She was 85.. Dom DeLuise, the portly actor-comedian whose affable nature made him a popular character actor for decades with movie and TV audiences as well as directors and fellow actors, has died. Watch an impromptu performance by Dom DeLuise . "[17] Mel Brooks also made a statement to the same paper, telling them that DeLuise "created so much joy and laughter on the set that you couldnt get your work done. Writer-director-actor Mel Brooks particularly admired DeLuise's talent for offbeat comedy and cast him in several of his films, including "The Twelve Chairs," 'Blazing Saddles," 'Silent Movie," 'History of the World Part I" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." For years, he resisted the efforts of family members and doctors who tried to put him on various diets. His roles later evolved to more films and TV projects like "NCIS," "CSI: Miami," "Monk," and a host of others. While appearing in the lighthearted summer stock spoof "Summer & Smirk" in Provincetown, Massachusetts, Dom met fellow performer Carol Arthur (ne Carol Arata). He also wrote Charlie the Caterpillar, The Pouch Potato and other books for children. On a positive note, this passion for food actually fed into a more lucrative sideline -- as a respected chef and culinary author ("Eat This" and "Eat This Too") in which he appeared all over the tube cooking and demonstrating his favorite recipes. No details were immediately available. Dom DeLuise -- comedian, actor, chef -- passed away Monday night at the age of 75. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He also started making noise on the off-Broadway scene. Carol Arthur, the widow of comedian Dom DeLuise who appeared in Blazing Saddles and four other Mel Brooks films and on Broadway opposite Dick Van Dyke and Lauren Bacall, has died. He was. [1] His first steady gig was as an intern at the Cleveland Play House, 1952-54, as stage manager and actor. The two married a year later and shared three sons . competition, Senate committee narrowly defeats bill responding to drag show at South Dakota State University. DeLuise's introduction to acting came at age 8 when he played the title role of Peter Rabbit in a school play. Dom DeLuise at Spago Restaurant in Hollywood on September 28, 1987 | Photo: Getty Images Advertisement True to life, Dom played a sympathetic kiddie show host in the moving TV-movie Happy (1983). ", "I worked two years solidly on plays and moving furniture and painting scenery and playing parts," he remarked in a 2006 interview. It's a sad day. Its a sad day. In 1991, he told CNN's Larry King that after meeting Luciano Pavarotti while working on an opera, he realized he needed to try to shed some of his weight. DeLuise invoked everything from fussy mannerisms to broad ethnic caricatures to get laughs, but seemed especially happy to make fun of himself, as he did as Pizza the Hutt in Brooks' 1987 film Spaceballs. display: block; With Reynolds, DeLuise appeared in Smokey and the Bandit II, The Cannonball Run, Cannonball Run II, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and The End. In the latter, DeLuise had a field day playing a frenzied schizophrenic. DeLuise was also the voice of Pizza the Hutt in Brooks' "Star Wars" parody, "Spaceballs. More outlandish musical roles came his way in the early 1960s with "Little Mary Sunshine" (as Corporal Billy Jester) and "The Student Gypsy, or the Prince of Liederkrantz" (his Broadway debut as Muffin T. Raggamuffin). (1968), he proved a delight as an inept, dim-witted spy in the Doris Day caper The Glass Bottom Boat (1966).Mel Brooks first cast Dom as the miserly Russian Orthodox priest, Father Fyodor, in his film The Twelve Chairs (1970), and found plenty of room for the comedian after that -- as campy director Buddy Bizarre in Blazing Saddles (1974), the silly-ass director's assistant in Silent Movie (1976), Emperor Nero in History of the World: Part I (1981), the voice of the cheese-oozing Pizza the Hutt in the "Star Wars" parody Spaceballs (1987), and as Sherwood Forest's very own puffy-cheeked Godfather, Don Giovanni, in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993).A very close friend of action star Burt Reynolds, Dom romped through a number of Reynolds' freewheeling films as well, including Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). } His appearances on the hit comedy-variety program brought offers from Hollywood, and DeLuise first came to the attention of movie goers in "Fail Safe," a drama starring Henry Fonda. That appearance helped pave the way for his becoming a regular on The Entertainers, a short-lived variety show starring Carol Burnett, Caterina Valente and Bob Newhart that ran on CBS from 1964 to 65. He is often identified for his work in the films of Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder, as well as a series of collaborations and appearances with Burt Reynolds. He was 75. That decision failed to expunge the idea of being a comedian from his head and heart, however, and that determination finally prevailed.Dom's formative years as an actor were spent apprenticing at the Cleveland Playhouse, where which he gamely played roles in everything from contemporary shows like "Guys and Dolls" and "Stalag 17" to classics like "The School for Scandal" and even "Hamlet." )[citation needed], In 1968, DeLuise hosted his own hour-long comedy variety series for CBS, The Dom DeLuise Show. It was my hardest role to date. He was 75. Acting called him back, however, and he found work at the Cleveland Playhouse, appearing in stage productions that ranged from comedies such as "Kiss Me Kate" to Shakespeare's "Hamlet. Dom DeLuise, a pudgy actor whose manic grin and air of desperation added comic bounce to films like The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles and Cannonball Run, died Monday in Los Angeles. I will miss him very much. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. DeLuise also starred in and directed the 1979 comedy Hot Stuff, and he starred in Fatso, a 1980 comedy-drama written and directed by Brooks wife, actress Anne Bancroft. "As you get older and start to lose people you love, you think about it more and I was dreading this moment. Peter and David, and three grandchildren. He was the husband of actress Carol Arthur from 1965 until his death in 2009. He was born Dominick DeLuise in New York City on Aug. 1, 1933, to Italian immigrants. [14][15] They married in 1965 and had three sons, all of whom are actors: Peter, Michael, and David DeLuise. Peter DeLuise is best known for co-starring with Johnny Depp on 21 Jump Street, which also featured Michael DeLuise. "I finally became powerless over food," he told King. He broke into show business in the late 1950s in parts like Tinker the Toymaker in the daytime television show Tinkers Workshop. (The shows creator and first host, Bob Keeshan, had gone on to create and star in Captain Kangaroo.) He then made regular appearances on The Shari Lewis Show as a bumbling private eye. A talented amateur chef, he began doing cooking demonstrations on television and wrote several cookbooks, including, Eat This . An avid cook and author of several books on cooking, he appeared as a regular contributor to a syndicated home improvement radio show, On The House with The Carey Brothers, giving listeners tips on culinary topics. Dom DeLuise, the mirthful, moon-faced comic actor who provided frequent comedic support in television variety shows of the 1960s and 70s and in movies starring Mel Brooks and Burt Reynolds, has died. Dom DeLuise, the jovial comic who enlivened . DeLuise died Monday night, son Michael DeLuise told KTLA-TV and radio station KNX on Tuesday. Here is a look into his spotlight life and how his sons are carrying on his legacy. DeLuise was appearing on Broadway in "Here's Love" in the early 1960s when Garry Moore saw him and hired him to play the magician "Dominick the Great" on "The Garry Moore Show.". The son of Italian immigrants, DeLuise was born Aug. 1, 1933. . He was 75. I was allowed to ad-lib a great deal with Dean., In a golfing sketch with Martin and Bing Crosby, DeLuise played their loud, bad-joke-spouting caddie who arrives at a tee in a golf cart topped with a colorful umbrella: Im sorry Im late, he said. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znsZYcEdlGc, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpNMYntemw4, Marjorie Taylor Greens call for national divorce (basically civil war) gets backing of Foxs Hannity, ANNOUNCING TMV CAPSULE MOVIE AND BOOK REVIEWS. He was surrounded by his family, including his wife, Carol Arthur, and three sons. "He loves to pick up a broken chair and fix it.". (1980) (although Dom was arguably the best thing in it), Loose Cannons (1990), in which he appeared as portly pornographer Harry "The Hippo" Gutterman, Driving Me Crazy (1991), which filmed far away in Germany, and The Silence of the Hams (1994), a parody on the horror genre in which he played Dr. He went on to graduate from New York City's famed School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. and 1997's "Eat This Too! He was 75.Often working with Burt Reynolds or Mel Brooks, the bearded, roly-poly actor was known for a sharp, distinctive, almost howling laugh that fills the outtakes reel of Cannonball Run a testament to the joyous time he had with Reynolds. DeLuise was also the voice of Pizza the Hutt in Brooks' "Star Wars" parody, "Spaceballs. Mr. DeLuise, the willfully goofy star of numerous comedies like "Blazing Saddles" and "The Muppet Movie," died Monday after a long illness, Michael DeLuise said. Publicist Jay Schwartz did not disclose the cause of death, but DeLuise, 75, had been battling cancer for more than a year. Dom DeLuise, the portly actor-comedian whose affable nature made him a popular character actor for decades with movie and TV audiences as well as directors and fellow actors, has died. For years he resisted the efforts of family members and doctors who tried to put him on various diets. This, however, complicated his marriage at the time because he stayed 1,078 miles away from his new wife, causing a strain on their relationship. He had his own summer replacement show in 1968 and was a regular on Glen Campbell's "Goodtime Hour" in 1971-72. DeLuise died in Southern California on Monday, May 4, 2009, according to his son, Michael DeLuise. 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