Frank Adonis obit

'Goodfellas' character actor Frank Adonis dead at 83

 

He was not on the list.

Frank Adonis, the veteran character actor best known for "Goodfellas" and with a long list of credits dating back more than 40 years, has died, according to his wife, Denise Adonis. He was 83.

Denise Adonis said he died Wednesday night in Las Vegas, after several years of illness due to kidney problems. She told TMZ and Fox News he had been on dialysis and was on a ventilator for nine days, but they waited until after Christmas to take him off it.

"He fought a good fight. It was rough. He was in too much pain and he wanted to go – he told us he wanted to go," Denise Adonis told Fox.

“We’re devastated," she continued. "It’s going to be hard, but we’ll get through it.”

Born Frank Testaverde Scioscia in Brooklyn on October 27, 1935, Adonis was known for his roles in movies as varied as "Goodfellas" (1990) and "Raging Bull" (1980) to "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994) and "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" (1999).

He was in such films and TV series as "Mob Queen" (1998), "The Sopranos" (2000), "Mafioso: The Father, the Son" (2001), and in a 2004 episode of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

According to his IMDb page, his first screen role was uncredited, when he played a bidder at a New York car auction in a scene in "The French Connection" in 1971. His most recent role was in 2017 in "Proximity to Power."

But Martin Scorsese's mob opera "Goodfellas" may be the most famous movie in his credits list. An adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese, the film is the story of the rise and fall of mobster Henry Hill, a real-life associate of the Lucchese organized-crime family of New York, and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980.

Also starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino and Lorraine Bracco, the film documents the infamous $6 million Lufthansa Airline robbery of 1978 and the resulting mayhem among Lucchese-connected participants, according to The Mob Museum of the National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement.

Considered by many film historians as one of the greatest films of all time, "Goodfellas" won critical acclaim at the time it came out and was named the year's best film by various critics' groups.

It also was nominated for six Oscars, including best picture and best director. Co-star Joe Pesci won the Oscar for best supporting actor. In 2000, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."

 

Filmography

 

Film

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1971    The French Connection            Bidder at New York Car Auction            Uncredited

The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight            Palumbo Mafia Hood            Uncredited

1972    Shaft's Big Score!            Rip            Credited as Frank Scioscia

1973    Cops and Robbers            Picnic Hood            Credited as Frank Scioscia

Lucky Luciano            Killer of Gene Giannini in New York            Uncredited

1974    Crazy Joe       Falco Family Soldier Gate Guard            Uncredited

The Gambler            Man in Park with Donny            Credited as Frank Scioscia

The Sister in Law     Benjo            Credited as Frank Scioscia

1976    Patty            The Sports Promoter            Credited as Frank Scioscia

1978    Eyes of Laura Mars            Sal Volpe  

1979    Punk Rock    Bartelli            Credited as Frank Martin

1980    Raging Bull      Patsy   

1981    Wolfen            Scola   

1987    One Way Out            Tough in the Warehouse            Credited as Frankie Adonis

Wall Street            Charlie

1988    Spike of Bensonhurst            Vinaca 

1990    King of New York            Paul Calgari

Goodfellas            Anthony Stabile          

1992    Bad Lieutenant            Large  

1993    True Romance            Frankie

1994    Ace Ventura: Pet Detective            Vinnie  

1995    Finding Interest The Godfather        

Casino  Rocky 

1996    The Juror            DeCicco         

1998    Mob Queen            Maderiaga      

1999    Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai            Valerio's Bodyguard    

Black & White            Frank  

2001            Mafioso: The Father, the Son Luca Veneri 

2002    High Times' Potluck            Frank  

2006    Find Me Guilty            Phil Radda 

Saddam            Joe DiBello

2007    The Woods Have Eyes     Bubba 

2012    The Trouble with Cali      Uncle Vito     

2017            Proximity to Power                  Final role

Television

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1985–1989            The Equalizer            Limo Driver / Chauffeur            4 episodes

1989            America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back    Fran Deciccio            Episode: "Paul Castellano"

1996    New York Undercover            Sonny Bruno            Episode: "Checkmate"

2000    The Sopranos            Guest #1            Episode: "House Arrest"

2004    Law & Order: Criminal Intent    Eddie            Episode: "Fico Di Capo"