Tony Lo Bianco, celebrated for his roles in iconic 70s crime films The French Connection and The Seven-Ups, has passed away at the age of 87.
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The veteran character actor died on Tuesday, June 11, at his horse farm in Poolesville, Maryland. The cause of death was prostate cancer, his wife Alyse confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1936 to Sicilian immigrants, Lo Bianco pursued acting at New York City’s Dramatic Workshop while also becoming a Golden Gloves boxer. In 1963, he founded the Triangle Theatre on the Upper East Side, where he served as artistic director for six years, directing and producing numerous shows.
This led to Lo Bianco earning his first of ten Broadway credits. He stepped in as a replacement in Threepenny Opera, and served as an understudy in Incident at Vichy.
Before becoming a Tony nominee for Best Actor in the 1983 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, he won an Obie Award for his performance in the 1975 Off-Broadway production of Jonathan Reynolds’ Yanks-3, Detroit-0, Top of the Seventh.
Tony Lo Bianco Makes His Hollywood Debut
Lo Bianco made his big screen debut in 1965 with The Sex Perils of Paulette. This role paved the way for his most notable performances: portraying “lonely hearts killer” Raymond Fernandez in Leonard Kastle’s 1970 thriller The Honeymoon Killers and Salvatore “Sal” Boca in William Friedkin’s 1971 Oscar Best Picture winner The French Connection.
In 1973, he collaborated again with his French Connection co-star Roy Scheider on the crime film The Seven-Ups. Of course, the film remains well regarded for one of the most insane car chase scenes committed to celluloid.
Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, he frequently guest-starred on various television series. His notable appearances included Police Story in 1974, Jesus of Nazareth in 1977, and Marco Polo in 1982.
Meanwhile, Lo Bianco continued his stage career by portraying New York politician Fiorello H. La Guardia in Paul Shyre’s one-man show Hizzoner!. His performance garnered a New York Emmy Award and led to a TV movie adaptation. The play also enjoyed a brief Broadway run in 1989.
His most recent work is the 2022 comedy Somewhere in Queens, directed by and starring Ray Romano.
Lo Bianco received numerous accolades for his humanitarian contributions to the Italian-American community, such as the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America. He is survived by his wife Alyse, whom he married in 2015, along with several children and grandchildren.