Richard Joseph Libertini (May 21, 1933 – January 7, 2016) was an American stage, film and television actor. He was known for playing character roles and his ability to speak in numerous accents. His films include ''

Catch-22 ''Catch-22'' is a satirical war novel by American author Joseph Heller. He began writing it in 1953; the novel was first published in 1961. Often cited as one of the most significant novels of the twentieth century, it uses a distinctive non-chr ...

'' (1970), '' The In-Laws'' (1979), ''

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.All of Me'' (1984), '' Fletch'' (1985), ''

Fletch Lives ''Fletch Lives'' is a 1989 American comedy mystery film starring Chevy Chase and the sequel to '' Fletch'' (1985), directed by Michael Ritchie from a screenplay by Leon Capetanos based on the character created by Gregory Mcdonald. Plot Fletch ...

'' (1989), ''

Awakenings ''Awakenings'' is a 1990 American drama film directed by Penny Marshall. It is written by Steven Zaillian, who based his screenplay on Oliver Sacks's 1973 memoir ''Awakenings''. It tells the story of neurologist Dr. Malcolm Sayer (Robin Williams ...

'' (1990), ''

Lethal Weapon 4 ''Lethal Weapon 4'' is a 1998 American buddy cop action film directed and produced by Richard Donner, and starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, and Jet Li (in his international film debut). It is the fourth insta ...

'' (1998), and ''

Dolphin Tale ''Dolphin Tale'' is a 2011 American 3D family drama film directed by Charles Martin Smith, from a screenplay by Karen Janszen and Noam Dromi and a book of the same name. It stars Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Kris Kristofferson, ...

'' (2011).

Early life

Libertini was born in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, and graduated from Emerson College in Boston. During his early years, Libertini worked in New York City and in Chicago. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career during the 1960s.

Career

He was an original cast member of ''

The Mad Show ''The Mad Show'' is an Off-Broadway musical revue based on ''Mad Magazine''. The music is by Mary Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim, the book by Larry Siegel and Stan Hart. The show's various lyricists include Siegel, Marshall Barer, Steven Vina ...

'', a 1966

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

musical-comedy produced by '' Mad'' magazine. His first film appearances were in ''

The Night They Raided Minsky's ''The Night They Raided Minsky's'' is a 1968 American musical comedy film directed by William Friedkin and produced by Norman Lear. Based on the 1960 novel by Rowland Barber, it is a fictional account of the invention of the striptease at Mins ...

'' (1968), '' Don't Drink the Water'' (1969) and ''

'' (1970). Two of his more memorable film roles came in the comedies '' Fletch'' (1985), in which he played

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

's character's doubting editor, a role he repeated in the 1989 sequel ''

'', and '' The In-Laws'' (1979), in which he played General Garcia, an insane Latin American dictator whose closest advisor was a cartoon face drawn on his own hand a la

Señor Wences Wenceslao Moreno Centeno (April 17, 1896 – April 20, 1999),
Sharky's Machine ''Sharky's Machine'' is a 1981 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Burt Reynolds, who stars in the title role. It is an adaptation of William Diehl's first novel ''Sharky's Machine'' (1978) with a screenplay by Gerald Di Pego. It ...

'' (1981). He also played a traveling vaudevillian in

Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. His films include '' Days of Heaven'' (1978), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenp ...

's ''

Days of Heaven ''Days of Heaven'' is a 1978 American romantic period drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, and starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard and Linda Manz. Set in 1916, it tells the story of Bill and Abby, lovers who travel ...

'' (1978), the greengrocer

George W. Geezil George W. Geezil, also known as simply Geezil, is a comic strip character created by E.C. Segar for his strip ''Thimble Theatre'' (now ''Popeye''). Comics Geezil made his first handful of appearances in the strips in 1932, as an unnamed patr ...

in Robert Altman's ''

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.Best Friends'' (1982), the servant Giuseppe in '' Unfaithfully Yours'' (1984), spiritual advisor Prahka Lasa ("Back in Bowl!") in '' All of Me'' (1984), the bandit

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's animated feature film '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' (1990), and a rabbi in ''

'' (1998). On television, Libertini was a series regular in the first season of ''

Soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

'' as the Godfather. He appeared as three different characters in episodes of ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th St in Greenwich Village. The series was broadcast on ABC Network from January 23, 1975, to May 20, 1982. It was created ...

''. He also appeared in "Evaluation" (1978) and "Middle Age" (January 1979). He guest starred in the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode " Accession" as a

Bajoran The Bajorans (variously pronounced , , ) are a fictional species in the science-fiction '' Star Trek'' franchise. They are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor, who have a long-standing enmity with the Cardassians, o ...

named Akorem Laan, and in the ''

Sonny with a Chance ''Sonny with a Chance'' is an American teen sitcom created by Steve Marmel that aired on Disney Channel for two seasons between February 2009 and January 2011. The series centers on Sonny Munroe (portrayed by Demi Lovato), a teenage comedian ...

'' episode "Dakota's Revenge" as Izzy, an insane mechanic. He also voiced Wally Llama on ''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, unti ...

'', and starred in three short-lived sitcoms: '' Family Man'' (1988), in which he played a middle-aged comedy writer who married a much younger woman and became a father late in life; ''

The Fanelli Boys ''The Fanelli Boys'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 8, 1990 to February 16, 1991, as part of its 1990–91 prime time schedule. The series was created by the team of Barry Fanaro, Mort Nathan, Kathy Spee ...

'' (1990–1991), in which he played an Italian priest; and ''

Pacific Station The Pacific Station was created in 1837 as one of the geographical military formations into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. The South America Station was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast of A ...

'' (1991–1992), in which he played a police detective. Libertini appeared on the TV show ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

''. His final film role was that of a fisherman in the 2011 film ''

''. From October 2011 through January 2012, Libertini appeared on Broadway as a rabbi in "Honeymoon Motel," the

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

-penned segment of '' Relatively Speaking''.

Personal life

Libertini married actress

Melinda Dillon Melinda Dillon (born October 13, 1939) is a retired American actress. She received a 1963 Tony Award nomination for her Broadway debut in the original production of ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'', and she was nominated for the Academy Award ...

on September 30, 1963; he had one child with her, Richard. They divorced in 1978. Libertini died at the age of 82 in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, California on January 7, 2016, from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. He had been diagnosed two years prior.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1968) - Pockets * '' Don't Drink the Water'' (1969) - Father Drobney * '' The Out-of-Towners'' (1970) - Baggage Man - Boston * ''

'' (1970) - Brother John * '' Lady Liberty'' (1971) - Tim (uncredited) * ''

I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now? ''I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now?'' (original USA theatrical name ''Kill My Wife, Please'') is a 1975 black comedy movie directed by Steven Hilliard Stern, and starring Bob Dishy and Joanna Barnes. Originally Peter Sellers was to be cast as the le ...

'' (1975) - Cafe Waiter / Jack Kirsten * ''

Fire Sale A fire sale is the sale of goods at extremely discounted prices. The term originated in reference to the sale of goods at a heavy discount due to fire damage. It may or may not be defined as a closeout, the final sale of goods to zero inventor ...

'' (1977) - Painter * ''

'' (1978) - Vaudeville Leader * '' The In-Laws'' (1979) - Gen. Garcia * ''

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.Sharky's Machine ''Sharky's Machine'' is a 1981 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Burt Reynolds, who stars in the title role. It is an adaptation of William Diehl's first novel ''Sharky's Machine'' (1978) with a screenplay by Gerald Di Pego. It ...

'' (1981) - Nosh * '' Soup for One'' (1982) - Angelo * '' Best Friends'' (1982) - Jorge Medina * ''

Going Berserk ''Going Berserk'' is a 1983 American-Canadian comedy film starring John Candy, Joe Flaherty, and Eugene Levy and directed by David Steinberg. Plot John Bourgignon is an amiable chauffeur A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger ...

'' (1983) - Rev. Sun Yi Day * '' Deal of the Century'' (1983) - Masaggi * '' Unfaithfully Yours'' (1984) - Giuseppe * '' All of Me'' (1984) - Prahka Lasa * '' Fletch'' (1985) - Frank Walker * '' Big Trouble'' (1986) - Dr. Lopez * '' Betrayed'' (1988) - Sam Kraus * ''

'' (1989) - Frank Walker * ''

Animal Behavior Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objectiv ...

'' (1989) - Doctor Parrish * ''

The Lemon Sisters ''The Lemon Sisters'' is a 1990 American comedy-drama film from Miramax Films directed by Joyce Chopra and written by Jeremy Pikser. The film stars Diane Keaton, Carol Kane and Kathryn Grody. The film was both a commercial and critical failure af ...

'' (1990) - Nicholas Panas * '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' (1990) - Dijon (voice) * ''

'' (1990) - Sidney * ''

The Bonfire of the Vanities ''The Bonfire of the Vanities'' is a 1987 novel by Tom Wolfe. The story is a drama about ambition, racism, social class, politics, and greed in 1980s New York City, and centers on three main characters: WASP bond trader Sherman McCoy, Jewish as ...

'' (1990) - Ed Rifkin * ''

Nell Nell is a traditional nickname for Eleanor. Nell is the name of: People Given name * Nell (artist) (born 1975), Australian artist * Nell Blaine (1922–1996), American painter * Nell Bryden (born 1977), American singer * Nell Carter (1948–2003), ...

'' (1994) - Alexander Paley * ''Cultivating Charlie'' (1994) - Glosser * ''

'' (1998) - Rabbi Gelb (uncredited) * ''

Telling You ''Telling You'', also known as ''Love Sucks'', is a 1998 romantic comedy film directed by Robert DeFranco and starring Peter Facinelli, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Matthew Lillard, and Dash Mihok. It was distributed by Miramax. Its filming location fin ...

'' (1998) - Mr. P * '' The 4th Tenor'' (2002) - Vincenzo * ''

Grilled Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat a ...

'' (2006) - Rabbi Silver * '' Everybody Wants to Be Italian'' (2007) - Papa Aldo Tempesti * ''

A Grandpa for Christmas ''A Grandpa for Christmas'' is a 2007 American made-for-television comedy-drama film starring Ernest Borgnine and Juliette Goglia. It premiered on Hallmark Channel on November 24, 2007. Plot Bert (Ernest Borgnine) is a retired Hollywood actor who ...

'' (2007) - Karl Sugarman * ''

'' (2011) - Fisherman * ''How to Become an Outlaw'' (2014) - Judge

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Libertini, Richard 1933 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Italian descent Deaths from cancer in California Emerson College alumni Male actors from Cambridge, Massachusetts