'Fast Times at Ridgemont High': Who He Played: Sanka-drinking science teacher Mr. Vargas 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest': Who He Played: Asylum inmate Fredrickson 'Ghost': Who He Played: The nasty spirit in the subway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Character actor Vincent Schiavelli He died of lung cancer, said Salvatore Glorioso, mayor of Polizzi Generosa, the Sicilian village where Schiavelli resided. Schiavelli, whose gloomy, droopy-eyed look made him perfect to play creepy or eccentric characters, made appearances in some 150 film and television productions, according to the Internet Movie Database. Among the movies: "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Amadeus," "Batman Returns," and "The People vs. Larry Flint." He was selected in 1997 by Vanity Fair as one of America's best character actors. Schiavelli, who was born and raised in New York, studied acting at New York University's School of the Arts. He also wrote three cookbooks and many food articles for magazines and newspapers, possibly inheriting his love for cooking from his grandfather, who had been a cook for an Italian baron before moving to the United States, according to IMDB.
Spoke with him in Larchmont Village (south of Paramount Studios) only once of the three times we crossed paths in a relatively short span. He could carry a conversation & was fond of Italy. The vacuous Fabio, on the other hand, I tried to run over. (Gold's Gym on Cole Ave.) Came pretty close, too.
I just watch him in Man on the Moon yesterday. He was also in "Ferrari". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346946/
