VINCENT SCHIAVELLI

“Who is he?” I hear you ask. Well, one glance at his photo and you should be able to place him. He was one of that breed of actors who you frequently see in TV shows or movies, but whose name you never knew. I was saddened to read on Boxing Day, of his death. He was one of those people often refered to as a ‘character’ actor. This usually means that they look a little unusual and consequently often play ‘kooky’ or ‘weird’ people. His distinctive droopy eyes and large expanse of forehead were the trademarks that led to him appearing in many TV shows and movies.

Although the occasion of his untimely death is my prime motivation for including him here, Vincent fulfilled my criteria for a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER. Whenever I saw him in a film I always warmed to his character, whether playing a good or bad character, one could not fail to be drawn in by the melancholic look in his eyes.

In addition, his success as an actor emphasises the fact that in a performance the WHOLE TEAM OF PLAYERS is important to the finished product. Nowhere is this more in evidence than in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest’ where his role as one of the patients is almost as memorable as Jack Nicholson’s.

He always looked INTERESTING. Whatever character he played, I wanted to get to know him better. I EMPATHISED with him, no matter what role I saw him play. His unusual looks, whilst being the reason he played such roles, will also have prevented him from earning the mega-bucks his talents deserved.

I particularly liked the fact that whenever I saw him in any film I was keenly interested in his character. No matter how melancholic he was, his character seemed to attract one's attention. In 1972 his character in "The Corner Bar" was the first sustained gay part ever played on US TV. Furthermore, his role alongside Andy Kaufman in "Taxi" was also noteworthy and resulted in him playing a role in “Man on the Moon” the biopic of Kaufman’s life.

A man with many strings to his bow, he received a great deal of praise for his cookery books and won an award for his writing on the topic. His grandfather was a cook for an Italian baron prior to his emigration to the United States.

He never forgot his roots, having been brought up by his Italian grandfather and having returned to his spiritual and familial homeland of Sicily in recent years, it was there that he passed away on Boxing Day 2005.

It is clear from the photos one sees of him with other, better known actors, that he was well liked and respected by his peers. I think we could all learn a great deal from the way that this much under-rated man lived his life. The mayor of his adopted home village described him as "a great friend, a great chef and a great talker. With a smooth, witty conversation, he would make everything look more colourful. I've lost a brother." If you have a dry eye after reading that then you are made of stern stuff!

A SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER for sure – here’s to you Vincent, you’ll be missed.