Victor Argo (November 5, 1934 – April 7, 2004) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
actor of
Puerto Rican descent who usually played the part of a tough bad guy in his movies. He had a career span of forty years. He is best known for ''
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 ...
'' (1973), ''
Taxi Driver '' (1976), ''
Hot Tomorrows'' (1977), ''
The Last Temptation of Christ'' (1988), ''
King of New York
''King of New York'' is a 1990 neo-noir gangster film directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John. It stars Christopher Walken as a New York City drug kingpin rebuilding his criminal empire after his release from prison, while al ...
'' (1990), and ''
McBain'' (1991).
Early years
Argo was born Victor Jimenez in
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
,
New York. Both of his parents were born in the town of
Quebradillas, Puerto Rico
Quebradillas (, ) is a town and municipality of the island of Puerto Rico located in the north-western shore bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of San Sebastián; east of Isabela; and west of Camuy. Quebradillas is spread over seven barrios and ...
.
[Rotten Tomatoes](_blank)
/ref>
Professional career
Argo began his career as a stage actor. Attempting to break into show business at a time when there was much prejudice against Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
performers Victor professionally adopted the surname "Argo" to better his casting chances, stating in an interview that he "felt the prejudice was against the name, not even against me." While performing 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 ...
play during the 1960s, Argo met Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
, with whom he participated in the so-called "Happening" movement. He also became friends with the then fledgling actor Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with ...
, with whom he remained close for nearly forty years and would act together in several films with. In 1977, Argo became a founding member of the Riverside Shakespeare Company
The Riverside Shakespeare Company of New York City was founded in 1977 as a professional ( AEA) theatre company on the Upper West Side of New York City, by W. Stuart McDowell and Gloria Skurski. Focusing on Shakespeare plays and other classical ...
on New York City's Upper West Side
The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...
. As a member, he toured the parks of Manhattan playing Lord Montague.
In the 1970s, Argo made his film debut with a small part in ''Unholy Rollers
''The Unholy Rollers'' is a 1972 American action comedy film directed by Vernon Zimmerman and starring Claudia Jennings.
Plot
Karen wants more action out of life and quits her job at the cannery to become a skater in the roller derby. She enc ...
'' and his television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
debut in a made-for-TV film ''Smile Jenny, You're Dead''. Often playing the part of the NY 'heavy' or mobster on film, Argo was a favorite of such directors as 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 List of awards and nominatio ...
, Abel Ferrara
Abel Ferrara (born July 19, 1951) is an American filmmaker, known for the provocative and often controversial content in his movies and his use of neo-noir imagery and gritty urban settings. A long-time independent filmmaker, some of his best kn ...
and 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 ...
. His film credits include ''Taxi Driver
''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a decaying and ...
'', ''King of New York
''King of New York'' is a 1990 neo-noir gangster film directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John. It stars Christopher Walken as a New York City drug kingpin rebuilding his criminal empire after his release from prison, while al ...
'', '' The Rose'', ''New York Stories
''New York Stories'' is a 1989 American anthology film consisting of three segments with the central theme being New York City.
The first is ''Life Lessons'', directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Richard Price and starring Nick Nolte. The s ...
'', '' The Last Temptation of Christ'', ''Bad Lieutenant
''Bad Lieutenant'' is a 1992 American neo-noir crime film directed by Abel Ferrara. The film stars Harvey Keitel as the titular "bad lieutenant" as well as Victor Argo and Paul Calderón. The screenplay was co-written by Ferrara with actress-mod ...
'', ''True Romance
''True Romance'' is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, ...
'' and '' Coyote Ugly''. In 2001, he played Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
's father in the romantic drama '' Angel Eyes''. His television guest appearances include ''The Rockford Files
''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator ...
'', ''Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
'', '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', '' Spenser: For Hire'', ''Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' and ''Miami Vice
''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...
''. Argo lent his talents to seventy-five films and twenty-one television guest roles in total.
Besides acting on the stage and screen another deep passion for Argo was country music, the actor at one time even traveling to the country music capital of the world (Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
) to cut several song demos.
Filmography
Among the films in which Argo had a role were the following:
* '' Dealing'' (1972) as 2nd Cuban
* ''Boxcar Bertha
''Boxcar Bertha'' is a 1972 American romantic crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Roger Corman, from a screenplay by Joyce H. Corrington and John William Corrington, Made on a low budget, the film is loose adaptation o ...
'' (1972) as McIver #1
* ''Unholy Rollers
''The Unholy Rollers'' is a 1972 American action comedy film directed by Vernon Zimmerman and starring Claudia Jennings.
Plot
Karen wants more action out of life and quits her job at the cannery to become a skater in the roller derby. She enc ...
'' (1972) as Vinnie The Trainer
* ''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 ...
'' (1973) as Mario
* ''The Don Is Dead
''The Don Is Dead'' is a 1973 American crime film directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Christopher Trumbo, Michael Butler, and Marvin H. Albert, adapted from Albert's novel of the same name. It stars Anthony Quinn, Frederic Forrest, R ...
'' (1973) as Augie 'The Horse'
* ''The Terminal Man
''The Terminal Man'' is a novel by American writer Michael Crichton. It is his second novel under his own name and his twelfth overall, and is about the dangers of mind control. It was published in April 1972, and also serialized in ''Playboy' ...
'' (1974) as Orderly
* ''Taxi Driver
''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a decaying and ...
'' (1976) as Melio, Bodega Clerk
* '' Hot Tomorrows'' (1977) as Tony
* ''Which Way Is Up?
''Which Way is Up?'' is a 1977 American comedy film starring Richard Pryor and directed by Michael Schultz. It is a remake of the 1972 Italian comedy film ''The Seduction of Mimi''. Richard Pryor plays three roles: an orange picker who has two wom ...
'' (1977) as Angel
* '' The Rose'' (1979) as Lockerman
* '' Hanky Panky'' (1982) as Pallbearer
* ''Romando'' (1982) as Don Piri
* ''Falling in Love
Falling in love is the development of strong feelings of attachment and love, usually towards another person.
The term is metaphorical, emphasizing that the process, like the physical act of falling, is sudden, uncontrollable and leaves the ...
'' (1984) as Victor Rawlins
* ''The Electric Chair'' (1985) as Comic
* ''Desperately Seeking Susan
''Desperately Seeking Susan'' is a 1985 American comedy-drama film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn and Madonna. Set in New York City, the plot involves the interaction between two women – a bored housew ...
'' (1985) as Sergeant Taskal
* '' After Hours'' (1985) as Diner Cashier
* '' Off Beat'' (1986) as Leon
* '' Raw Deal'' (1986) as Dangerous Man
* ''Florida Straits
The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait ( es, Estrecho de Florida) is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between th ...
'' (1986) as Pablo Cheruka
* '' The Pick-up Artist'' (1987) as Harris
* '' The Last Temptation of Christ'' (1988) as Peter, Apostle
* ''Her Alibi
''Her Alibi'' is a 1989 American romantic comedy film directed by Bruce Beresford, written by Charlie Peters and starring Tom Selleck, Paulina Porizkova, William Daniels, and James Farentino.
Plot
Phil Blackwood (Selleck) is an American mystery ...
'' (1989) as Avram
* ''New York Stories
''New York Stories'' is a 1989 American anthology film consisting of three segments with the central theme being New York City.
The first is ''Life Lessons'', directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Richard Price and starring Nick Nolte. The s ...
'' (1989) as Cop (segment "Life Lessons")
* ''Crimes and Misdemeanors
''Crimes and Misdemeanors'' is a 1989 American existential comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, who stars alongside Martin Landau, Mia Farrow, Anjelica Huston, Jerry Orbach, Alan Alda, Sam Waterston, and Joanna Gleason.
...
'' (1989) as Detective
* ''King of New York
''King of New York'' is a 1990 neo-noir gangster film directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John. It stars Christopher Walken as a New York City drug kingpin rebuilding his criminal empire after his release from prison, while al ...
'' (1990) as Lieutenant Roy Bishop
* ''Quick Change
''Quick Change'' is a 1990 American crime comedy film directed by Bill Murray and Howard Franklin (in their directorial debuts) and written by Franklin. Based on the novel of the same name by Jay Cronley, the film stars Murray, Geena Davis, Ra ...
'' (1990) as Mike Skelton
* '' McBain'' (1991) as El Presidente
* ''Shadows and Fog
''Shadows and Fog'' is a 1991 American black-and-white comedy film directed by Woody Allen and based on his one-act play ''Death'' (1975). It stars Allen, Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, Kathy Bates, David Ogden Stiers, Jodie Foster, Lily Tomlin, J ...
'' (1991) as Hacker's Vigilante #2
* ''Bad Lieutenant
''Bad Lieutenant'' is a 1992 American neo-noir crime film directed by Abel Ferrara. The film stars Harvey Keitel as the titular "bad lieutenant" as well as Victor Argo and Paul Calderón. The screenplay was co-written by Ferrara with actress-mod ...
'' (1992) as Beat Cop
* ''True Romance
''True Romance'' is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, ...
'' (1993) as Lenny
* '' Dangerous Game'' (1993) as Director of Photography
* ''Household Saints
''Household Saints'' is a 1993 film starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio and Lili Taylor. It is based on the novel by Francine Prose and directed by Nancy Savoca. The film explores the lives of three generations of Italian-American women ov ...
'' (1993) as Lino Falconetti
* ''Men Lie'' (1994) as Scott's Dad
* ''Monkey Trouble
''Monkey Trouble'' is a 1994 American comedy drama film directed by Franco Amurri and starring Thora Birch and Harvey Keitel. Amurri dedicated the film to his daughter Eva and named the film's protagonist after her.
Plot
In Los Angeles, nine-year ...
'' (1994) as Charlie
* '' Somebody to Love'' (1994) as Santa Claus
* ''Smoke
Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product ...
'' (1995) as Vinnie
* ''Blue in the Face
''Blue in the Face'' is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. It stars Harvey Keitel leading an ensemble cast, including Giancarlo Esposito, Roseanne Barr, Michael J. Fox, Lily Tomlin, Victor Argo, Mira Sorvino, Lo ...
'' (1995) as Vinnie
* '' Condition Red'' (1995) as Victor Klein
* '' The Funeral'' (1996) as Julius
* ''Next Stop Wonderland
''Next Stop Wonderland'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Brad Anderson, written by Anderson and Lyn Vaus, and starring Hope Davis and Alan Gelfant. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 1998, where it was n ...
'' (1998) as Frank
* ''Going Nomad'' (1998) as Spiro
* ''Lulu on the Bridge
''Lulu on the Bridge'' is a 1998 American romantic- mystery drama film written and directed by author Paul Auster and starring Harvey Keitel, Mira Sorvino, and Willem Dafoe. The film is about a jazz saxophone player whose life is transformed after ...
'' (1998) as Pierre
* '' Side Streets'' (1998) as Albani Krug
* ''New Rose Hotel
"New Rose Hotel" is a short story by William Gibson, first published in ''Omni (magazine), Omni'' in July 1984 and later included in his 1986 collection ''Burning Chrome (short story collection), Burning Chrome''.
Plot
The story is set in a futu ...
'' (1998) as Portuguese Business Man
* ''Fast Horses'' (1998) as Zack
* ''On the Run
On the Run may refer to:
* "On the run", a phrase often used to describe a fugitive, a person fleeing custody
Literature
* ''On the Run'' (novel), by Nina Bawden
* On the Run (novel series), by Gordon Korman
* ''On the Run'', a novel in the S ...
'' (1999) as Man Shaving
* ''Coming Soon
Come may refer to:
*Comè, a city and commune in Benin
*Come (Tenos), an ancient town on Tenos island, Greece
Music
*Come (American band), an American indie rock band formed in 1990
*Come (UK band), a British noise project founded in 1979
**Come ...
'' (1999) as Mr. Neipris
* '' Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'' (1999) as Vinny
* '' Blue Moon'' (2000) as Tony
* ''The Yards
''The Yards'' is a 2000 American crime film directed by James Gray, written by Gray and Matt Reeves, and starring Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron and James Caan.
Set in the commuter rail yards in New York City ("the yards"), ...
'' (2000) as Paul Lazarides
* '' Fast Food Fast Women'' (2000) as Seymour
* ''Love = (Me)^3'' (2000) as Mr. Carrera
* '' Coyote Ugly'' (2000) as Pete
* '' Double Whammy'' (2001) as Lieutenant Spigot
* '''R Xmas
''R Xmas'' is a 2001 American crime film directed by Abel Ferrara. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. Its release was delayed by StudioCanal but it was eventually released on DVD.
Plot
A New York ...
'' (2001) as Louie
* '' Angel Eyes'' (2001) as Carl Pogue
* ''Queenie in Love'' (2001) as Horace
* ''The Man Who Knew Belle Starr'' (2001) as Diner Owner
* ''Don't Say a Word
''Don't Say a Word'' is a 2001 American psychological thriller film starring Michael Douglas, Brittany Murphy and Sean Bean based on the novel ''Don't Say a Word'' by Andrew Klavan. It was directed by Gary Fleder and written by Anthony Peckh ...
'' (2001) as Syd Simon
* ''Bridget'' (2002) as Grant
* ''Anything But Love'' (2002) as Sal
* ''Dirt'' (2003) as El Gringo Nestor
* ''Personal Sergeant'' (filmed in 2003; released in 2004) as Chuck Manetta
* ''Lustre'' (filmed in 2003; released in 2005) as Hugo (final film role)
Later years
Shortly before his death, Argo realized a lifelong dream of performing on 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 ...
when he was cast as Santiago, the owner of a cigar factory, in the Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
-winning drama ''Anna in the Tropics
''Anna in the Tropics'' is a play by Nilo Cruz. It won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Plot
The play is set in Ybor City, a section of Tampa and the center of the cigar industry. When Cuban immigrants brought the cigar-making industry to F ...
''. In his last on-screen role, in the independent film ''Lustre'' by director Art Jones, Argo portrayed a New York City loan shark who retreats from his everyday, hard-nosed rants to a deeply spiritual disconnect from the world. The film was released in 2005. Argo died 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 ...
at Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center
Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York d/b/a as Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers (Saint Vincent's, or SVCMC) was a healthcare system, anchored by its flagship hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan, locally referred to a ...
on April 7, 2004 from complications of lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
at age 69. His body was donated to Manhattan College for medical science. In 2005, Electronic music group Bodega System released a 12" vinyl LP which includes the track "Victor Argo".
See also
* List of Puerto Ricans
References
External links
*
*
What You Saw Him In (Movie Morlocks on Victor Argo)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argo, Victor
1934 births
2004 deaths
People from the Bronx
Male actors from New York City
American male film actors
American male television actors
Deaths from lung cancer in New York (state)
American people of Puerto Rican descent
American male stage actors
21st-century American male actors
20th-century American male actors