LOS ANGELES -- Veteran character actor Jon Polito died of cancer Thursday at the age of 65, and with his passing we lost another key performer from two of the '90s' best cult classics, The Crow and The Big Lebowski.
David Huddleston, the actor who played Jeffrey Lebowski, died just last month, while Crow star Brandon Lee was tragically killed during filming. TMZ reported that Polito fell into a coma on Sunday after being taken off life support.
Polito's friend, frequent Homicide director John McNaughton, shared the news on Facebook. “Very sad to learn that my dear friend and collaborator, Jon Polito, has passed away,” wrote McNaughton. “He appeared in over 100 films, countless TV episodes, and on Broadway,” he added. “Jon was a born actor and will be deeply missed by his legion of friends, fans, family, and of course his long time partner, Darryl Armbruster, to whom I send my condolences. R.I.P. old pal.”
What struck me most about Polito was his versatility. He could play Jerry's grumpy super Silvio on Seinfeld or the gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing, one of a handful of Coen brothers movies in which he appeared along with Barton Fink and The Hudsucker Proxy.
Polito could play both sides of the law -- think Det. Crosetti on Homicide: Life on the Street and the aforementioned gangster in Miller's Crossing -- as well as roles that fell somewhere in between, like the private eye Da Fino in The Big Lebowski.
More recently, Polito appeared in Tim Burton's Big Eyes, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, and Ridley Scott's American Gangster, not to mention The Rocketeer and Highlander.
However, to me, Polito will always be Gideon, the crusty pawn shop dealer who paid the price for buying Eric Draven's fiancee's engagement ring from poor old Tin-Tin before he got himself perished. I leave you with two scenes from that wonderfully prickly performance below. R.I.P, sir.
