John Capodice, who is best known for his roles in Seinfeld, General Hospital, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, passed away on Monday, Dec. 30, at the age of 83.
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The actor’s obituary was made public on the New Jersey Pizzi Funeral Home website. His cause of death was not revealed. He was described as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.
Before his acting days, Capodice served in the U.S. Army from 1964 to 1966 and even went to Korea. According to his obituary, he was also a “proud member of the Blauvelt Sons of Italy Rockland Lodge 2176.”
His first TV role was as Lloyd Lord on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope. He went on to appear in other TV shows, including The West Wing, Six Feet Under, Murder, She Wrote, Civil Wars, and Law & Order.
Along with Ace Ventura, Capodice also had roles in Naked Gun 33 1/3, Independence Day, and Wall Street.
His final role was in the TV series Conversation With Mobster, where he played Big John for five episodes.
Capodice is survived by his wife Jane, daughters Tessa De Pierro and Cassandra Hansen, grandchildren David, Jake, Franki, and Giuliana, and sisters Kathy Magluilo and Patti Lindsay.
John Capodice Previously Opened Up About Why He Decided to Go Into Acting
During an interview with Network Magazine, Capodice opened up about what inspired him to go into acting to begin with.
“One doesn’t choose acting; it chooses you,” he explained. “I wish that I could be more specific, but after half a century of living this life, I’m still pursuing it. Hopefully, this provides a bit of insight into what it is to be an actor.”
Capodice claimed he wasn’t sure when asked about his initial reservations regarding acting.
“I suppose it slowly came upon me and never stopped,” he shared. “I was at a film festival with a well-known character actor, and he said, ‘You will stop when you don’t want it anymore.’”
Speaking about what the key to a successful acting career is, Capodice agreed it was never saying no.
“Each time they tell you no, you pick yourself up from the ground and say yes,” he declared. “Never ever accept no. Remember, it’s not about rejection. The casting people are going a different way, and you’ll get the next one.”
Capodice had some ideas regarding advice he would give his younger self.
“I would tell myself to pursue the fundamentals, i.e. agent, drama school, pictures and resumes,” he added. “In fact, all, the business side of it which was not my strong point.”