Veteran character actor of film and TV, known for his portrayals of edgy characters with gangland or police affiliations. Rocco, who made his debut as a thug getting WHAPPED!! by the caped crusaders on an episode of "Batman", is probably best remembered for his turn as Las Vegas mob boss Moe Green--the one who gets it in the eye during the harrowing and bravura christening sequence--in the gangster epic "The Godfather" (1972). With his set-back eyes and intense presence, Rocco is well suited for screen roles as street toughs and law men. In fact Rocco has called upon memories of Moe Green in several of his roles, notably as the corrupt Cardinal in the lightweight 1991 comedy "The Pope Must Die" (re-titled "The Pope Must Diet" in the US) and as low-level hood "Broadway" Harry Rosetti on the short-lived sitcom "The George Carlin Show" (Fox, 1994). Rocco continues to alternate his time between TV and film.
- Also Credited As:
Alessandro Fedrico Petricone Jr
- Born:
February 29, 1936 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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Job Titles:
Actor, Tour manager, Bartender, Truck driver
Family
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Daughter: Jennifer Rocco.
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Daughter: Maryann Rocco. mother Grace Gaffnet
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Father: Alessandro Petricone.
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Mother: Mary Petricone.
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Son: Lucien Rocco. born c. 1973
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Son: Marc Rocco. born c. 1965; mother Sandra Elaine Garrett
Milestones
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1963 Moved to Los Angeles
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1965 Feature acting debut in Russ Meyer s Motor Psycho
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1965 Professional acting debut as a thug on an episode of Batman (date approximate)
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1972 Cast as Moe Green in The Godfather
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1973 TV-movie debut, Portrait: Legend in Granite: The Vince Lombardi Story
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1975 Starred in the short-lived TV series Three For the Road
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1977 TV miniseries debut, Harold Robbins 79 Park Avenue
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1989 Co-starred in the acclaimed short-lived sitcom, The Famous Teddy Z ; earned Emmy Award
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1991 Cast in the short-lived series Sibs
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1994 Played a regular on the fleeting Fox sitcom The George Carlin Show
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1999 Offered a deadpan turn as the Chief of the Kumquat Nation in Dudley Do-Right
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2006 Played vicious crime boss co-defendant Nick Calabrese in Sidney Lumet s Find Me Guilty starring Vin Diesel
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Had recurring role as Nancy McKeon s father on the sitcom The Facts of Life
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Raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts