr. F
1983 The Sting II as Rossovich, Macalinski's Man
1984 The Lonely Guy as Writer At Party
1985 Night Train to Terror as Satan (segment "The Night Train")
1987 Cry Wilderness as The Sheriff
1992 American Me as Don Antonio Scagnelli
1997 My Brother Jack as Rocco

Television

1967 Run for Your Life as Castro; 1 episode
1967 Mannix as Sanford; 1 episode
1968 The Monkees as Otto; 1 episode
1968 The Outcasts as Card Dealer; 1 episode
1969-1971 Mission: Impossible as Dealer / Foyer Guard / First Man / Meerghan / Croupier; 7 episodes
1970 I Dream of Jeannie as Torpedo; 1 episode
1971 The Doris Day Show as Ed, The Maître d'; 1 episode
1971 Mission Impossible as Croupier; 1 episode
1973 Jigsaw as Man; 1 episode
1974 Marcus Welby, M.D. as Vito; 1 episode
1974 Police Story as Cashier; 1 episode
1974 The F.B.I. as M. Giorgio; 1 episode
1975 Adam-12 as Michael Funicello; 1 episode
1975 Emergency! as Lorenzo; 1 episode
1975 Bronk as Killer; 1 episode
1975 The Six Million Dollar Man as Abe Collins; 1 episode
1975 Kojak as Bill Wilson; 1 episode
1975 Switch as Bruno; 1 episode
1976 The Bionic Woman as Aaron Creighton; 1 episode
1978 Charlie's Angels as Carl; 1 episode
1978 Columbo as Harry Parkman; 1 episode
1980 Fantasy Island as Croupier; 1 episode
1981 B. J. and the Bear as The Magician; 1 episode
1981 Hart to Hart as Cheshire; 1 episode
1982 Simon & Simon as Sam Boyle; 1 episode
1984 Falcon Crest as Croupier; 1 episode
1984 The A-Team as Mr. Carlin; 1 episode
1985 Hunter as John Vincent; 1 episode
1985 Moonlighting as Tony; 1 episode
1986 Brothers as Mr. Santini; 1 episode
2004 The Practice as Client #1; 1 episode (final appearance)

References

^ ""Godfather" actor, magician Tony Giorgio dies, 88 -". 2012-03-26.^{[dead link]}
^ ^a ^b ^c "Ton Giorgio". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-18.
^ "Tony Giorgio. Actor, magician, grifter and legend". Remarkable Magic. 2012-02-02. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
^ "The Godfather". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-18.
^ ""Godfather" actor, magician Tony Giorgio dies, 88 -". 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2018-02-26.^{[dead link]}
^ Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2012. 2013-04-19. ISBN 9781476603858.