For a man who became famous in his later years for the number of times his death was erroneously reported, Abe Vigoda became something of a survivor, and took the various declarations of his death with good humour. Now, though he has really died, at the age of 94.
Born in Brooklyn in 1921, Vigoda started acting while still in his teens, working with the American Theatre Wing. That led to a professional career in 1947, and he established himself on the New York stage in the 1960s. Film followed, and he scored a notable role early, playing double-crossing Mafia man Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather after an open call audition. That in turn led to his most recognizable TV job, playing world-weary Detective Sergeant Fish on sitcom Barney Miller, the part that earned him widespread recognition and a short-lived spin-off called Fish.
Other film and RTV appearances included Cannonball Run II, Look Who's Talking, Joe Versus The Volcano, Law & Order, Murder, She Wrote, MacGyver, and The Bionic Woman.
In 1982, People magazine listed him as "the late Abe Vigoda" in a story about Barney Miller, and he responded with a full-page advert in Variety showing him in a coffin reading the magazine. He also played up to the joke as part of appearances with the likes of David Letterman and Conan O'Brien{