What is Abe Vigoda's Net Worth?
Abe Vigoda was an American actor who had a net worth of $1 million at the time of his death. Abe Vigoda was known for playing gangster Salvatore Tessio in the film "The Godfather" and NYPD detective Phil Fish on the television sitcoms "Barney Miller" and "Fish." Usually cast in supporting roles, he appeared in such other films as "The Don is Dead," "The Cheap Detective," "Look Who's Talking," "Sugar Hill," "Jury Duty," and "Good Burger." Among his other notable credits, Vigoda appeared in a recurring gag on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" making fun of the repeated reports that mistakenly referred to him as dead. Abe Vigoda lived to be 94 years old. He died in his sleep on January 26, 2016.
Early Life and Education
Abe Vigoda was born on February 24, 1921 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City to Russian Jewish immigrants Lena and Samuel. He had two half-brothers from his father named Hy and Bill. After leaving school, Vigoda worked as a printer and then enlisted in the US Army in 1943. Following his military service, he studied acting on the GI Bill at the American Theatre Wing.
Career Beginnings
In the late 1940s, Vigoda started working in radio. He made his television debut in a 1949 episode of the live anthology series "Studio One." Later, in the 1960s and early '70s, he gained recognition for his roles in Broadway productions, including "Marat/Sade," "The Man in the Glass Booth," and "Tough to Get Help."
Film Career
Vigoda gained widespread fame in 1972 for his role as Salvatore Tessio in Francis Ford Coppola's hit film "The Godfather." The following year, he appeared in Richard Fleischer's crime film "The Don is Dead." In 1974, Vigoda appeared briefly in a flashback sequence in Coppola's "The Godfather Part II," and also appeared in the George Peppard crime film "Newman's Law." After a break from the big screen, he returned in 1978 with a role in the mystery comedy "The Cheap Detective," starring Peter Falk. Following another break, Vigoda played Caesar in the 1984 action comedy sequel film "Cannonball Run II." His subsequent credits included "The Stuff," "Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter," "Plain Clothes," and "Grandmother's House."
In 1989, Vigoda played the grandpa in Amy Heckerling's hit romantic comedy "Look Who's Talking," and played a veterinarian in the Christmas fantasy film "Prancer." Kicking off the 1990s, he appeared in the crime film "Keaton's Cop" and the romantic comedy "Joe Versus the Volcano." Vigoda went on to appear in four 1993 films, including the direct-to-video action film "Fist of Honor" and the crime film "Sugar Hill." In 1994, he played grandpas in the films "North" and "Home of Angels." Vigoda subsequently played the judge in the 1995 courtroom comedy "Jury Duty." The following year, he appeared in the romantic comedy "Love Is All There Is" and the neo-noir action comedy "Underworld."
In 1997, Vigoda played fast-food worker Otis in the teen comedy "Good Burger," based on the sketch from the Nickelodeon sketch comedy show "All That." Also that year, he appeared in the crime drama "A Brooklyn State of Mind." Vigoda's last film credit of the decade was "Just the Ticket," starring Andy Garcia and Andie MacDowell. At the dawn of the new millennium, he appeared in Stephen Burrows's comedy "Chump Change." Vigoda's next film was the 2003 heist thriller "Crime Spree." His final film credits were the direct-to-video parody film "Farce of the Penguins" and the anthology film "The Unknown Trilogy," both released in 2007.
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Television Career
Vigoda became active on television in the early 1970s, appearing in episodes of "Dark Shadows," "Mannix," "Toma," "The Rookies," and "Kojak," among other shows. He began his most famous role in 1974, as NYPD detective Phil Fish on the ABC sitcom "Barney Miller." The show was very popular, running for eight seasons through 1982. Vigoda starred on the show for the first four seasons, and later returned for the seventh season. His character was so popular that a spinoff sitcom, called "Fish," was created for him in 1977. However, that show only ran for two seasons. Meanwhile, Vigoda made guest appearances on several shows throughout the '70s and '80s, including "The Rockford Files," "Cannon," "The Bionic Woman," "Supertrain," "Mike Hammer," and "Tales from the Darkside." He was also in a number of television films, such as "The Devil's Daughter," "The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd," and "Death Car on the Freeway."
In the 1990s, Vigoda appeared in episodes of such shows as "MacGyver," "Murder, She Wrote," "Law & Order," "Weird Science," "Wings," "Touched by an Angel," and "Mad About You." He also began appearing in a recurring gag on the late-night talk show "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." Kicking off the 2000s, Vigoda had a three-episode role on the USA Network show "Manhattan, AZ." He subsequently appeared in an episode of the short-lived NBC series "Deadline." Vigoda also voiced himself in a 2001 episode of the adult animated sitcom "Family Guy." He didn't appear on television much after that. In 2013, Vigoda had his final role, voicing the character Otto in an episode of another adult animated sitcom, "High School USA!"
False Death Reports
Before he actually passed away in early 2016, Vigoda was repeatedly the subject of mistaken death reports. The first major one came in 1982, when People magazine falsely referred to Vigoda as being dead. The actor received the mistake with good humor, even posing for a photograph in Variety magazine showing him sitting up in a coffin while holding the erroneous issue of People. Later, in 1987, a reporter for WWOR in Secaucus, New Jersey mistakenly referred to Vigoda as being dead. These false death reports became a running joke in the media, with Vigoda often participating.
Personal Life and Death
Vigoda married his first wife, Sonja Gohlke, in 1939. They had a daughter named Carol and divorced in 1963. Vigoda went on to marry Beatrice Schy in 1968; they remained together until Schy's passing in 1992.
On January 26, 2016, Vigoda died in his sleep at his daughter's home in Woodland Park, New Jersey. He was one month shy of his 95th birthday. Vigoda was interred in Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York.
