George Memmoli
George Memmoli (August 3, 1938 – May 20, 1985) was an American actor. Memmoli was a friend and frequent collaborator of director Martin Scorsese, appearing in Mean Streets as a pool hall owner (1973) and New York, New York (1977), and contributing to a documentary focused on a mutual friend of Scorsese's and Memmoli's - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince (1978), the gun dealer in the film Taxi Driver in which George was originally intended for the role Scorsese played as the jealous husband staring obsessively at his wife's window. He is also known for his portrayal of the engineer Earl during the first season (21 episodes) of the sitcom Hello, Larry, and he was a founding member of the improv comedy troupe Ace Trucking Company.
George Memmoli | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 3, 1938 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 20, 1985 (aged 46) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor |
Career
Memmoli also played Philbin in Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974) and Jenkins in Scorsese collaborator Paul Schrader's Blue Collar (1978), and he had a small but memorable role in Rocky (1976) playing the ice rink worker who, while sporadically counting down, allows Rocky and Adrian their rushed first date, alone on the ice after closing. It was on the set of Blue Collar where co-star Richard Pryor hit George Memmoli over the head with a chair and fractured his skull. As a result, Memmoli filed a $1 million lawsuit against Pryor.
Memmoli's last TV appearance was in the Hill Street Blues episode "The Rise and Fall of Paul the Wall," as Paul "the Wall" Srignoli, which aired on December 6, 1984. Memmoli's final screen appearance was in the 1985 film, The Sure Thing as Uncle Nunzi.
Memmoli died in 1985 from injuries sustained in an accident involving a stunt car during the filming of "The Farmer" in 1976 or 1977.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Dynamite Chicken | Himself - Ace Trucking Co. | |
| 1973 | The Harrad Experiment | The Ace Trucking Company | Uncredited |
| 1973 | Mean Streets | Joey | |
| 1974 | Harrad Summer | Larry | |
| 1974 | Phantom of the Paradise | Philbin | |
| 1975 | I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now? | Nurse Dagon | |
| 1975 | Hustle | Foot Fetish Man | |
| 1976 | Hot Potato | Leonardo Pizzarelli / White Rhino | |
| 1976 | St. Ives | Shippo | |
| 1976 | Rocky | Ice Rink Attendant | |
| 1977 | The Farmer | Passini | |
| 1977 | The Domino Principle | Cab Driver | Uncredited |
| 1977 | Hot Tomorrows | Man in mortuary | |
| 1977 | New York, New York | Nicky | |
| 1977 | The World's Greatest Lover | Truck Driver | |
| 1978 | Blue Collar | Jenkins | |
| 1979 | Americathon | Pinky Fun | |
| 1979 | Swap Meet | Luke | |
| 1981 | Lunch Wagon | Andy | |
| 1985 | The Sure Thing | Man in Bar | (final film role) |
External links
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