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Gabriel Dell (born Gabriel Marcel Dell Vecchio; October 8, 1919 – July 3, 1988) was an American actor and one of the members of what came to be known as the Dead End Kids, then later the East Side Kids and finally The Bowery Boys.[1]
Gabriel Dell | |
|---|---|
 Dell as Harry Grant in The Corner Bar, 1972. | |
| Born | Gabriel Marcel Dell Vecchio October 8, 1919 New York City, US |
| Died | July 3, 1988 (aged 68) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1934–1982 |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara Dell (m. 19??; div. 1953) Viola Essen (m. 19??; div. 19??) |
| Children | 1 |
Acting career
editBorn in New York City,[2] Dell almost made his stage debut a few years before Dead End when he and his sister were slated for roles in The Good Earth with Alla Nazimova and Claude Rains. Dell served in the United States Merchant Marine during World War II. He appeared in numerous films as a Dead End Kid/East Side Kid/Bowery Boy. In the 1944 East Side Kids film Million Dollar Kid, Dell appeared as a criminal villain, pitted against the boys, who gets brought to justice in the end.
Dell appeared in the play The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, written by Lorraine Hansberry. The production opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on October 15, 1964, and was directed by Peter Kass. Jack Blackman designed scenery, Jules Fisher designed lighting, and Fred Voelpel designed costumes. The original cast featured Dell as Sidney Brustein and Rita Moreno as Iris Parodus Brustein. The play received mixed reviews and closed on January 10, 1965.
Dell starred in Lamppost Reunion as Fred Santora, which opened October 16, 1975. As a result of this performance, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
His other non-Dead End Kids/Bowery Boys films included The 300 Year Weekend (1971), Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971), Earthquake (1974), and Framed (1975). He also appeared in The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery (1975), and The Escape Artist (1982). Dell also made several appearances on television shows during the 1960s and 1970s. including Ben Casey, The Fugitive, Mannix, Then Came Bronson, I Dream of Jeannie, McCloud, Sanford and Son, and Barney Miller.
According to differing sources, either Don Francks,[3] Charles Bronson, or Dell[4] was the uncredited actor providing the voice of Boba Fett, a Mandalorian bounty hunter, in the Star Wars Holiday Special.
Death
editDell died in North Hollywood of leukemia in 1988 at age 68.
Film
editFilm
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Armstrong Circle Theatre | Howard Mukluk Brown | Episode: "Operation Deep Freeze: Crash of the Otter" |
| 1956-1960 | The Steve Allen Plymouth Show | Various roles | 41 episodes |
| 1963 | Naked City | Willie Corbin | Episode: "Man Without a Skin" |
| 1965 | Ben Casey | Michael M. Francini | Episode: "Francini? Who is Francini?" |
| 1967 | The Fugitive | Chester | Episode: "There Goes the Ball Game" |
| 1967 | Mannix | Alan Brewer | Episode: "Coffin for a Clown" |
| 1969 | The Governor and J.J. | Dr, Apthecker | Episode: "Cat on a Hot Tin Mansion" |
| 1969 | Then Came Bronson | Russ Faber | Episode: "Old Tigers Never Die--They Just Run Away" |
| 1969 | CBS Playhouse | Mickey | Episode: "Sadbird" |
| 1970 | I Dream of Jeannie | Arvel | Episode: "My Master, the Chili King" |
| 1971 | The Name of the Game | Rocco Amato | Episode: "Appointment in Palermo" |
| 1971 | McCloud | Ira Mastin | Episode: "Somebody's Out to Get Jennie" |
| 1972 | Cutter | Leone | TV film |
| 1972 | The Corner Bar | Harry Grant | 10 Episodes |
| 1972-73 | Sanford and Son | Gunman / Leader | 2 episodes |
| 1972 | Banyon | Sam Whitney | Episode: "Meal Ticket" |
| 1973 | Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law | Matt Hanks | Episode: "An Often and Familiar Ghost" |
| 1974 | Nakia | Archie McIntosh | Episode: "No Place to Hide" |
| 1975 | Barney Miller | Al Shreiber | Episode: "Vigilante" |
| 1976 | Risko | Joe Risko | TV film |
| 1976 | Switch | Tony Adams | Episode: "The Things That Belong to Mickey Costello" |
| 1976 | Doc | Lindstrom | Episode: "The Westside Clinic and Deli" |
| 1977 | Serpico | Shotness | Episode: "Sanctuary" |
| 1977 | Star Wars Holiday Special | Boba Fett (voice) | TV special |
| 1977 | A Year at the Top | Frederick J. Hanover | Main cast |
| 1979 | Legends of the Superheroes | Mordru | 2 episodes |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Bennetts, Leslie (July 7, 1988). "Gabriel Dell, 68, a Dead End Kid On Broadway and in Many Films". The New York Times.
- ^ Fisher, James (2011). Historical Dictionary of Contemporary American Theater: 1930-2010. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810879508. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ Britt, Ryan (November 17, 2016). "38 Years Ago Today, Boba Fett Was Spotted for the First Time". Inverse. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ Archived from the original on May 26, 2018.