Celebrity Biographies
Alex Rocco
Although with a long career in film and television, always with small roles, his name is forever linked to the first installment of “The Godfather”, where he played the gangster Moe Green. The actor has died of cancer at the age of 79.
Alex Rocco, although he adopted such a stage name, and was already born in the United States, never renounced his Italian roots, also betrayed by his real name, Alexander Federico Petricone. In his youth, he moved in gangster circles in Boston, his name is mentioned as linked to the Winter Hill Gang. According to mafia experts, Petricone was arrested during the investigation into the murder of Bernie McLaughlin, but would be released without charge. The experience probably helped him to distance himself from any practice that could be considered criminal, although his contacts helped him to document future films with content linked to the underworld: thus, he helped Robert Mitchum in this regard in the film The Confidant, in which he himself acted. Although without a doubt, the role linked to the mob for which he will always be remembered is that of a casino owner in The Godfather , his Moe Greene murdered while receiving a massage, with the emblematic shot of his glasses. More recent tapes that also depict this world of crime, and in which he participated, are Hot Aces and Find Me Guilty .
Regardless, Rocco’s acting career didn’t happen overnight. When he decided to leave the Boston area and move to Los Angeles, he would have to work as a bartender at a bar. But he wanted to be an actor, and he would be given lessons by Dr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy , who came from Boston and took the young man under his wing, and also led him to another teacher, Jeff Corey .
That he was not classified as a gangster is shown by other films, such as Tom Hanks ‘ directorial debut , The Wonders , or the comedy Planes de boda . On television he came to have a leading role in the seventies series Three on the road , where he played a recent widower who traveled with his two children to better connect with them after the death of his wife and mother. He also moved into the world of animation, voicing him in the Pixar film A Bug ‘s Life, and in The Simpsons to Roger Meyers Jr., the head of Itchy and Scratchy studios.
The Godfather was always his calling card anyway , as evidenced by his parody ad for the 2008 Audi R8.
He was married to Sandra Elaine for 60 years, until her death from cancer, with whom he adopted a son and had a daughter; and he remarried Shannon Wilcox in 2015.