Jon Polito wasn’t often the leading man, but he was famous for stealing scenes. The beloved actor of stage and screen has died at age 65, according to director John McNaughton, who previously worked with his “dear friend” on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street. No cause of death is known at this point, but we will update accordingly with new information, including tributes from his friends and peers.
Polito’s acting career began in 1981 with the miniseries The Gangster Chronicles, on which he played Thomas “Three-Finger Brown” Lucchese, a fitting debut for a man who would go on to play so many memorably slimy and unlikable characters. In fact, he was so good at playing bad people that fans came to love him for it, helping him become one of Hollywood’s classic “that guy” actors. His TV career was filled with supporting roles on celebrated and popular series in the ‘80s, including Miami Vice, The Equalizer, and Crime Story. His early film work, before he became a more established actor in the 1990s, included minor roles in cult classics like C.H.U.D. and The Highlander.
But Polito’s big break came in 1990 with the part of Johnny Caspar in Joel and Ethan Coen’s Miller’s Crossing. The actor would become a regular in their films and his performance as Lou Breeze in Barton Fink (“Blood, sweat, and canvas!”) is as memorable as they come. Even his portrayal of Michael “The Suit” Minelli in the forgettable 1994 superhero farce Blankman made his scenes worth watching. And before he entered the Coen universe, he shined in the ensemble cast of The Freshman as Chuck Greenwald, a dirty Department of Justice agent. We spoke with Polito about that film last year. What stood out was his affection for his work and the good fortune he saw in being able to work with a huge star like Marlon Brando and a rising talent like Matthew Broderick (just as he previously regretted not working more closely with some others). Ironic, of course, because he was certainly on their level in terms of talent and passion.
In recent years, Polito remained one of the hardest-working men in show business, appearing on TV series like Modern Family, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Murder in the First, Castle, and Bunheads, while even offering a taste of that old school gangster vibe as “Lucky” Louie Gianelli on Franklin & Bash. He also provided voice work for Batman: Year One and the Arkham Origins video game.
Of course, Seinfeld fans will remember him fondly for his cameo in “The Reverse Peephole” as Sylvio, the building superintendent with a terrible combover and a real, seething hatred of Newman and fancy boys. We were fortunate enough to speak with Polito about how he landed that role and what it was like appearing on Seinfeld in its final season, and will publish that interview later today.
