Profile Text
Birth Name: Abraham Vigoda
Date of Birth: February 24, 1921
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Death: January 26, 2016
Place of Death: Woodland Park, New Jersey, U.S.
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish
Abe Vigoda was an American actor. He was known for playing Det. Phil Fish on the shows Barney Miller and Fish , and for his roles in the films The Godfather , and its sequel; The Don Is Dead , Newman’s Law , The Cheap Detective , Cannonball Run II , Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter , Plain Clothes (1988), Look Who’s Talking , Prancer , Keaton’s Cop , Joe Versus the Volcano , Fist of Honor , Batman: Mask of the Phantasm , Sugar Hill , North (1994), Home of Angels , Jury Duty (1995), Love Is All There Is , Underworld (1996), Good Burger , A Brooklyn State of Mind , Chump Change , and Crime Spree ; on the shows Dark Shadows , Toma , The Rockford Files , and Manhattan, AZ ; and in the made-for-tv movies The Devil’s Daughter , The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd , Death Car on the Freeway , The Big Stuffed Dog , and Witness to the Mob .
He was the son of Lena (Moses) and Samuel Vigoda, a tailor. His parents were Jewish emigrants from Russia/Poland. His father was born in Ostroleka, Ostrołęka County, Masovian Voivodeship. His brother was comic book artist Bill Vigoda, who drew for Archie Comics . Abe served in WWII.
Abe was married to Beatrice Schy, until her death. He had a daughter with his former wife Sonja Gohlke.
Abe’s paternal grandfather was named William Wolf David Vogoda/Vigoda (the son of Ploni Almoni Vigoda).
Abe’s paternal grandmother was Tobia Sklovitz (the daughter of Harry Louis Label Sklovitz and Miriam Peltz).
Source: Genealogy of Abe Vigoda (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com