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 |
| American actor Vincent Schiavelli listens to a
question during a press conference at the Locarno film festival, Saturday, Aug.16,
2003. |
Vincent Schiavelli, the droopy-eyed character actor
who appeared in scores of movies, including "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's
Nest" and "Ghost," died Monday at his home in Sicily. He was 57.
He died of lung cancer, said Salvatore Glorioso, mayor of Polizzi
Generosa, the Sicilian village where Schiavelli resided.
The New York-born Schiavelli, whose gloomy look made him perfect to
play creepy or eccentric characters, made appearances in some 150 film and
television productions, according to the Internet Movie Database.
In "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," he played the science teacher Mr.
Vargas, who was married to the character portrayed by Lana Clarkson.
Schiavelli also appeared as Salieri's valet in "Amadeus," as "Cuckoo's
Nest" patient Frederickson, the subway ghost in "Ghost," the organ grinder
in "Batman Returns" and as Chester in "The People vs. Larry Flynt." He was
selected in 1997 by Vanity Fair as one of the United States' best
character actors.
Schiavelli studied acting at New York University's School of the Arts.
He also wrote three cookbooks and many food articles for magazines and
newspapers, possibly inheriting his love for cooking from his grandfather,
who had been a cook for an Italian baron before moving to the United
States, according to IMDB.
His books include "Many Beautiful Things," which
was published in 2002 and is a compilation
of recipes and anecdotes about his visits to Polizzi
Generosa, the small hilltop town that was his grandparents' birthplace.
"He was a great friend, a great chef and a great talker," Glorioso, who
has known Schiavelli for almost four years, said in a telephone interview.
"With a smooth, witty conversation, he would make everything look more
colorful. I've lost a brother," he said.
Schiavelli also had worked in Italy, including in 2001 when he directed a theater piece in
Sicily based on nine fables.
(Agencies) | 
Updated: 2005-12-27 10:26
