Dom DeLuise

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Dom DeLuise
Born Dominick DeLuise
August 1, 1933(1933-08-01)
Brooklyn, New York
Died May 4, 2009 (aged 75)[1]
Santa Monica, California
Other name(s) Dom De Luise, Dom DeLuises, Dom Deluise, Captain Chaos (Him)
Occupation Actor, Comedian, Chef, Director, Producer, Writer
Spouse(s) Carol Arthur (1965-2009)(his death)
Official website

Dominick "Dom" DeLuise (August 1, 1933 – May 4, 2009)[2] was an American actor, comedian, film director, television producer, chef, and author. He was the husband of actress Carol Arthur from 1965 until his death, and the father of actor, writer, director Peter DeLuise, and actors David DeLuise and Michael DeLuise.[3]

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

DeLuise was born in Brooklyn, New York to Italian American parents, Vincenza "Jennie" (née DeStefano), a homemaker, and John DeLuise, a civil servant (garbage collector).[3] DeLuise graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts. He later attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.[4]

[edit] Career

DeLuise generally appeared in comedic parts, although an early appearance (in the movie Fail-Safe as a nervous enlisted airman) showed a possible broader range. His first acting credit was as a regular performer in the television show The Entertainers in 1964. In the 1970s and 1980s, he often co-starred with Burt Reynolds; together they appeared in the films The Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II, Smokey and the Bandit II, The End, All Dogs Go to Heaven and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. DeLuise was the host of the television show Candid Camera from 1991 to 1992.

DeLuise also lent his voice for animated films, and was particularly a staple of Don Bluth's features, playing major roles in The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, A Troll in Central Park and All Dogs Go to Heaven, along with their respective sequels and spinoff series. He also lent his voice to the Walt Disney film Oliver & Company, and made guest appearances on several animated TV series.

TV producer Greg Garrison hired DeLuise to appear as a specialty act on the popular Dean Martin show. DeLuise ran through his "Dominick the Great" routine, a riotous example of a magic act gone wrong, with host Martin as a bemused volunteer from the audience. Dom's catch phrase, with an Italian accent, was "No Applause Necessary, Sava to the End." The show went so well that DeLuise was soon a regular on Martin's program, participating in both songs and sketches. Garrison also featured DeLuise in his own hour-long comedy specials for ABC. (Martin was often just off-camera when these were taped, and his distinctive laugh can be heard loud and clear.)

DeLuise was probably best known as a regular in Mel Brooks's films. He appeared in The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, Silent Movie, History of the World, Part I, Spaceballs, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Brooks' late wife, actress Anne Bancroft, directed Dom in Fatso (1980). He also had a cameo in Johnny Dangerously as the Pope, and in Jim Henson's The Muppet Movie as a wayward Hollywood talent agent who comes across Kermit the Frog singing "The Rainbow Connection" in the film's opening scene.

DeLuise exhibited his comedic talents while playing the speaking part of the jailer Frosch in the comedic operetta Die Fledermaus at the Metropolitan Opera, playing the role in three separate revivals of the work at the Met. In the production, while the singing was in German, the spoken parts were in English. A lifelong opera fan, he also portrayed the role of L'Opinion Publique in drag for the Los Angeles Opera's production of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld.[5]

An avid cook and author of several books on cooking, in recent years he appeared as a regular contributor to a syndicated home improvement radio show, On The House with The Carey Brothers, giving listeners tips on culinary topics.[6] He was also a friend and self-proclaimed "look-alike" of famous Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme. He also wrote seven children's books.

[edit] Death

Search Wikinews Wikinews has related news: American comedic actor Dom DeLuise dies at age 75

DeLuise died at age 75 survived by his wife and three sons on May 4, 2009 at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. He was hospitalized at the time, suffering from kidney failure and respiratory problems due to complications from diabetes and high blood pressure. He was cremated and his ashes buried with his parents in New York City.[7][8][9][10]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Television

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Writings for children

  • Charlie the Caterpillar, illustrated by Christopher Santoro, Simon& Schuster, 1990
  • Goldilocks (also known as Goldie Locks & The Three Bears: The Real Story!), illustrated by Santoro, Simon & Schuster, 1992
  • Hansel & Gretel, illustrated by Santoro, Simon & Schuster,1997
  • The Nightingale (also known as Dom DeLuise's The Nightingale), illustrated by Santoro, Simon & Schuster, 1998
  • King Bob's New Clothes, illustrated by Santoro, Simon & Schuster, 1999
  • The Pouch Potato, illustrated by Derek Carter, Bacchus Books, 2001
  • There's No Place Like Home, illustrated by Tim Brown

[edit] Cookbooks

  • Eat This ... It Will Make You Feel Better: Mamma's Italian Home Cooking and Other Favorites of Family and Friends (also known as Eat This), Simon & Schuster, 1988
  • Eat This Too! It'll Also Make You Feel Better (also known as Eat This Too!), Atria, 1997
  • The Pizza Challenge

[edit] Notes

 This section needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)
  1. ^ Report: Actor Dom DeLuise Dies At 75
  2. ^ Grimes, William (May 5, 2009). "Dom DeLuise, Comic Actor, Dies at 75". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/movies/07deluise.html?hp. Retrieved on May 6, 2009. 
  3. ^ a b Dom Deluise Biography
  4. ^ New York Times Biography
  5. ^ "Obituaries: Actors Dom DeLuise and Beatrice Arthur; mezzo Margreta Elkins; soprano Anne Brown, Gershwin’s original Bess; composer Lukas Foss dies at eighty-six.". Opera News. July 2009, vol 74, no. 1. http://www.metoperafamily.org/operanews/issue/article.aspx?id=5263&issueID=335. Retrieved on June 20, 2009. 
  6. ^ In The Kitchen with Dom DeLuise — Dom DeLuise's feature on the On The House with the Carey Brothers radio show
  7. ^ "Actor, Dom DeLuise dies at 75". Associated Press. May 5, 2009. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30581493/. Retrieved on May 5, 2009. 
  8. ^ "Dom DeLuise dies at 75". CNN. May 5, 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/05/obit.deluise/index.html. Retrieved on May 5, 2009. 
  9. ^ Washington Post
  10. ^ The Independent

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_DeLuise"
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