Vincent Gardenia

**Vincent Gardenia** (born **Vincenzo Scognamiglio**; January 7, 1920 – December 9, 1992) was a stage, film and television actor of Italian-American origin. He received two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for his roles in **Bang the Drum Slowly** (1973) and **Moonstruck** (1987). He notably starred as Det. Frank Ochoa in **Death Wish** (1974) and its sequel in 1982, as well as Mr. Mushnik in the musical film **Little Shop of Horrors** (1986). His other features include **Murder Inc.** (1960), **The Hustler** (1961), and **The Front Page** (1974). In 1990 he won the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a TV series or movie for the HBO production **Age-Old Friends**. He received further acclaim for his Broadway performances, earning a Tony Award in 1972 for **The Prisoner of Second Avenue**. Born in Italy, at the age of three his family immigrated to the US and settled in Brooklyn, New York. His father established an acting troupe that presented Italian-language melodramas, in which Vincent performed from a young age. His first English-speaking role on Broadway began in 1960. Gardenia served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He broke into films with roles such as a Broadway pirate in his English-speaking debut in **In April Once**, and won two Obie Awards in 1960 and 1969. He is also recognized for his exceptional performances in popular TV shows such as **The Twilight Zone**, **Mission: Impossible**, and **The Fugitive**. Despite his successful career, Gardenia lived a solitary life without a spouse or children. He died of a heart attack in 1992 during a stage production in Philadelphia.