Tony Lo Bianco
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Anthony LoBianco (born October 19, 1936) is an Italian-American film, stage, and television actor. Born to first-generation
Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...
parents in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, Lo Bianco began his career in theater, and appeared in several
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
productions throughout the 1960s. He transitioned to film in the 1970s, starring in the
New Hollywood The New Hollywood, also known as American New Wave or Hollywood Renaissance, was a movement in American film history from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, when a new generation of young filmmakers came to prominence. They influenced the types o ...
crime films ''
The Honeymoon Killers ''The Honeymoon Killers'' is a 1970 American crime film written and directed by Leonard Kastle, and starring Shirley Stoler and Tony Lo Bianco. Its plot follows a sullen, overweight nurse who is seduced by a con man, with whom she embarks on a ...
'' (1970), '' The French Connection'' (1971), and ''
The Seven-Ups ''The Seven-Ups'' is a 1973 American neo-noir mystery action film produced and directed by Philip D'Antoni. It stars Roy Scheider as a crusading policeman who is the leader of the Seven-Ups, a squad of plainclothes officers who use dirty, unortho ...
'' (1973). He won an
Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...
for his 1975 role in an
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 ...
production of ''Yanks-3, Detroit-0, Top of the Seventh'', and subsequently earned a
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
nomination for Best Actor for his role as Eddie in the 1983 Broadway revival of
Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...
's ''
A View from the Bridge ''A View from the Bridge'' is a play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was first staged on September 29, 1955, as a one-act verse drama with ''A Memory of Two Mondays'' at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway. The run was unsuccessful, and M ...
''. In addition to film and theater, Lo Bianco appeared as a guest-star on numerous television series throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including appearances on '' Police Story'' (1974–1976),
Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...
's miniseries ''
Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
'' (1977), and ''
Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...
'' (1982). In 1984, he appeared in a stage production of ''Hizzoner!'', playing New York politician
Fiorello LaGuardia Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City from ...
, for which he won a New York Emmy Award. The one-man play was subsequently staged on Broadway in 1989, and Lo Bianco has gone on to perform several other Off-Broadway iterations of it, including ''LaGuardia'' (2008) and ''The Little Flower'' (2012–2015).


Early life

The son of Sicilian immigrants, Anthony LoBianco was born October 19, 1936 in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, the son of a housewife mother and a taxi driver father. He attended the
William E. Grady CTE High School William E. Grady Career and Technical Education High School is a public, Career and Technical Education (CTE) high school located at 25 Brighton 4th Road, Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York, USA. It is a part of region 7 in the New York City Depart ...
, a
vocational school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...
in Brooklyn. There, he had a teacher who encouraged him to try out for plays, which is when he began to develop an interest in acting. After graduating high school, he attended the
Dramatic Workshop Dramatic Workshop was the name of a drama and acting school associated with the New School for Social Research in New York City. It was launched in 1940 by German expatriate stage director Erwin Piscator. Among the faculty were Lee Strasberg and Ste ...
, studying acting and theater production.


Career

Lo Bianco was a
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and also founded the Triangle Theatre in 1963, serving as its artistic director for six years and collaborating with lighting designer
Jules Fisher Jules Fisher (born November 12, 1937) is an American lighting designer and producer. He is credited with lighting designs for more than 300 productions over the course of his 50-year career in Broadway and off-Broadway shows, as well extensive ...
, playwright Jason Miller and actor
Roy Scheider Roy Richard Scheider (; November 10, 1932 – February 10, 2008) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", he gained fame for his leading and supporting ...
. He performed as an
understudy In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to ap ...
in a 1964
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
production of ''
Incident at Vichy ''Incident at Vichy'' is a one-act play written in 1964 by American dramatist Arthur Miller. It depicts a group of men who have been detained in Vichy France in 1942; they are being held for their "racial" inspection by German military officer ...
'', and the following year had a supporting role in a Broadway production of ''
Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...
''. From late 1965 through the spring of 1966, he starred on Broadway as Fray Marcos de Nizza in ''
The Royal Hunt of the Sun ''The Royal Hunt of the Sun'' is a 1964 play by Peter Shaffer that dramatizes the relation of two worlds entering in a conflict by portraying two characters: Atahuallpa Inca and Francisco Pizarro. Performance history Premiere ''The Royal Hunt ...
''. He made his film debut in ''The Sex Perils of Paulette'' (1965) before appearing as a murderer in the semi-biographical crime film ''
The Honeymoon Killers ''The Honeymoon Killers'' is a 1970 American crime film written and directed by Leonard Kastle, and starring Shirley Stoler and Tony Lo Bianco. Its plot follows a sullen, overweight nurse who is seduced by a con man, with whom she embarks on a ...
'' (1970). He subsequently appeared as Salvatore Boca in
William Friedkin William "Billy" Friedkin (born August 29, 1935)Biskind, p. 200. is an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in t ...
's critically acclaimed action film '' The French Connection'' (1971), and later starred as a police officer investigating a series of murders in
Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American screenwriter, producer, and director of film and television, best known as an author of horror and science fiction films — often containing police procedural and ...
's horror film ''
God Told Me To ''God Told Me To'' (released in some theatrical markets as ''Demon'') is a 1976 science fiction horror film written, directed, and produced by Larry Cohen. Like many of Cohen's films, it is shot on location in New York City and incorporates aspe ...
'' (1976). From 1974–1976, Lo Bianco played a lead role in six episodes of Joseph Wambaugh's anthology television series '' Police Story'' in the mid-1970s, four times alongside
Don Meredith Joseph "Dandy" Don Meredith (April 10, 1938 – December 5, 2010) was an American football quarterback, sports commentator, and actor. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career (1960–1968) with the Dallas Cowboys of the Na ...
. He also appeared in several Italian films, including the
Lee Van Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, partic ...
-starring crime comedy ''
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony ''Mean Frank and Crazy Tony'' ( it, Il suo nome faceva tremare...Interpol in allarme or it, Dio, sei proprio un padreterno!) is a 1973 crime-comedy film directed by Michele Lupo, and starring Lee Van Cleef, Tony Lo Bianco and Edwige Fenech. Pl ...
'' (1973). In 1975, Lo Bianco won an
Obie The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...
award for his off-Broadway performance as Duke Bronkowski in the baseball-themed play ''Yanks-3, Detroit-0, Top of the Seventh''. In 1983, Lo Bianco was nominated for a
Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
for his portrayal of Eddie Carbone in
Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...
's ''
A View from the Bridge ''A View from the Bridge'' is a play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was first staged on September 29, 1955, as a one-act verse drama with ''A Memory of Two Mondays'' at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway. The run was unsuccessful, and M ...
''. He also won the 1983 Outer Critics Circle Award for this performance. In 1984, he had a supporting role in the action comedy ''
City Heat ''City Heat'' is a 1984 American buddy-crime-comedy film starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, written by Blake Edwards, and directed by Richard Benjamin. The film was released in North America in December 1984. The pairing of Eastwood and R ...
'', opposite
Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...
and
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...
. Lo Bianco first portrayed the larger-than-life mayor of New York City
Fiorello H. La Guardia Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City fro ...
(mayor from 1933–45) in the one-man show ''Hizzoner!'', written in 1984 by
Paul Shyre Paul Shyre (8 March 1926–19 November 1989) was an American director and playwright who received a Special Tony Award and won a Regional Emmy Award.Haymer, Johnny (21 November 1989) ''The Washington Post'' page B-7 He is noted for the plays ...
. Lo Bianco won a local
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
for the WNET Public Television version of the play, which was filmed at the Empire State Institute for the Performing Arts in Albany. The play was subsequently staged on Broadway in 1989, where it ran for 12 performances. Lo Bianco appeared in several independent films in the 1990s, and in 1995 appeared as
Jimmy Jacobs Christopher Scoville (born February 17, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He was recently signed to Impact Wrestling as a member of the creative team and producer. He is best known for his 1 ...
in the
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biographical film ''
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'', followed by a minor role in ''
Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
'', directed by
Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sc ...
. Lo Bianco continued his work on the life of LaGuardia in a revised revival of the play in 2008, titled ''LaGuardia.'' His third incantation of the mayor's life that had a limited run off Broadway in October 2012, titled ''The Little Flower''. Lo Bianco has rewritten the play several times, which he purchased from Shyre's estate, and he views it as "a vehicle to express my concerns for the public and the political mess that we're in, which we continue to be in I think, and try to relate answers to failure." He performed it in
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shortly before the fall of the Soviet Union, and in 2015 was scheduled to perform it in Italy. The show was staged at
LaGuardia Community College LaGuardia Community College is a public community college in New York City. It is in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in and part of the City University of New York. LaGuardia is named after former congressman and New York City mayor ...
in May 2015. A ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' profile in 2015 reported that Lo Bianco was at work on a one-man show playing himself and a film script about his early life.


Personal life

Lo Bianco was previously the national spokesperson for the
Order Sons of Italy in America The Order Sons of Italy in America ( it, Ordine Figli d’Italia in America, OSIA) is the largest and the oldest Italian American Benefit society, fraternal organization in the United States. A similar organization exists in Canada. It has more ...
. His humanitarian efforts have earned multiple awards, including Man of the Year for Outstanding Contributions to the Italian-American Community from the Police Society of New Jersey; a Man of the Year Award from the State of New Jersey Senate; a Lifetime Entertainment Award from the Columbus Day Parade Committee; the 1997 Golden Lion Award; Humanitarian Award of the Boys' Town of Italy.Program, White Barn Theatre production of THE CONFESSION OF MANY STRANGERS, 1997 Lo Bianco was married from 1964 until 1984 to Dora Landey. They had three daughters. He was married to Elizabeth Fitzpatrick from 2002 until 2008. He married his current wife, Alyse Best Muldoon, in June 2015.


Filmography


Film


Television


Partial stage credits


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lo Bianco, Tony 1936 births American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Living people Male actors from New York City American people of Italian descent People from Brooklyn