Tony Rosato
| Tony Rosato | |
|---|---|
Tony Rosato
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| Born |
Antonio Rosato December 26, 1954 Naples, Italy |
| Died | January 10, 2017 (aged 62) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor |
| Years active | 1980–2017 |
Antonio "Tony" Rosato (December 26, 1954 – January 10, 2017) was a Canadian comedian, actor and voice actor who appeared in television and films in both Canada and the United States.
Rosato was born in Naples, Italy, and came to Canada at age 4. He was raised in Halifax, Ottawa, and Toronto. He graduated from Oakwood Collegiate Institute. He planned to study chiropractic medicine, but dropped out of the University of Toronto after he began doing improv comedy at The Second City.
Rosato first gained attention when he and Robin Duke joined the cast of the first incarnation of SCTV in its final season during the fall of 1980. His most well-known character on the program was the notoriously drunk TV chef Marcello Sebastiani. Rosato then moved with Duke to the cast of Saturday Night Live for the 1981–82 season, becoming the first cast member to be born outside of North America. Following Jean Doumanian's tenure during the sixth season and Dick Ebersol trying to retool the show (and relying on Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo to spice up the sketches), Rosato only appeared on the show for one year before leaving due to differences with Ebersol and an expired contract.
Rosato is one of three SCTV cast members to appear on Saturday Night Live. Celebrities impersonated by Rosato on SCTV include: Lou Costello (whom he also impersonated when he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live), William Conrad, Danny Thomas, Woodstock co-organizer Chip Monck, SNL cast member John Belushi, Tony Orlando and Ella Fitzgerald. His characters on SNL, despite his short tenure, were memorable as well, and included Ed Asner (in character as Lou Grant), Captain Kangaroo, and U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese.
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