| Michael V. Gazzo | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 5, 1923 Hillside, New Jersey |
| Died | February 14, 1995 (aged 71) Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | actor |
| Years active | 1953-1994 |
Michael Vincenzo Gazzo (April 5, 1923 – February 14, 1995) was an American Broadway playwright who later in life became a film and television actor.
He was a member of the Actors Studio and would later go on to train such actors as Debra Winger, Henry Silva and Tony Sirico. He was the author of the Broadway play A Hatful of Rain, which ran for 389 performances in 1955 and 1956. It starred Ben Gazzara and Shelley Winters in the two lead roles. He subsequently adapted it as a film in 1957. The film was then nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Anthony Franciosa). Later a 1968 made-for-television version (as a filmed play) starred Sandy Dennis, Michael Parks, and Peter Falk in the main roles.
He was also co-screenwriter of the Elvis Presley film King Creole (1958).
As an actor, Gazzo was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Frank Pentangeli in The Godfather Part II. He lost to Robert De Niro, who acted in the same film.
Gazzo died from a stroke in 1995. He was buried in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.