Heavyset, bald character player who often sports a distinctive, pencil-thin moustache and is frequently cast as gangsters or cops. Polito appeared on Broadway in "American Buffalo" (1977), "Curse of the Aching Heart" (1982) and the 1984 revival of "Death of a Salesman" (which was broadcast on CBS in 1985) and starred in the original Hartford Stage Company production of "Other People's Money". He made his film debut in "The Killing Hour" (1981) and played Tommy Lucchese on the 1981 TV series "The Gangster Chronicles". Polito is best known for his roles in two films by the Coen brothers: as obsequious yet vicious crime lord Johnny Caspar in "Miller's Crossing" (1990) and as the toadying Lou Breeze in "Barton Fink" (1991).
Education
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Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania
Milestones
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1976 Off-Broadway debut in The Transfiguration of Benno Blimpie
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1977 Broadway debut as understudy to Kenneth McMillan in David Mamet s American Buffalo opposite Robert Duvall
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1981 Film debut, The Killing Hour
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1981 TV series debut, The Gangster Chronicles
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1982 Appeared opposite Faye Dunaway on Broadway in Curse of the Aching Heart
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1994 Acted in The Hudsucker Proxy , directed by the Coen brothers
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1997 Had supporting role in the NBC TV miniseries Robin Cook s Invasion
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1998 Reteamed with the Coens for The Big Lebowski
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2001 Played the editor in chief of the titular newspaper in The Chronicle , a Sci-Fi Channel series
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2002 Co-starred in the ABC drama mystery series Push, Nevada
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Played Crosetti for a time on the NBC police drama series, Homicide: Life on the Street