Michael Vincenzo Gazzo (April 5, 1923 – February 14, 1995) was an American playwright who later in life became a movie and television actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Godfather Part II (1974).
Biography
Gazzo was born on April 5, 1923. He was of Italian ancestry. Gazzo served with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He was a member of the Actors Studio and later trained actors such as Debra Winger, Henry Silva and Tony Sirico. He wrote A Hatful of Rain, a Broadway play about drug addiction, which ran for 389 performances in 1955 and 1956. It featured Ben Gazzara and Shelley Winters in the two main roles, and was adapted into a movie of the same name by Oscar-winning director Fred Zinnemann in 1957. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Anthony Franciosa). A 1968 made-for-television version (as a filmed play) featured Peter Falk, Sandy Dennis and Michael Parks. Gazzo's other screen writing credits include the Elvis Presley American musical drama movie King Creole in 1958. Gazzo authored the Broadway play The Night Circus, also featuring Ben Gazzara.
Gazzo was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Frank Pentangeli in The Godfather Part II but lost to Robert De Niro who played Vito Corleone in the same movie.
Death
Gazzo died on February 14, 1995, at age 71 due to complications from a stroke. He was buried in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Filmography
References
Sources
- Bacarella, Michael, ItalActors: 101 Years of Italian Actors in U.S. Entertainment, The National Italian American Foundation
External links
- Michael V. Gazzo at IMDb
- Michael V. Gazzo at the Internet Broadway Database
- Michael V. Gazzo at Find a Grave
- Michael Gazzo at the University of Wisconsin's Actors Studio audio collection
