Actor in ‘Green Book’ found dead on New York City street
Dec 1, 2022, 3:35 PM | Updated: 4:00 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — A man found dead on a New York City sidewalk this week was identified Thursday as Frank Vallelonga Jr., an actor who appeared in the Oscar-winning movie “Green Book.”
Vallelonga, 60, is the son of one-time Copacabana bouncer Frank Vallelonga Sr., known as Tony Lip, who was portrayed by Viggo Mortensen in the 2018 film. Frank Vallelonga Jr. played a relative of Mortensen’s character in the movie, which won the Oscar for best picture.
His unidentified body was discovered early Monday morning in the Bronx after a 911 caller reported seeing it near a factory. Police found no obvious signs of trauma, and the cause of death has not been determined.
Police identified Vallelonga on Thursday and his manager later confirmed he was the actor.
“It’s completely a tragedy and shocking,” said manager Melissa Prophet.
A 35-year-old man was charged with concealment of a human corpse a day after the body was found. The investigation was continuing.
Vallelonga has more than a half-dozen acting credits since 1994, including an appearance on “The Sopranos,” according to the IMDB web site.
“Green Book” was based on a 1962 tour of the South by Black pianist Don Shirley and the elder Vallelonga, who was Shirley’s driver and bodyguard.
The elder Vallelonga later in life became known as an actor and portrayed mob boss Carmine Lupertazzi on “The Sopranos.”
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