Biography
Over a 50-year acting career, Mario Roccuzzo collaborated with Hollywood icons like Fred Astaire, who once unsuccessfully tried to teach him to dance, as well as emerging talents like writer/director Alexander Smith, who cast him in his first film, Bottleworld (2009).
Highly adaptable, Mario moved beyond early '60s typecasting as a 'bad guy' to secure over 250 television roles and 12 film appearances. By the 1970s, he was so recognizable that fans frequently stopped him on the street for autographs, recognizing him from guest spots on their favorite shows.
Born in Boston, Mario grew up watching his parents perform with an Italian repertory company along the New England coast. Rather than deterring him, witnessing rehearsals captivated Mario and solidified his desire to become an actor.
After his father passed away when Mario was ten, his mother moved the family to California. While managing Wallach's Music City during the day, Mario studied acting at night with coaches Jeff Corey and later Corey Allen. Determined to control his destiny, in 1960 Mario boldly entered Columbia Studios and approached director John Frankenheimer, declaring, "I want to audition for you for your next film."
He received a cold reading and won the role of Diavolo in The Young Savages (1961).
That same year, Mario was cast as Nicky on television’s top-rated show, The Untouchables (1959). He continued to play 'bad guy' roles on series like The F.B.I. (1965), Stoney Burke (1962), and Surfside 6 (1960). His versatility, combined with the 1970s shift toward 'anti-hero' characters, led to a variety of roles, including Harold Wagner alongside William Holden in The Blue Knight (1973).
Throughout the 1980s, Mario appeared on nearly every cop show on TV, including Baretta (1975), Barnaby Jones (1973), Barney Miller (1975), Police Story (1973), The Streets of San Francisco (1972), and Hill Street Blues (1981). By the 2000s, his credits expanded to include NYPD Blue (1993) and comedies like Dharma & Greg (1997) and The Drew Carey Show (1995). He also continued acting in films, delighting audiences as Jerry the Bartender opposite Jim Carrey in The Majestic (2001) and as the final customer closing the show in Bottleworld (2009).
Despite an ever-growing list of credits, Mario says, "In my heart of hearts, I love acting just as much as when I first started out.
