George DiCenzo

George DiCenzo
Born George Ralph DiCenzo
(1940-04-21)April 21, 1940
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Died (aged 70)
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Cause of death Sepsis
Occupation Screen actor, voice actor, acting teacher, producer
Years active 1970–2006
Spouse(s) Donna Artz-DiCenzo (m. 1999; his death 2010)

George Ralph DiCenzo (April 21, 1940 – August 9, 2010) was an American character actor and one-time associate producer for Dark Shadows. He was in show business for more than 30 years, with extensive film, TV, stage and commercial credits.

Life and career

DiCenzo was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He appeared in more than thirty feature films, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Choirboys (1977), The Frisco Kid (1979), The Ninth Configuration (1980), Back to the Future (1985), About Last Night (1986), Walk Like a Man (1987), The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988), 18 Again! (1988), Sing (1989) and The Exorcist III (1990). DiCenzo stated that one of his favorite roles was that of Vincent Bugliosi, prosecutor in the Charles Manson murder trial in the 1976 film Helter Skelter.

He appeared in Hotel directed by Mike Figgis with an all-star cast, and Tempted, directed by Bill Bennett and starring Burt Reynolds and Saffron Burrows. He also played the late baseball commissioner, A. Bartlett Giamatti, in the ESPN made-for-television movie Hustle, about disgraced baseball great Pete Rose. In 2002 George played Ennio Salieri in the 2002 video game Mafia. George also provided the voice for Earnest Kelly in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

In the 1981–82 television season, DiCenzo was a regular on NBC's McClain's Law, with James Arness and Marshall Colt. He appeared in the 1977 miniseries Aspen, the 1980 TV movie The Night the City Screamed, and made regular appearances on Murder, She Wrote and NYPD Blue.

His own series included Equal Justice and Joe's Life in the early and mid-1990s. He appeared as a guest star in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Semi-Professional". In the early 1990s, DiCenzo appeared on Broadway with Nathan Lane in On Borrowed Time.

DiCenzo's voice can be heard on many commercials, audiobooks, and cartoon series. Notable in regards to the third is his work for Filmation; his roles include the title character in BlackStar, and Hordak in She-Ra: Princess of Power. He was an acting teacher in New York City and Philadelphia for several years. He apprenticed under his mentor Milton Katselas at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.

Death

DiCenzo died of sepsis on August 9, 2010 at the age of 70.[1]

References

  1. "George Ralph DiCenzo, of Washington Crossing." Bucks Local News, August 11, 2010.
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