Tony Musante, Actor Who Left ‘Toma,’ Dies at 77
Musante left the ABC detective show after one season to pursue opportunities onstage such as his first Broadway role, “P.S. Your Cat is Dead!,” and in films. After he left, the show was relaunched a few years later as “Baretta” and became popular with Robert Blake in Musante’s .
He had a recurring role on “Oz” and was nominated for an Emmy for “Medical Story.”
Among his film roles were “The Last Run” opposite George C. Scott in 1971, “The Pope of Greenwich Village” and 1967’s “The Incident” with Martin Sheen. He appeared on Broadway with Meryl Streep in Tennessee Williams’s “27 Wagons Full of Cotton” in 1976.
Although “Toma” was performing fairly well against highly-rated “The Waltons” and “The Flip Wilson Show,” he left to play the title role in Stanley Kramer’s 1975 telefilm “Judgment: The Court Martial of Lt. William Calley.”
“People in Hollywood always asked him if he regretted it, but he really never did,” his wife, Jane, told the New York Times, adding: “He didn’t become the household name, or make the money he would have had he done it. But he needed variety.”
He also appeared in several Italian TV shows and films such as 2003’s “La Vita Come Viene.”
Musante was born in Bridgeport, Conn. and graduated Oberlin College in Ohio. He is survived by his wife, two sisters and a brother.
Filmography
The DuPont Show of the Week: Ride with Terror (1963, TV series episode) - Joe Ferrone
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre: A Wind of Hurricane Force (1964, TV series episode) - Major DeGuisado
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Memo from Purgatory (1964, TV series episode) - Candle
Once a Thief (1965) - Cleveland 'Cleve' Shoenstein
The Trials of O'Brien: Bargain Day on the Street of Regret (1965, TV series episode) - Coley Thomas
The Trials of O'Brien: The Blue Steel Suite (1966, TV series episode) - Callison
The Fugitive: The Blessings of Liberty (1966, TV series episode) - Billy Karnes
The Incident (1967) - Joe Ferrone
The Detective (1968) - Felix
The Mercenary (Italy, 1968) - Paco Román
Metti, una sera a cena (Italy, 1969) - Max
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (Italy, 1970) - Sam Dalmas
The Anonymous Venetian (Italy, 1970) - Enrico
Grissom Gang (1971) - Eddie Hagan
The Last Run (1971) - Paul Rickard
Il caso Pisciotta (Italy, 1972) - Francesco Scauri
Marcus Welby, M.D.: The Tall Tree (1973, TV series episode) - David
Toma (1973–1974, TV series, 23 episodes) - Det. David Toma
Police Story: Fathers and Sons (1974, TV series episode) - Joe Basic
Judgment: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley [fr] (1975, TV film) - Lt. William Calley
The Rockford Files: Charlie Harris at Large (1975, TV series episode) - Charlie Harris
The Desperate Miles (1975, TV film) - Joe Larkin
Medical Story: The God Syndrome (1975, TV series episode) - Dr. Paul Brandon
Police Story: Breaking Point (1975, TV series episode) - Sgt. Vince Della Maggiori
Medical Story: The Quality of Mercy (1976, TV series episode) - Dr. Hoffman
Origins of the Mafia (Italy, 1976, TV miniseries) - Michele Borello
Police Story: The Other Side of the Badge (1976, TV series episode) - Jack Mitchell
Nowhere to Hide [it] (1977, TV film) - Joey Faber
Goodbye & Amen (Italy, 1978) - John Dhannay
Break Up (Italy, 1978) - Paolo Naviase
My Husband Is Missing (1978, TV film) - Derek Mackenzie
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (1979, TV film) - Sal Falcone
The Thirteenth Day: The Story of Esther (1979, TV film) - King Ahasuerus
High Ice (1980, TV film) - Lt. Col. Harris Thatcher
American Playhouse: Weekend (1982, TV series episode) - George
Notturno [it] (Italy, 1983) - Jurek Rudinski
The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) - Pete
Rearview Mirror (1984, TV film) - Vince Martino
MacGruder and Loud (1985, TV pilot episode) - Caferelli
The Trap (Italy, 1985) - Michael Parker
The Repenter (Italy, 1985) - Vanni Ragusa
The Equalizer: Pretenders (1986, TV series episode) - John Parker
Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder (1987, TV miniseries) - Vittorio
Night Heat: Grace (1987, TV series episode) - Roy Barnett
La collina del diavolo (Italy, 1988, TV film) - Daniele
Jesse Hawkes: Little Girl Lost (1989, TV series episode)
Appuntamento a Trieste [it] (Italy, 1989, TV miniseries) - Kirk Mesana
Il barone (Italy, 1995, TV miniseries) - Baron Sajeva
Deep Family Secrets [fr] (1997, TV film) - Lennox
Oz (1997, TV series, 7 episodes) - Nino Schibetta
Nothing Sacred: Song of Songs (1997, TV series episode) - Gary
Exiled: A Law & Order Movie (1998, TV film) - Don Giancarlo Uzielli
Acapulco H.E.A.T.: Code Name Million Dollar Man (1998, TV series episode) - Rocco Santora
The Deep End of the Ocean (1999) - Angelo Cappadora
The Seventh Scroll [it] (1999, TV miniseries) - Duraid Al Simma
The Yards (2000) - Seymour Korman
Un bacio nel buio (Italy, 2000, TV miniseries)
As the World Turns (2000–2003, TV series) - Joe D'Angelo
100 Centre Street (2001, TV series, 3 episodes) - Albert Esposito
Life as It Comes (Italy, 2003) - Karl, the Professor
Traffic (2004, TV miniseries) - Alex Edmonds
Promessa d'amore [it] (Italy, 2004) - Amilcare
Pompeii [es] (Italy, 2007, TV miniseries) - Alpius
We Own the Night (2007) - Jack Shapiro
Pupetta - Il coraggio e la passione [it] (Italy, 2013, TV miniseries) - Don Luigi Vitiello
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