Michael V. Gazzo

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Michael Vincente Gazzo (* 5. April 1923 in Hillside , New Jersey ; † 14. February 1995 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American film and stage actor and screenwriter and playwright .

Life

Michael Gazzo grew up with his brother Frank and sister Anne in New York City , where he discovered his love for the theater early on. But it was only after his participation as a soldier in World War II that he was able to complete his acting training with the German theater actor Erwin Piscator .

Gazzo's career began as a playwright, including for the work A Hatful of Rain , which dealt with the subject of drug abuse as early as 1955 . The play was to become Gazzo's masterpiece, as there were no fewer than 389 performances of it in 1955, and the actors Ben Gazzara and Anthony Franciosa were each nominated for a Tony Award in 1956 . When the play was to be adapted for a feature film in 1957, Gazzo also wrote the script for it. Franciosa, whom director Fred Zinnemann was able to win as an actor, received an Oscar nomination.

On the other hand, Gazzo's second and last piece, The Night Circus , turned out to be a flop as it was discontinued in 1958 after only seven performances due to a lack of audience.

In the early 1950s, Gazzo began working as an actor, although his work was limited to guest appearances in television series with a few exceptions. One of his most famous feature films was the 1974 cult film The Godfather - Part II , for which Gazzo received an Oscar nomination in 1975 for Best Supporting Actor . Due to its Mediterranean appearance, Gazzo was offered primarily southern character roles, including in 1978 in King of the Gypsies , another well-known film in which Gazzo took part.

Michael V. Gazzo was married and had three children with his wife, Grace.

He was in front of the camera until shortly before his death, and died of a stroke in February 1995 at the age of 71 .

Filmography (selection)

actor

Screenwriter

Awards

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Gazzo, Michael V.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gazzo, Michael Vincente
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film and stage actor as well as screenwriter and playwright
DATE OF BIRTH April 5, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Hillside , New Jersey , USA
DATE OF DEATH February 14, 1995
Place of death Los Angeles , California , USA