Louis Guss (January 4, 1918 – September 29, 2008) was an American

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

with a long line of screen credits, having appeared in hundreds of TV series, feature films and stage productions, specializing in blue-collar ethnic roles, over a five decade career. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Don Zaluchi in ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, ...

'' (1972),

Joseph Magliocco Joseph Magliocco (born Giuseppe Magliocco; ; June 29, 1898 – December 28, 1963), also known as "Joe Malayak" and "Joe Evil Eye", was an Italian-born New York mobster and the boss of the Profaci crime family (later to become the Colombo cri ...

in '' Crazy Joe'' (1974), Raymond Capomaggi in ''

Moonstruck ''Moonstruck'' is a 1987 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and co-produced by Norman Jewison, written by John Patrick Shanley, and starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis, and Vincent Gardenia. The film follows Lor ...

'' (1987), Nathan Grodner in ''

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"), spe ...

'' (2000), and Jerry "the Hammer" Fungo in '' The Crew'' (2000). His last role was in

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award: four for Best Director for ''12 Angry Men'' (1957), ''Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), ''Network'' (1976), ...

's ''

Find Me Guilty ''Find Me Guilty'' is a 2006 American courtroom comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Sidney Lumet. The film is based on the true story of the longest Mafia trial in American history. Much of the courtroom testimony was taken from the orig ...

'' in 2006.

Death

Guss died at the age of 90 in 2008 from natural causes.

Partial filmography

*''

Love with the Proper Stranger ''Love with the Proper Stranger'' is a 1963 American romantic comedy-drama film made by Pakula- Mulligan Productions and Boardwalk Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and produced by Alan J. Paku ...

'' (1963) - Flooey (uncredited) *''

'' (1972) - Don Zaluchi (uncredited) *'' The Laughing Policeman'' (1973) - Gus Niles *'' Crazy Joe'' (1974) - Magliocco *''

The Super Cops ''The Super Cops'' is a 1974 action adventure film directed by Gordon Parks and starring Ron Leibman and David Selby. The film is based on the book ''The Super Cops: The True Story of the Cops Called Batman and Robin'' by L. H. Whittemore. The ...

'' (1974) - Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited) *''

Harry and Tonto ''Harry and Tonto'' is a 1974 road movie written by Paul Mazursky and Josh Greenfeld and directed by Mazursky. It features Art Carney as Harry in an Oscar-winning performance. Tonto is his pet cat. Plot Harry Coombes (Art Carney) is an elderly wi ...

'' (1974) - Dominic *'' Lepke'' (1975) - Max Rubin *''

Lucky Lady ''Lucky Lady'' is a 1975 American comedy-drama film directed by Stanley Donen and starring Liza Minnelli, Gene Hackman, Burt Reynolds and Robby Benson. Its story takes place in 1930 during Prohibition in the United States. The film is notable fo ...

'' (1975) - Bernie *''

No Deposit, No Return ''No Deposit, No Return'' is a 1976 American crime comedy film directed by Norman Tokar and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The film was written by Arthur Alsberg and Don Nelson, and stars David Niven, Darren McGavin, Don Knotts, Herschel Be ...

'' (1976) - Freddie *''

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

'' (1976) - Dinsdale *'' Fun with Dick and Jane'' (1977) - Phone Co. Customer *''

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) - Frankie Harte Band Member *''

H.O.T.S. ''H.O.T.S.'' is a 1979 sex comedy. The film stars three ''Playboy'' Playmates — Susan Kiger (January 1977), Pamela Bryant (April, 1978), and Sandy Johnson (June, 1974), as well as former Miss USA of 1972, Lindsay Bloom, sexploitation actr ...

'' (1979) - Bugs Benny *''

Willie & Phil ''Willie & Phil'' is a 1980 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Mazursky and starring Michael Ontkean, Margot Kidder, and Ray Sharkey. Plot The film is set in late 1970s New York City, amidst the counterculture chic of that e ...

'' (1980) - Mr. D'Amico *'' Highlander'' (1986) - Newsvendor *''Sno-Line'' (1986) - Gus *'' Seize the Day'' (1986) - Rubin *'' Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter'' (1986) - Grandpa Ragon *''

'' (1987) - Raymond Cappomaggi *''

American Blue Note ''American Blue Note'' is a 1989 drama film directed by Ralph Toporoff, who wrote the screenplay with Gilbert Girion. It stars Peter MacNicol, Carl Capotorto, Tim Guinee Timothy S. Guinee (born November 18, 1962) is an American stage, televisi ...

'' (1989) - Abe Katz *''

Slaves of New York ''Slaves of New York'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama Merchant Ivory Productions film. Directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, it stars Bernadette Peters, Adam Coleman Howard, Chris Sarandon, Mary Beth Hurt, Mercedes Ruehl, Ma ...

'' (1989) - Vardig *''

Used People ''Used People'' is a 1992 romantic comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron. The film stars Shirley MacLaine, Marcello Mastroianni, Bob Dishy, Kathy Bates, Marcia Gay Harden, Jessica Tandy, Doris Roberts and Joe Pantoliano. The screenplay by Todd Gra ...

'' (1992) - Uncle Normy *''

The Cemetery Club ''The Cemetery Club'' is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Bill Duke. The film stars Olympia Dukakis, Ellen Burstyn, Diane Ladd and Danny Aiello. Jerry Orbach and Lee Richardson appear in a brief prologue sequence. Plot Based on the pla ...

'' (1993) - Ed Bonfigliano *''

Night Falls on Manhattan ''Night Falls on Manhattan'' is a 1996 American crime drama film written and directed by Sidney Lumet based on the novel ''Tainted Evidence'' by Robert Daley. The film centers on a newly elected district attorney played by Andy García, who is e ...

'' (1996) - Court Clerk *''

A Wake in Providence ''A Wake in Providence'' (also titled ''Almost Married'') is a 1999 American independent comedy film that is the directorial debut of Rosario Roveto Jr. It stars Vincent Pagano, who also co-wrote the screenplay, and Victoria Rowell. Premise When ...

'' (1999) - Uncle Guy *''

Two Family House ''Two Family House'' is a 2000 American film produced by Alan Klingenstein, based on the story of the uncle of the film's writer and director Raymond De Felitta (''Café Society'').Girlfight ''Girlfight'' is a 2000 American sports drama film written and directed by Karyn Kusama and starring Michelle Rodriguez in both of their film debuts. It follows Diana Guzman, a troubled teenager from Brooklyn who decides to channel her aggressio ...

'' (2000) - Don *''

'' (2000) - Nathan Grodner *''Pedestrian'' (2000) *'' The Crew'' (2000) - Jerry 'The Hammer' Fungo *''A Tale of Two Pizzas'' (2003) - Emilio *''

'' (2006) - Court Clerk (final film role)

References

External links

* * * 1918 births 2008 deaths Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male television actors American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors {{US-film-actor-1910s-stub