Vincent Schiavelli
Vincent Andrew Schiavelli (November 10 1948 – December 26 2005) was an American character actor noted for his work in film and television he was often described as "the man with the sad eyes".
Schiavelli was born into a Sicilian-American family in Brooklyn, New York. He studied acting through the Theater Program at New York University and began working on the stage in the 1960s.
He first appeared on film in Miloš Forman's 1971 production Taking Off as a counselor who teaches parents of runaway teens how to smoke marijuana in order to better understand their children's experiences. His aptitude and distinctive angular appearance soon provided him with a steady stream of supporting roles, particularly under Forman; he appeared in both One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. subway ghost in Ghost (1990), Amadeus, and the 1999 biopic Man on the Moon. His first television work came in 1972 as a minor character in The Corner Bar, the first sustained portrayal of a gay character on American television. Other television credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a recurring role on Taxi as the priest who marries Latka and Simka.
Schiavelli's well-known movie roles include Mr. Vargas the biology teacher in the 1982 hit comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High, a role he reprised in the 1986 television spin-off, Fast Times. His role as a subway ghost in the 1990 drama Ghost won him much critical acclaim. He also appeared in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and The Frisco Kid. All in all, Schiavelli appeared in over fifty films. In 1997, he was named one of America's best character actors by Vanity Fair magazine [1]
Not merely content to act, Schiavelli was the author of a number of cookbooks and food articles for magazines and newspapers. He received a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award in 2001 and was nominated on a number of other occasions.
Additionally, he served as honorary co-chair of the National Marfan Foundation, an organization which serves those affected by Marfan Syndrome, from which Schiavelli suffered.
He was married to actress Allyce Beasley from 1985 until their divorce in 1988. Their son Andrea was born in 1987. In 1992, Schiavelli married American harpist Carol Mukhalian.
He succumbed to lung cancer at age 57, passing away at his home in Polizzi Generosa, Sicily, Italy, the town where his grandfather emigrated from and which he wrote about in his 2002 book, Many Beautiful Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa (ISBN 0743215281).