Jon Polito
| Jon Polito | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Jon Raymond Polito December 29, 1950 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 1, 2016 (aged 65) Duarte, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Multiple myeloma |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1981–2016 |
| Spouse(s) | Darryl Armbruster (m. 2015; his death 2016) |
| Relatives | Jack Polito (brother) |
| Awards |
Cinequest Film Festival: Maverick Spirit Event Award (2005) HRIFF: Best Actor in a Short Film (2012) |
Jon Raymond Polito (December 29, 1950 – September 1, 2016) was an American actor and voice artist. In a film and television career spanning 35 years he amassed over 220 credits. Notable television roles included Detective Steve Crosetti in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of Crime Story. He also appeared in several films including The Rocketeer, The Crow and Gangster Squad, but was mostly known for his work with the Coen brothers. He appeared in five of their films, including Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink and The Big Lebowski.
Polito was initially reluctant to audition for Homicide as he didn't want to move to Baltimore for the series, having just relocated from New York to Los Angeles. His agents sent him the script anyway, featuring a dialogue scene between a Polish-American and an Irish-American detective. Polito preferred the Irish detective role, but was told that he could only do the Polish one. After reading for the part Polito added a message on his audition tape saying that if the producers wanted to call him back he would only be interested if he could take the part of the Irish detective. Series co-creators Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana rewrote the character as an Italian named Steve Crosetti and cast him in the role. The Polish detective was also rewritten, becoming Detective Meldrick Lewis, and was played by African-American actor Clark Johnson.
The show was rating poorly and the producers were under pressure from NBC to include a new female character (Megan Russert) in the hope of gaining broader appeal. As a result, they decided to write out Polito's character at the end of Season 2. Fontana assured him that he would be brought back later in the season, but Polito was unhappy and criticized the producers publicly, an action he later regretted. The outburst caused a rift with Fontana and the Crosetti character was killed off early in Season 3, with the explanation that the detective had committed suicide. This further infuriated Polito, who again complained to the media, triggering a public slinging match between him and Fontana. Interviewed about the situation in 2005, Polito expressed regret for his handling of the matter. He noted that he and Fontana subsequently patched up their differences, and as a result the Crosetti character returned to make a farewell appearance as a spirit in Homicide: The Movie.
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