Nicholas Colasanto: Difference between revisions
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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Colasanto was best known for his role as [[Coach Ernie Pantusso]] on the sitcom ''[[Cheers]]''. He also appeared in feature films, including ''[[Fat City (1972 film)|Fat City]]'', ''[[Family Plot]]'', and |
Colasanto was best known for his role as [[Coach Ernie Pantusso]] on the sitcom ''[[Cheers]]''. He also appeared in feature films, including ''[[Fat City (1972 film)|Fat City]]'', ''[[Family Plot]]'', and .<ref name=LAT>Jones, Jack. "N. Colasanto; Played Coach Role in 'Cheers'." [[Los Angeles Times]], 13 Feb. 1985. Web. 27 Dec. 2011. <http://articles.latimes.com/1985-02-13/news/mn-4540_1_heart-ailment>.</ref> |
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Colasanto attended [[Bryant University]], now located in [[Smithfield, Rhode Island]], and was a decorated veteran of [[World War II]].{{citation needed|date=December 2011}} After 20 years of [[alcoholism]], |
Colasanto attended [[Bryant University]], now located in [[Smithfield, Rhode Island]], and was a decorated veteran of [[World War II]].{{citation needed|date=December 2011}} After 20 years of [[alcoholism]], he bwecame an active member of [[Alcoholics Anonymous]] and became sober in 1976.<ref name=alcoholism>Holsopple, Barbara. "`Cheers' pays tribute to `Coach'." ''[[The Pittsburgh Press]]'' [Pittsburgh, PA] 14 Feb 1985: B12. ''Google News''. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. <http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6kkcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FmIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5807%2C6547332>.</ref> An in-demand director, he had been diagnosed with heart disease in the mid-1970s, which was exacerbated by his alcoholism. He began having trouble securing directing jobs by the end of the 1970s due to his declining health. His last major film role was that of mob boss Tommy Como in ''[[Raging Bull]]''. |
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Colasanto was prepared to retire when the role of [[Coach Ernie Pantusso]] was offered to him on ''Cheers''. Coach would become Colasanto's best known role,. |
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==Death== |
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==Ill health and death== |
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Colasanto's health had seriously deteriorated by the third season of ''Cheers''. He had lost weight and had kept th severity of his illness a secret from his castmates. Shortly after the [[Christams]] holiday in 1984, he was admitted to a local hospital due to water on his lungs. Co-star [[Ted Danson]] later commented that the veteran actor difficulty remembering his lines during production of what would be Colasanto's final appearance ("Teacher's Pet"). |
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Though released from the hospital, Colasanto was not cleared to return to work; as such, the show's producers could not let him participate in filming the third season finale episode, "Rescue Me." |
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| ⚫ | died of a heart attack at his home on February 12, 1985 at the age of 61.<ref name=LAT/><ref name=EW>Keets, Heather. "Coach's Last Call." ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' 11 Feb. 1994. Web. 27 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,301061,00.html></ref> Colasanto's character was written out of the show as also having passed away. Colasanto's character was written out of the show as also having passed away. The fourth season premiere episode, "Birth, Death, Love and Rice", dealt with Coach's death as well as introducing Colasanto's replacement, [[Woody Harrelson]].<ref name=EW/> |
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Colsanto is buried in |
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==References== |
==References== |
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*{{cite book|title=Toasting Cheers: An Episode Guide, 1982–1993|author=Bjorklund, Dennis A.|pages=34–38|year=1997|publisher=McFarland & Co|location=[[Jefferson, North Carolina]]|isbn=978-0899509624}} |
*{{cite book|title=Toasting Cheers: An Episode Guide, 1982–1993|author=Bjorklund, Dennis A.|pages=34–38|year=1997|publisher=McFarland & Co|location=[[Jefferson, North Carolina]]|isbn=978-0899509624}} |
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* Evory, Ann. ''Contemporary Newsmakers: 1985 Cumulation''. [[Detroit]]: [[Gale Research Company]], 1986. Print. ISBN 978-0810322011. |
* Evory, Ann. ''Contemporary Newsmakers: 1985 Cumulation''. [[Detroit]]: [[Gale Research Company]], 1986. Print. ISBN 978-0810322011. |
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*{{cite book|title=The Show Must Go On: How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series|author=Snauffer, Douglas|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7864-3295-0|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina}} |
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*{{cite news|title= Nick Colasanto Dead at 61; Played Bartender in 'Cheers'|work= The New York Times|date=February 14, 1985|url= http://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/14/arts/nick-colasanto-dead-at-61-played-bartender-in-cheers.html?scp=2&sq=Nicholas%20Colasanto&st=cse|accessdate=December 27, 2011}}{{verification needed|date=December 2011}} |
*{{cite news|title= Nick Colasanto Dead at 61; Played Bartender in 'Cheers'|work= The New York Times|date=February 14, 1985|url= http://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/14/arts/nick-colasanto-dead-at-61-played-bartender-in-cheers.html?scp=2&sq=Nicholas%20Colasanto&st=cse|accessdate=December 27, 2011}}{{verification needed|date=December 2011}} |
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Revision as of 23:26, 13 February 2012
Nicholas Colasanto | |
|---|---|
 Colasanto on the set of Cheers | |
| Born | January 19, 1924 |
| Died | February 12, 1985 (aged 61) |
| Occupation | actor |
Nicholas Colasanto (January 19, 1924 - February 12, 1985) was an American actor and television director.
Career
Colasanto was best known for his role as Coach Ernie Pantusso on the sitcom Cheers. He also appeared in feature films, including Fat City, Family Plot, and .[1]
Colasanto attended Bryant University, now located in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and was a decorated veteran of World War II.[citation needed] After 20 years of alcoholism, he bwecame an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous and became sober in 1976.[2] An in-demand director, he had been diagnosed with heart disease in the mid-1970s, which was exacerbated by his alcoholism. He began having trouble securing directing jobs by the end of the 1970s due to his declining health. His last major film role was that of mob boss Tommy Como in Raging Bull.
Colasanto was prepared to retire when the role of Coach Ernie Pantusso was offered to him on Cheers. Coach would become Colasanto's best known role,.
Ill health and death
Colasanto's health had seriously deteriorated by the third season of Cheers. He had lost weight and had kept th severity of his illness a secret from his castmates. Shortly after the Christams holiday in 1984, he was admitted to a local hospital due to water on his lungs. Co-star Ted Danson later commented that the veteran actor difficulty remembering his lines during production of what would be Colasanto's final appearance ("Teacher's Pet").
Though released from the hospital, Colasanto was not cleared to return to work; as such, the show's producers could not let him participate in filming the third season finale episode, "Rescue Me."
died of a heart attack at his home on February 12, 1985 at the age of 61.[1][3] Colasanto's character was written out of the show as also having passed away. Colasanto's character was written out of the show as also having passed away. The fourth season premiere episode, "Birth, Death, Love and Rice", dealt with Coach's death as well as introducing Colasanto's replacement, Woody Harrelson.[3]
Colsanto is buried in
References
- ^ a b Jones, Jack. "N. Colasanto; Played Coach Role in 'Cheers'." Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 1985. Web. 27 Dec. 2011. <http://articles.latimes.com/1985-02-13/news/mn-4540_1_heart-ailment>.
- ^ Holsopple, Barbara. "`Cheers' pays tribute to `Coach'." The Pittsburgh Press [Pittsburgh, PA] 14 Feb 1985: B12. Google News. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. <http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6kkcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FmIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5807%2C6547332>.
- ^ a b Keets, Heather. "Coach's Last Call." Entertainment Weekly 11 Feb. 1994. Web. 27 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,301061,00.html>
Further reading
- Bjorklund, Dennis A. (1997). Toasting Cheers: An Episode Guide, 1982–1993. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. pp. 34–38. ISBN 978-0899509624.
- Evory, Ann. Contemporary Newsmakers: 1985 Cumulation. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1986. Print. ISBN 978-0810322011.
- "Nick Colasanto Dead at 61; Played Bartender in 'Cheers'". The New York Times. February 14, 1985. Retrieved December 27, 2011.[verification needed]
External links
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