George Memmoli (August 3, 1938 – May 20, 1985) was a founding member of the improv troupe Ace Trucking Company and an actor. He was known for his corpulent presence in his roles, weighing as much as 450 pounds. He was a friend and frequent collaborator of director

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...

, appearing in ''

Mean Streets ''Mean Streets'' is a 1973 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese and co-written by Scorsese and Mardik Martin. The film stars Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. It was released by Warner Bros. on October 2, 1973. De Niro won the National ...

'' as a pool hall owner (1973) and '' New York, New York'' (1977), and contributing to a documentary that focused on a mutual friend of his and Scorsese, '' American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince'' (1978).

Career

In other roles Memmoli played Philbin in

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...

's ''

Phantom of the Paradise ''Phantom of the Paradise'' is a 1974 American rock musical comedy horror film written and directed by Brian De Palma and scored by and starring Paul Williams. In the film, a naïve young singer-songwriter (played by William Finley) is tricked ...

'' (1974) and Jenkins in Scorsese collaborator Paul Schrader's ''

Blue Collar A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and power ...

'' (1978), and he had a small but memorable role in ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...

'' (1976) as the ice rink worker who, while sporadically counting down, allows Rocky and Adrian their rushed first date alone on the ice after closing. On the set of ''

'', co-star

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

hit Memmoli's head with a chair and fractured his skull. As a result, Memmoli filed a $1 million lawsuit against Pryor. In 1979 he portrayed the engineer Earl during the first season of the

McLean Stevenson Edgar "Mac" McLean Stevenson Jr. (November 14, 1927 – February 15, 1996) was an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake in the television series ''M*A*S*H'', which earned him a Golden Glob ...

sitcom ''

Hello, Larry ''Hello, Larry'' is an American sitcom television series created by Dick Bensfield and Perry Grant, starring McLean Stevenson. It aired on NBC from January 26, 1979, to April 30, 1980. Its broadcast run consisted of 38 episodes over two season ...

''. Memmoli's last TV appearance was as Paul "the Wall" Srignoli in the ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'' episode "The Rise and Fall of Paul the Wall," which aired on December 6, 1984. His final screen appearance was in the 1985 film ''

The Sure Thing ''The Sure Thing'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy romance film written by Steven L. Bloom and Jonathan Roberts and directed by Rob Reiner. The film stars John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Viveca Lindfors, and Nicollette Sheridan. The film chron ...

'', as Uncle Nunzi. At one point Memmoli reportedly had gotten his weight down to 190 pounds, but a 1975 accident in a stunt car while filming "The Farmer" put him in the hospital for three months, and during the six months convalescence that followed his weight ballooned back to 350 pounds. Scorsese attributed Memmoli's early death to the accident, and cited it as a

cautionary tale A cautionary tale is a tale told in folklore to warn its listener of a danger. There are three essential parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. First, a taboo or prohibition is stated: some act, lo ...

for young low-budget filmmakers who take too many chances.Martin Scorsese, "Things I've Learned as a Filmmaker," https://www.moviemaker.com/martin-scorsese-golden-rules-things-ive-learned/

Filmography

References

External links

* * 1938 births 1985 deaths Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors {{tv-actor-stub