R.I.P. Jon Polito

I never knew his name - but I always found his characters enjoyable...

R.I.P. Jon Polito, a favorite of the Coen brothers

Jon Polito, the mustachioed, raspy-voiced character actor who squeezed both humor and surprising pathos from the many mobster and cop roles he played—most memorably for the Coen brothers—has died.

The news was passed along by Polito’s friend, filmmaker John McNaughton, who directed Polito in the early episodes of Homicide: Life On The Street where Polito first earned attention as the pugnacious, philosophical Detective Steve Crosetti, as well as in the anthology series Masters Of Horror. No official cause of death has been given, though Polito was diagnosed with incurable blood cancer in 2010. Polito was 65.

Providing a comprehensive overview of Polito’s incredibly prolific, 35-year career would be an impossible task; his work stretched from off Broadway to Broadway to cop dramas to sitcoms to short films to arthouse indies to big-budget family films to cartoon voiceovers, encompassing more than 200 credits.

(AVClub)

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