Richard Foronjy was a former criminal and prison inmate at Sing Sing and Attica who became a character actor, playing cops and criminals in films like “Carlito’s Way,” “Serpico,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” and “Repo Man.”
- Died: May 19, 2024 (Who else died on May 19?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 86.
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Richard Foronjy’s legacy
Richard Foronjy did not aspire to be an actor. Before he became a regular in movies and on TV, he was a criminal, robbing and stealing on the streets of New York. The Brooklyn native served more than eight years in prison at Sing Sing and Attica after robbing an attorney at gunpoint.
Foronjy served his time, and when he got out, he decided to take acting lessons. After landing an agent, he scored a part in Sidney Lumet’s (1924– 2011) classic crime drama, “Serpico.” Close to 80 roles followed in the decades to come, on both the big screen and small. Foronjy often played criminals, but he just as frequently played cops, his experience with the law allowing him to show both sides of the illicit world. They weren’t always serious roles, either. Foronjy often did comedy.
His notable work includes appearing in films like “Midnight Run,” “Serpico,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” “Repo Man,” “Carlito’s Way,” and “The Jerk.” On television, he was on “Taxi,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “M*A*S*H,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Kojak,” “The Jeffersons,” and many other hits. His 2020 memoir, “From the Mob to the Movies: How I Escaped the Mafia and Landed in Hollywood,” written under the name Richie Salerno, chronicles his life and work.
Notable quote
“When mobsters are your idols, authority from the outside doesn’t mean much.”—Excerpt from “From the Mob to the Movies: How I Escaped the Mafia and Landed in Hollywood”
Tributes to Richard Foronjy
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
