Iconic mobster and comedic actor Alex Rocco died on Saturday, July 18, at his home in Studio City, Los Angeles, California. He was 79. Although the announcement of his passing was only confirmed by his daughter, Jennifer, reports didn’t come in until later this evening stating that Mr. Rocco had passed away due to complications with his battle with cancer.
Having studied under the late, great actor Leonard Nimoy, Alex Rocco amassed a resume of over 160 credits in Hollywood productions; most notably with the small but infamous role of Moe Greene in mobster classic The Godfather (1972). He was also well known for his sitcom run with recurring roles on “The Facts of Life, “The Famous Teddy Z” in which he won an Emmy Award,” and “The George Carlin Show,” as well as recurring roles on dramas such as “The Division,” “Magic City,” and “Sibs.”
With a little digging, though, I found out that Alex Rocco had made several appearances in horror films during his 60 year career in acting. These appearances including small roles in The Boston Strangler (1968), Blood Mania (1970), The Entity (1982) and larger, lead and supporting roles in Motorpsycho! (1965), Return to Horror High (1987), Lady in White (1988), Dead of Night (1996) and The House Across the Street (2013). He also has a horror film, one of his last roles ever, titled The Others due for release in 2016.
All of us here at HorrorSociety.com send our deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans.
R.I.P. Alex Rocco
February 29, 1936 – July 18, 2015
