Tall, dour-faced and slouch-shouldered character actor Abraham Charles Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) proved himself in both gritty dramatic roles, and as an actor with wonderful comedic timing. Vigoda was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Lena (Moses) and Samuel Vigoda, both Russian Je ... wish immigrants. His father was a tailor on the Lower East Side. He made his first stage appearance at the age of 17 and plodded away in small theater shows for over 20 years. For the majority of film-goers, Vigoda first came to prominence in The Godfather (1972) as the double-crossing Tessio, pleading with Robert Duvall to get him off the hook "for old times' sake." He also appeared in its sequel. Vigoda had roles in a few nondescript TV films before landing the plum part of Sgt. Phil Fish on the brilliant sitcom Barney Miller (1974). Perhaps his best known role, Sgt. Fish proved popular enough to be spun off to his own (short-lived) series Fish (1977). With his long face and unusual looks, Vigoda remained in high demand in mafioso-type roles, and for a while in the mid-1980s, he was mistakenly believed to have been dead, leading producers to remark, "I need an Abe Vigoda type actor," not realizing Vigoda was still alive and well. The 1990s and beyond became busy again for him, with appearances in North (1994), The Misery Brothers (1995), A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998), and Crime Spree (2003). He continued acting into his 90s, surprising audiences with his entertaining style. Abe Vigoda died in his sleep on January 26, 2016 in Woodland Park, New Jersey.
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| Organization | Category | Movie | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globes | Best Supporting Actor | The Godfather Part II | Won |
Barney Miller
as Philip Fish
Episodes: 58
First Aired: Jan 23, 1975
Fish
as Phil Fish
Episodes: 35
First Aired: Feb 05, 1977
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television
as Salvatore "Sal" Tessio (uncredited)
Episodes: 4
First Aired: Nov 12, 1977
Murder, She Wrote
as George
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 30, 1984
Mad About You
as Kalman Wertzel
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 23, 1992
Family Guy
as Abe Vigoda (voice)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 31, 1999
The Love Boat
as Charlie Fletcher
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 24, 1977
Hawaii Five-O
as Abe Kemper
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 20, 1968
Deadline
as Joseph Spiaggio
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 02, 2000
Wings
as Harry
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Apr 19, 1990
Diagnosis: Murder
as Alfredo Bartolo / Al Bartell / Mr. Johnson
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 29, 1993
Kojak
as Kilty
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 24, 1973
Studio One
as Old Train Passenger
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Nov 07, 1948
Tales from the Darkside
as Jake Corelli
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 30, 1984
The Rockford Files
as Al Dancer
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 13, 1974
Touched by an Angel
as Receptionist Angel
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 21, 1994
Law & Order
as Detective Landis
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 13, 1990
The Rockford Files
as Phil 'The Dancer' Gabriel
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 13, 1974
Mannix
as Anton Valine
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 16, 1967
MacGyver
as Bill Cody
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 29, 1985
Barney Miller
as Det. Phil Fish (uncredited)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 23, 1975
Lucky Luke
as Judge Rinehart
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 20, 1992
Barney Miller
as Det. Phil Fish
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 23, 1975
Love, American Style
as Mr. Burdick (uncredited)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 29, 1969
Dark Shadows
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Jun 27, 1966
The Norm Show
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 24, 1999
Supertrain
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Feb 07, 1979
B. J. and the Bear
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Feb 10, 1979
Harper Valley
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 16, 1981
The Rookies
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 11, 1972
The Adventures of the Black Stallion
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 05, 1992
The Bionic Woman
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 14, 1976
Weird Science
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 05, 1994
Cannon
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 14, 1971
Superboy
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 08, 1988
Eight Is Enough
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 15, 1977
Tattletales
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Feb 18, 1974
Monsters
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 22, 1988
The Sandy Duncan Show
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 17, 1972
Vega$
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 20, 1978
Promised Land
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 17, 1996
The Littlest Hobo
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 11, 1979
Toma
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 21, 1973
Suspense
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 06, 1949
Sweepstakes
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 26, 1979
The Captain and Tennille
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 20, 1976
TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 12, 2003
Tony Orlando and Dawn
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 04, 1974
B.L. Stryker
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Feb 13, 1989
The Bob Hope Show
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Apr 09, 1950
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 11, 1975
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 01, 1962
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | 9 | 18 | 6 |
| 2024 | 7 | 19 | 31 | 5 |
| 2024 | 8 | 16 | 28 | 9 |
| 2024 | 9 | 10 | 20 | 4 |
| 2024 | 10 | 8 | 17 | 3 |
| 2024 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 3 |
| 2024 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 4 |
| 2025 | 1 | 13 | 28 | 5 |
| 2025 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 0 |