George Memmoli (August 3, 1938 – May 20, 1985) was a founding member of the

improv Improv may refer to: *Improvisation, an act of spontaneous invention ** Improvisational theatre (includes improvisational comedy) **Musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of i ...

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, appearing in '' Mean Streets'' as a pool hall owner (1973) and ''

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

'' (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's '' Phantom of the Paradise'' (1974) and Jenkins in Scorsese collaborator

Paul Schrader Paul Joseph Schrader (; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first received widespread recognition through his screenplay for Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' (1976). He later continued his collabo ...

's '' Blue Collar'' (1978), and he had a small but memorable role in '' Rocky'' (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 '' Blue Collar'', co-star Richard Pryor 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''. Memmoli's last TV appearance was as Paul "the Wall" Srignoli in the '' Hill Street Blues'' 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'', 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 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 ...

attributed Memmoli's early death to the accident, and cited it as a cautionary tale 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