Actor, comedian Dom DeLuise dies at 75

[lurkey]

Actor, comedian Dom DeLuise dies at 75
Funnyman starred in ‘Cannonball Run,’ ‘Spaceballs,’ was popular pitchman

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30581493/

LOS ANGELES - Actor and comedian Dom DeLuise, whose big screen classics included “The Cannonball Run,” “Spaceballs” and “History of the World Part I,” died on Monday night at a Los Angeles hospital, Access Hollywood has confirmed. He was 75.

The actor starred in dozens of films over the years, often teaming up with off-screen pal Burt Reynolds.

Most recently, he was working on the CGI live-action fantasy film “Instant Karma,” starring Dwayne Johnson, Pierce Brosnan and Mira Sorvino. Reynolds and DeLuise both had voice roles in the film.



DeLuise became a household name in the ’80s with his comedic commercials for Ziploc bags.

DeLuise leaves behind his wife, actress Carol Arthur, and three sons, all of whom followed in their father’s Hollywood footsteps.

Peter DeLuise, 42, has starred in numerous TV shows, including “21 Jumpstreet,” “SeaQuest DSV” and “Stargate SG-1.” He’s also worked extensively as a TV writer, director and producer on shows including “Kyle XY” and the “Stargate” franchise.

Michael DeLuise, 38, had a recurring role as TJ on “Gilmore Girls.” His other acting credits include “Brooklyn South,” “NYPD Blue” and “SeaQuest DSV.”

David DeLuise, 37, has also made numerous TV appearances on such shows as “Gilmore Girls,” “CSI” and “Without A Trace.” Most recently, David is known for playing Jerry Russon on the Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.”



Dom DeLuise, actor, comedian and chef, dies
By BOB THOMAS, Associated Press Writer Bob Thomas, Associated Press Writer
41 mins ago
LOS ANGELES - Dom DeLuise, the portly actor-comedian whose affable nature
made him a popular character actor for decades with movie and TV audiences
as well as directors and fellow actors, has died. He was 75.

DeLuise died Monday night, son Michael DeLuise told KTLA-TV and radio
station KNX on Tuesday. The comedian died in his sleep after a long illness.
Calls to his agent were not immediately returned.

The actor, who loved to cook and eat almost as much as he enjoyed acting,
also carved out a formidable second career later in life as a chef of fine
cuisine. He authored two cookbooks and would appear often on morning TV
shows to whip up his favorite recipes.

As an actor, he was incredibly prolific, appearing in scores of movies and
TV shows, in Broadway plays and voicing characters for numerous cartoon
shows.

Writer-director-actor Mel Brooks particularly admired DeLuise's talent for
offbeat comedy and cast him in several of his films, including "The Twelve
Chairs," "Blazing Saddles," "Silent Movie," "History of the World Part I"
and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." DeLuise was also the voice of Pizza the
Hutt in Brooks' "Star Wars" parody, "Spaceballs."

The actor also appeared frequently in films opposite his friend Burt
Reynolds. Among them, "The End," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,"
'Smokey and the Bandit II," "The Cannonball Run" and "Cannonball Run II."

Another actor-friend, Dean Martin, admired his comic abilities so much that
he cast DeLuise as a regular on his 1960s comedy-variety show. In 1973, he
starred in a situation comedy, "Lotsa Luck," but it proved to be
short-lived.

Other TV credits included appearances on such shows as "The Munsters," "The
Girl From U.N.C.L.E.," "Burke's Law," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and
"Diagnosis Murder."

On Broadway, DeLuise appeared in Neil Simon's "Last of the Red Hot Lovers"
and other plays.

Because of his passion for food, the actor battled obesity throughout much
of his life, his weight reaching as much as 325 pounds at one point. For
years, he resisted the efforts of family members and doctors who tried to
put him on various diets. He finally agreed in 1993 when he needed hip
replacement surgery and his doctor refused to perform it until he lost 100
pounds.

He and his family enrolled at the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center in
Durham, N.C., and DeLuise lost enough weight for the surgery, although he
gained some of it back afterward.

On the positive side, his love of food resulted in two successful cookbooks,
1988's "Eat This - It Will Make You Feel Better!" and 1997's "Eat This Too!
It'll Also Make You Feel Good."

At his Pacific Palisades home, DeLuise often prepared feasts for family and
friends. One lunch began with turkey soup and ended with strawberry
shortcake. In between, were platters of beef filet, chicken breast and
sausage, a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and a saucer of lettuce.

He strongly resembled the famed chef Paul Prudhomme and joked in a 1987
Associated Press interview that he had posed as Prudhomme while visiting his
New Orleans restaurant, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen.

DeLuise was appearing on Broadway in "Here's Love" in the early 1960s when
Garry Moore saw him and hired him to play the magician "Dominick the Great"
on "The Garry Moore Show."

His appearances on the hit comedy-variety program brought offers from
Hollywood, and DeLuise first came to the attention of movie-goers in "Fail
Safe," a drama starring Henry Fonda. He followed with a comedy, "The Glass
Bottom Boat," starring Doris Day, and from then on he alternated between
films and television.

"I was making $7,000 a week - a lot of money back then - but I didn't even
know I was rich," he recalled in 1994. "I was just having such a great
time."

He was born Dominick DeLuise in New York City on Aug. 1, 1933, to Italian
immigrants. His father, who spoke only Italian, was a garbage collector, and
those humble beginnings stayed with him throughout his life.

"My dad knows everything there is to know about garbage," one of the actor's
sons, David DeLuise, told The Associated Press in 2008. "He loves to pick up
a broken chair and fix it."

DeLuise's introduction to acting came at age 8 when he played the title role
of Peter Rabbit in a school play. He went on to graduate from New York
City's famed School of Performing Arts in Manhattan.

For five years, he sought work in theater or television with little luck. He
finally decided to enroll at Tufts College and study biology, with the aim
of becoming a teacher.

Acting called him back, however, and he found work at the Cleveland
Playhouse, appearing in stage productions that ranged from comedies such as
"Kiss Me Kate" to Shakespeare's "Hamlet."

"I worked two years solidly on plays and moving furniture and painting
scenery and playing parts," he remarked in a 2006 interview. "It was quite
an amazing learning place for me."

While working in summer stock in Provincetown, Mass., he met a beautiful
young actress, Carol Arthur, and they were soon married.

The couple's three sons, Peter, Michael and David, all became actors and all
appeared with their father in the 1990s TV series "SeaQuestDSV," in which
Peter and Michael were regulars.

Copyright C 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[vbhoutex]

I'm sad to hear that. He was really good. May he rest in peace.

[Jinkers]

I really liked him, my prayers go out to his family.

[Stephanie]

He really was funny. May he rest in peace!

[Category 5]

No! Not Pizza The Hutt!

R.I.P