Spoiler : Gardenia, Vincent (Vincent Scognamiglio) Born in Naples, Italy 1/7/1921; died 12/9/1992 of a heart attack in a Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania hotel room. Screen debut in Mad Dog Coll (1961). Guest star on many television programs including Gunsmoke for CBS (1955); Naked City for CBS (1959); The Rogues for NBC (1964); The Big Valley for ABC (1965); I Spy for NBC (1965); The Monkees for NBC (1966); The Rat Patrol for ABC (1966); Mission: Impossible for ABC (1966); The Mary Tyler Moore Show for CBS (1976); The Ray Bradbury Theatre for HBO and USA (1990). George Vetter on the CBS-TV soap, The Edge Of Night (1958-?). Guest star on Earplay for National Public Radio (1972?-1990?). Frank Lorenzo on All In The Family for CBS-TV (1973-74). Ray Stohler on Breaking Away for ABC-TV (1980-1981). Murray Melman on L.A. Law for NBC-TV (1990).

Spoiler : Vincent Gardenia (born Vincenzo Scognamiglio; January 7, 1920 – December 9, 1992) was an Italian-American stage, film, and television actor.

Spoiler : He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, first, for Bang the Drum Slowly (1973) and again for Moonstruck (1987).

Spoiler : He also portrayed Det. Frank Ochoa in Death Wish (1974) and its 1982 sequel, as well as Mr. Mushnik in the musical film adaptation of Little Shop of Horrors (1986).

Spoiler : Vincent played a small role in the film The House on 92nd Street and bit parts in other films, including Cop Hater and A View From the Bridge.

Spoiler : His first English-speaking role was in 1955, as a pirate in the Broadway play In April Once.

Spoiler : The following year, at age 36, he appeared as Piggy in his Off-Broadway debut in The Man with the Golden Arm.

Spoiler : He described his role in the film Little Murders as a "turning point".He won Obie Awards in 1960 and 1969.

Spoiler : A life member of The Actors Studio, He won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1972 for his performance in The Prisoner of Second Avenue, opposite Peter Falk.

Spoiler : In 1979, he was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Ballroom.

Spoiler : Gardenia's other notable feature films include Murder Inc. (1960), The Hustler (1961), The Front Page (1974), Greased Lightning (1977) and Heaven Can Wait (1978).

Spoiler : On television, he won the 1990 Emmy Award for his performance in Age-Old Friends, with Hume Cronyn.

Spoiler : Among his best-remembered TV roles is his portrayal of Archie Bunker's neighbor Frank Lorenzo on All in the Family (1973–74) and as J. Edgar Hoover in the miniseries Kennedy (1983).

Spoiler : He also played in an episode of Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea titled "Escape From Venice."

Spoiler : He appeared in the following episode of Radio Mystery Theater

Spoiler : He was also in an iconic series finale. He played the new station owner who fired everyone but Ted on the finale of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show".

Spoiler : Vincent Gardenia played the wife swapper in 1972, and then returned as Frank Lorenzo the following year. He didn't like being tied down to a series, and left after eight episodes. His wife Irene, played by Betty Garrett, stayed in. He did not play Laverne's father. That was Frank Foster. Coincidentally, Laverne's father married Edna Babish, played by Betty Garrett.