Actor Alex Rocco, best known his role in "The Godfather" as mobster Moe Greene, died Saturday at his home in Studio City, California. He was 79.
His end came in the movie by taking a bullet through the eye.
Rocco studied the acting trade with late "Star Trek" star Leonard Nimoy and he voiced "The Simpsons" character Roger Meyers Jr., the chairman of the studio behind "Itchy and Scratchy,"
noted The Hollywood Reporter which reported his death. In the Starz series "Magic City," he portrayed Arthur Evans, the father of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character.
"For those of us lucky enough to get to know Rocco, we were blessed," said Morgan. "He gave the best advice, told the best and dirtiest jokes and was the first to give you a hug and kiss when it was needed."
Along with the "The Simpsons," Rocco voiced characters in "A Bug's Life" and "Family Guy,"
noted Us Weekly. He won an Emmy Award in 1990 for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for his role as Al Floss in "The Famous Teddy Z."
Rocco said in a 2012 interview with
The AV Club that Al Floss was one of his favorite characters but was disappointed that the television series didn't last an entire season.
"I thought that was gonna be on for 10, 12 seasons," Rocco said about the "The Famous Teddy Z" series. "Out of all you writers, we got 50 rave reviews. Better than 'Cheers,' better than 'Coach,' better than 'The John Larroquette Show.'"
"And we lasted 12 weeks and went down the toilet. They pulled the plug. And I asked the people from CBS, 'Well, what’s that all about?' And they said, 'Well, y'know, sometimes a Hollywood show just doesn’t cut it in the Bible Belt.'"
His daughter Jennifer wrote a tribute to her father on Facebook on Sunday.