Don Calfa

Don Calfa
Calfa with Living Dead co-stars Linnea Quigley and Beverly Randolph in 2007
Born	Donald George Calfa (1939-12-03) December 3, 1939 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1968–present

Donald George "Don" Calfa (born December 3, 1939) is an American film and television character actor whose credits span over 40 years, playing both comedic and dramatic roles. Although Calfa has appeared in many high-profile films and television series, he is perhaps best known for his role as mortician Ernie Kaltenbrunner in the 1985 cult horror-comedy The Return of the Living Dead.

Early life and career

Calfa was born on December 3, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Ozone Park, Queens and later West Hempstead, Long Island. According to his official biography, Calfa was originally interested in pursuing a career in the fine arts, but diverted his interest to acting after seeing Rebel Without a Cause. He promptly dropped out of high school to join a theater workshop (later finishing his degree through night school), eventually joining both the Actors' Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild.^[1] Before transitioning to film, Calfa worked heavily in theater, appearing in many Off-Off-Broadway productions and having performed on Broadway in 1965 in Mating Dance and in 1971 in Lenny.^[1][2]

Calfa has worked steadily in both film and television for over 40 years, and has worked alongside such high-profile actors and directors as Warren Beatty, Michael Douglas, Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.^[3] Although he has worked extensively as a dramatic actor, Calfa is perhaps best recognized for his comedic performances in various cult films, including as Paulie the hitman in the 1989 dark comedy Weekend at Bernie's, Scarface in Foul Play, Harold Grand in Treasure of the Moon Goddess and mad scientist Ralph Willum in Chopper Chicks in Zombietown.

Calfa is most widely known, however, for his major role in the 1985 cult horror-comedy The Return of the Living Dead, in which he played the eccentric mortician Ernie Kaltenbrunner. He would later audition for the role of Doc Mandel in the 1988 sequel Return of the Living Dead Part II, which also featured several returning stars from the original, but the part ultimately went to Philip Bruns. In 1993, Calfa was set to play the character Colonel Peck in Return of the Living Dead III, but had to pull out of production due to personal reasons.^[4] He remains good friends with the rest of the Living Dead cast and crew, and continues to make appearances alongside them at horror conventions and screenings of the film across the United States. Calfa was also interviewed for the 2012 documentary on the film, More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead.

Personal life

Calfa currently resides in California, and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[1] He has been a close friend and colleague of fellow actor Richard Lynch since the 1960s, acting alongside him in the films H.P. Lovecraft's: Necronomicon (1993), Toughguy (1995), Corpses Are Forever (2003) and Lewisburg (2010).^[4]

Filmography

Film roles

Television roles

References

External links

• Official website
• Don Calfa at the Internet Movie Database