Elliot Harvey Atkin (18 December 1942 – 18 July 2017) was a Canadian actor best known for his roles as Morty Melnick in ''

Meatballs A meatball is ground meat rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many type ...

'', Sergeant Ronald Coleman in ''

Cagney & Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...

'', and for voicing

King Koopa , or King Koopa, is a fictional character, the primary antagonist in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, and the arch-nemesis of Mario. In Japan, the character bears the title of . Bowser is the leader of the turtle-like Koopa race. Despite ...

in ''

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' is an American live-action/animated television series airing from September 4 to November 30, 1989, on syndication. The series is based on the video games ''Super Mario Bros.'' and ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' by ...

'' and Sam in '' The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police''.

Early life

Atkin was born 18 December 1942 in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

to parents of Russian-Jewish descent. He developed his interest in acting while a student at Northview Heights Secondary School by performing in a high school production of

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier ...

's one-act play ''The Rope'', for which he won an award at the Simpson's Drama Festival. Atkin initially worked at his father's construction company. He then became a real estate agent, eventually transitioning to acting in commercials.

Career

Atkin played Morty Melnick in the comedy film ''

'' (1979), for which performance he earned a

Genie Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic mytho ...

nomination. Atkin had a role in

William Fruet William Fruet (born January 1, 1933) is a Canadian film and television director, playwright and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut with the drama '' Wedding in White'' (1972), based on a play he had also written. The film won Best Picture ...

's horror film ''

Funeral Home A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary, is a business that provides burial and funeral services for the dead and their families. These services may include a prepared wake and funeral, and the provision of a chapel for the funeral. Services ...

'' (1980), as well as the role of Sam in '' The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police'', and also played

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

's and

Luigi is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario, Nintendo's masc ...

's archenemy

DiC Entertainment DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions), branded as The Incredible World of DIC, was an international film and television production comp ...

's cartoon version of ''

Super Mario Bros. is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for th ...

'' (notably, he was the first English voice actor for the character). Playing Koopa in all three Mario animated series, he was the only voice actor to appear in all three series as the same character. He voiced Mr. Mushnik on '' Little Shop'', loosely based on the movie '' Little Shop of Horrors''. He also played characters in other series such as ''

Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, ...

'', '' Bad Dog'' and '' Ruby Gloom''. Atkin appeared in more than 75 films and on many television series. He did voice-over work in approximately 3,000 television and radio commercials, notably for the Leon's Furniture chain, for which he won three Clio Awards. He appeared in 95 episodes of ''

'' as Sergeant Ronald Coleman. Atkin played Judge Alan Ridenour in a recurring role on the television drama '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', a role he also played in '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and ''

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 was the voice-over in

Leon's Leon's Furniture Ltd. () (Meubles Léon Limité in Quebec) is a Canadian furniture retailer which first opened its store in 1909 in Welland, Ontario. The controlling interest in the company is owned by the Leon family, while some shares are tra ...

and "Buy Israel Bonds" commercials in Canada. He also made a cameo playing a bus driver in the classic film ''

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

'' (1980) starring

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

, and was the voice for Morty in the television series ''

Jacob Two-Two ''Jacob Two-Two'' is a series of children's books written by Canadian author Mordecai Richler: ''Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang'' (1975), ''Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur'' (1987) and ''Jacob Two-Two's First Spy Case'' (1995) written by Mor ...

''. He made a guest appearance in 2010 as a rabbi on the CBC Television series ''

18 to Life ''18 to Life'' is a Canadian sitcom television series that debuted on January 4, 2010, on CBC. The series is shown in Quebec on Vrak.TV with the title ''Majeurs et mariés''. Synopsis The show stars Stacey Farber and Michael Seater as Jessie H ...

''.

Personal life

Atkin married Celia Tessler in 1963. Together they had two children, and went on to become grandparents to five.

Death

Atkin died of a

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seco ...

on 18 July 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, at the age of 74.

Legacy

A re-animated version of the ''Super Mario World'' episode "Mama Luigi", commissioned and directed by animation artist Andrew Dickman within a year with over 227 animators and artists participating, was dedicated to Atkin alongside

Tony Rosato Antonio Rosato (26 December 1954 – 10 January 2017) was an Italian-Canadian actor and comedian, who appeared in television and films. He was best known as a cast member on both '' SCTV'' and '' Saturday Night Live'', and for voicing Luigi in ' ...

(Luigi) who died earlier that year on 10 January. The video was released on 29 August 2017.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkin, Harvey 1942 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian people of Russian-Jewish descent Jewish Canadian male actors Male actors from Toronto Deaths from brain cancer in Canada