Alex Rocco
Highest Rated: 100% The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
Lowest Rated: 4% Wired (1989)
Birthday: Feb 29, 1936
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Prolific, Emmy-winning character actor Alex Rocco lent boisterous joie de vivre to numerous figures on both sides of the law in a four-decade career that included such projects as "The Godfather" (1972), "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" (1973), "The Famous Teddy Z" (CBS, 1989-1990), "The Simpsons" (Fox, 1989- ) and countless others. Born Alessandro Federico Petricone, Jr., on February 29, 1936 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he was raised in the Boston suburb of Somerville by Italian immigrant parents. Rocco was locally infamous before he became famous: he orbited the city's organized crime scene, and began accumulating an arrest record in the late 1950s. In the early 1960s, he was associated with the notorious Winter Hill Gang, and his involvement in a 1961 assault that led to the six-year Irish Mob Wars prompted him to flee Boston for California. There, while tending bar in Santa Monica, he decided to explore acting, and studied with fellow Boston native Leonard Nimoy, who suggested he take speech lessons in order to rid himself of his thick Massachusetts accent. He also shed his last name, adopting Rocco from a company name on a bread truck; under his new moniker, he landed his first role, as a crazed biker in sexploitation legend Russ Meyer's "Motorpsycho!" in 1965. He soon settled into steady work as hoods or cops in projects ranging from Roger Corman's "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" (1967) to Richard Fleischer's "The Boston Strangler" (1968), before earning his breakout role as veteran gangster Moe Green in "The Godfather." Rocco's show-stopping turn as Green, who was based on Bugsy Siegel, among other organized crime figures, boosted his profile from bit player to character actor and occasional star in both studio and independent projects like "Slither" (1972) and the cult favorite "Detroit 9000" (1973). He was still the go-to player for criminal types, most notably in Boston-set "The Friends of Eddie Coyle," where he played bank-robbing gangster Jimmy Scalise. Rocco also acted as the behind-the-scenes connection between star Robert Mitchum and members of the Winter Hill Gang, from whom he wanted to gain perspective on his character. Rocco also worked frequently with actor Alan Arkin, who admired his talent and cast him in several of his projects, including "Hearts of the West" (1975) and Arkin's second directorial effort, "Fire Sale" (1977). The 1980s found Rocco settled into a regular routine of character roles in features and on television series, including repeat turns as Nancy McKeon's father on several episodes of "The Facts of Life" (NBC, 1979-1988). The close of the decade saw Rocco earn an Emmy for his rich turn as fast-talking Hollywood agent Al Floss on Hugh Wilson's short-lived but critically-acclaimed sitcom "The Famous Teddy Z." The win led to a shift in Rocco's career - having spent much of his professional career playing thugs, he now essayed comic roles in films like "Get Shorty" (1996), Tom Hanks' "That Thing You Do" (1997), and in numerous guest shots on TV, including a recurring gig as Roger Meyers, Jr., the boorish creator of the "Itchy & Scratchy" cartoons, on "The Simpsons." Rocco continued to work regularly throughout the 1990s and 2000s, playing boisterous, working-class guys in "The Wedding Planner" (2001) and Sidney Lumet's "Find Me Guilty" (2006) and in recurring roles on "The Division" (Lifetime, 2001-2004) and "Magic City" (Starz, 2012-2013). His final screen role, as an aging Hollywood agent, came on an episode of the cable sitcom "Maron" (IFC 2013-16). Rocco died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 79 on July 18, 2015 in Studio City, California.
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
Movies
| Credit | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9% | 21% | Don't Sleep | Mr. Marino (Character) | - | 2017 |
| No Score Yet | 38% | Silver Skies | Frank (Character) | - | 2014 |
| No Score Yet | 0% | The House Across the Street | Mr. Barnes (Character) | - | 2013 |
| No Score Yet | 25% | And They're Off... | Saul (Character) | - | 2011 |
| 88% | 79% | Batman Year One | Carmine Falcone (Voice) | - | 2011 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Now Here | Mr. Martin (Character) | - | 2010 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Ready or Not | Don Julio (Character) | - | 2009 |
| 62% | 62% | Find Me Guilty | Nick Calabrese (Character) | $1.2M | 2006 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Committed | Unknown (Character) | - | 2005 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Job | Vernon Cray (Character) | - | 2003 |
| 31% | 33% | The Country Bears | Rip Holland (Character) | $17M | 2002 |
| 17% | 59% | The Wedding Planner | Salvatore (Character) | $60.4M | 2001 |
| 16% | 24% | Dudley Do-Right | Kumquat Chief (Character) | $9.8M | 1999 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Sam Churchill: Search for a Homeless Man | Unknown (Character) | - | 1998 |
| 29% | 38% | Goodbye Lover | Det. Crowley (Character) | $1.9M | 1998 |
| 57% | 55% | Just Write | Harold's Father (Character) | - | 1998 |
| 93% | 78% | That Thing You Do! | Sol Siler (Character) | $25.9M | 1996 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Dead of Night | Bukowski (Character) | - | 1996 |
| No Score Yet | 20% | The Spy Within | Bartender (Character) | - | 1995 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Love, Honor & Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage | Uncle Frank (Character) | - | 1993 |
| No Score Yet | 29% | Boris and Natasha | Sheldon Kaufman (Character) | - | 1992 |
| 33% | 48% | The Pope Must Diet | Cardinal Rocco (Character) | $201.1K | 1991 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | An Inconvenient Woman | Stieglitz (Character) | - | 1991 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Quiet Little Neighborhood, a Perfect Little Murder | Det. Locke (Character) | - | 1990 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | How to Murder a Millionaire | Walter (Character) | - | 1990 |
| 4% | 14% | Wired | Arnie Fromson (Character) | $681.1K | 1989 |
| 69% | 69% | Lady in White | Angelo 'Al' Scarlatti (Character) | $282.7K | 1988 |
| No Score Yet | 100% | Rock 'n' Roll Mom | Unknown (Character) | - | 1988 |
| No Score Yet | 18% | Return to Horror High | Harry Sleerik (Character) | - | 1987 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Scenes From the Goldmine | Nathan DiAngelo (Character) | - | 1987 |
| 31% | 53% | Gotcha! | Al (Character) | - | 1985 |
| No Score Yet | 40% | Badge of the Assassin | Detective Bill Butler NYPD (Character) | - | 1985 |
| 64% | 61% | The Entity | Jerry Anderson (Character) | - | 1982 |
| No Score Yet | 81% | P.K. and the Kid | Les (Character) | - | 1982 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The First Time | Jay (Character) | - | 1982 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Nobody's Perfekt | The Boss (Character) | - | 1981 |
| 40% | 37% | Herbie Goes Bananas | Quinn (Character) | - | 1980 |
| 89% | 74% | The Stunt Man | Police Chief Jake (Character) | - | 1980 |
| No Score Yet | 80% | Voices | Frank Rothman (Character) | - | 1979 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank | Ralph Corliss (Character) | - | 1978 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Question of Guilt | Mel Duvall (Character) | - | 1978 |
| No Score Yet | 18% | Rabbit Test | Sergeant Danny Bonhoff (Character) | - | 1978 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | 79 Park Avenue | Frank Millerson (Character) | - | 1977 |
| No Score Yet | 71% | Hustling | Swifty (Character) | - | 1975 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Woman for All Men | Lt. Biase (Character) | - | 1975 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Blue Knight | Unknown (Character) | - | 1975 |
| No Score Yet | 38% | Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins | Vinnie (Character) | - | 1975 |
| 88% | 43% | Hearts of the West | Earl (Character) | - | 1975 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Three for the Road | Pete Karras (Character) | - | 1974 |
| 25% | 65% | Freebie and the Bean | D.A. (Character) | - | 1974 |
| 25% | 49% | Detroit 9000 | Lieutenant Danny Bassett (Character) | $2.1K | 1973 |
| 100% | 88% | The Friends of Eddie Coyle | Jimmy Scalise (Character) | - | 1973 |
| 86% | 55% | Slither | Man with Ice Cream (Character) | - | 1973 |
| 98% | 98% | The Godfather | Moe Greene (Character) | $134.8M | 1972 |
| No Score Yet | 18% | Stanley | Thomkins (Character) | - | 1972 |
| No Score Yet | 33% | Wild Riders | Stick (Character) | - | 1971 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Brute Corps | Wicks (Character) | - | 1971 |
| 67% | 63% | Motorpsycho | Unknown (Character) | - | 1965 |
| No Score Yet | 60% | Motor Psycho | Unknown (Character) | - | 1965 |
TV
| Credit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75% | 84% | Maron | David Rosen (Guest Star) | 2015 |
| 65% | 70% | Magic City |
Arthur Evans (Character), Unknown (Guest Star) |
2012-2013 |
| 51% | 80% | Private Practice | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2012 |
| 93% | 99% | Party Down | Howard Greengold (Guest Star) | 2010 |
| 37% | No Score Yet | The Wedding Bells | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2007 |
| No Score Yet | 80% | ER | Martin Trudeau (Guest Star) | 2005 |
| 15% | No Score Yet | dr. vegas | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2004 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Touched by an Angel | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2003 |
| No Score Yet | 62% | Family Guy | Bea Arthur (Guest Voice) | 2001 1999 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Walker, Texas Ranger | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Practice | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2000 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Family Law | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1999 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Just Shoot Me | Charlie Gold (Guest Star) | 1999 |
| No Score Yet | 75% | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1999 |
| 88% | No Score Yet | Michael Hayes | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1998 |
| No Score Yet | 71% | Home Improvement | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Early Edition | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Goode Behavior | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
| 85% | 76% | The Simpsons | Roger Meyers Jr. (Guest Voice) | 1996-1997 1990 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mad About You | Mel Slotkin (Guest Star) | 1996 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hope & Gloria | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1995 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Partners | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1995 |
| 38% | No Score Yet | Can't Hurry Love | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1995 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Sibs | Howie Ruscio (Character) | 1991-1992 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Famous Teddy Z | Al Floss (Character) | 1989-1990 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Facts of Life | Charlie Polniaczek (Guest Star) | 1985-1988 1983 1981 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hunter | Floyd Benson (Guest Star) | 1987 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hotel | Dan (Guest Star) | 1987 |
| No Score Yet | 94% | The Golden Girls | Glen (Guest Star) | 1985 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Murder, She Wrote | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1985 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The A-Team | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1985 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Simon & Simon | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1982 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | CHiPs | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1980 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Starsky and Hutch | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1977 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Barnaby Jones | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1977 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Ben Selwyn (Guest Star) | 1977 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Tattletales | Guest | 1975 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Cannon |
Walter Koether (Guest Star), Guest |
1975 1972-1973 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Kojak | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1975 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rookies | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1974 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | That Girl | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1970-1971 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Get Smart | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1967 |
| 93% | 79% | Batman | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1967 |
QUOTES FROM Alex Rocco CHARACTERS
Moe Greene says: Yeah, let's talk business, Mike. First of all, you're all done. The Corleone Family don't even have that kind of muscle anymore. The Godfather's sick, right? You're getting chased out of New York by Barzini and the other Families. What do you think is going on here? You think you can come to my hotel and take over? I talked to Barzini - I can make a deal with him, and still keep my hotel!
Moe Greene says: Yeah, let's talk business, Mike. First of all, you're all done. The Corleone Family don't even have that kind of muscle anymore. The Godfather's sick, right? You're getting chased out of New York by Barzini and the other Families. What do you think is going on here? You think you can come to my hotel and take over? I talked to Barzini. I can make a deal with him, and still keep my hotel!
Moe Greene says: Yeah, let's talk business, Mike. First of all, you're all done. The Corleone Family don't even have that kind of muscle anymore. The Godfather's sick, right? You're getting chased out of New York by Barzini and the other Families. What do you think is going on here? You think you can come to my hotel and take over? I talked to Barzini. I can make a deal with him and still keep my hotel!
Moe Greene says: You goddamn guineas you really make me laugh
Moe Greene says: You goddamn guineas you really make me laugh.
Moe Greene says: Yeah, let's talk business, Mike. First of all, you're all done. The Corleone Family don't even have that kind of muscle anymore. The Godfather's sick, right? You're getting chased out of New York by Barzini and the other Families. What do you think is going on here? You think you can come to my hotel and take over? I talked to Barzini - I can make a deal with him, and still keep my hotel!
Clemenza says: Leave the gun, take the cannoli
Moe Greene says: Sonofabitch! Do you know who I am? I'm Moe Greene! I made my bones when you were going out with cheerleaders!
Tom Hagen says: It is a sicillian message it means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes
Moe Greene says: Do you know who I am ? I'm Moe Greene I made My Bones when you were going out with Cheerleaders
Moe Greene says: You know who I am? I'm Moe Greene! I made my bones working hard while you were going out with cheerleaders!
Jonathan Moore says: Jonathan: I thought he was KGB from Russia Al: He's a CPA from Encino... are you Crazy?
Jonathan Moore says: I thought he was KGB from Russia
Al says: He's a CPA from Encino... are you Crazy?
Rip Holland says: I am so back, baby!
Moe Greene says: "Do you know who I am? I'm MOE GREEN. I made my bones when you were still dating cheerleaders!"
Moe Greene says: Do you know who I am? I'm Moe Greene. I made my bones when you were still dating cheerleaders!