George DiCenzo
George DiCenzo | |
|---|---|
 DiCenzo in 2007 | |
| Born | George Ralph DiCenzo April 21, 1940 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | (aged 70) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1970–2006 |
| Spouse |
Donna Artz-DiCenzo (m. 1999) |
George Ralph DiCenzo (April 21, 1940 – August 9, 2010) was an American actor, and one-time associate producer for Dark Shadows. He was in the show business for over 30 years, with extensive film, TV, stage, and commercial credits.[1] DiCenzo notably played Marty's grandfather Sam Baines in the film Back to the Future. He also had a minor role in William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist III.
Life and career
[edit]DiCenzo was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He appeared in more than 30 feature films, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Choirboys (1977), The Frisco Kid (1979), The Ninth Configuration (1980), Back to the Future (1985), About Last Night (1986), Walk Like a Man (1987), The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988), 18 Again! (1988), Sing (1989) and The Exorcist III (1990).
He appeared in Hotel, directed by Mike Figgis, and Tempted, directed by Bill Bennett. He also played the late baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti in the television film Hustle about disgraced baseball great Pete Rose. In 2002 George played Ennio Salieri in the 2002 video game Mafia. George also provided the voice for Earnest Kelly in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
In 1976, he appeared in the CBS television film Helter Skelter as prosecuting attorney Vincent Bugliosi. In the 1981–82 television season, DiCenzo was a regular on McClain's Law, with James Arness and Marshall Colt, starting with the television film McClain's Law, structured as the series' pilot. He appeared in the 1977 miniseries Aspen, the 1980 television film The Night the City Screamed, and made regular appearances on Murder, She Wrote, Law & Order and NYPD Blue.
His own series included Equal Justice and Joe's Life in the early and mid-1990s. He appeared as a guest star in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Semi-Professional". In the early 1990s, DiCenzo appeared on Broadway with Nathan Lane in On Borrowed Time.
DiCenzo's voice can be heard in commercials, audiobooks, and cartoon series. His roles in the latter include the title character in BlackStar (1981), Hordak in She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985–1986), and Captain America in Spider-Man (1981) and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981–1983). He was an acting teacher in New York City and Philadelphia for several years. He apprenticed under his mentor Milton Katselas at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.[2]
Death
[edit]DiCenzo died of sepsis on August 9, 2010, at the age of 70.[3] He was buried in the North and Southampton Churchyard at Churchville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | House of Dark Shadows | Deputy | Uncredited |
| 1971 | Going Home | Sergeant | |
| 1972 | Across 110th Street | Patrolman | |
| 1974 | Shoot It Black, Shoot It Blue | George | |
| 1975 | The Swiss Family Robinson | Suramin | |
| 1975 | Las Vegas Lady | Eversull | |
| 1977 | Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Major Benchley | |
| 1977 | The Choirboys | Lieutenant Grimsley | |
| 1979 | The Frisco Kid | Darryl Diggs | |
| 1980 | The Ninth Configuration | Captain Fairbanks | |
| 1981 | Gangster Wars | Arnold Rothstein | |
| 1981 | McClain's Law | Lieutenant DeNisco | |
| 1983 | Breach of Contract | ||
| 1985 | The Secret of the Sword | Hordak (voice) | [4] |
| 1985 | Back to the Future | Sam Baines | |
| 1986 | The Longshot | DeFranco | |
| 1986 | About Last Night | Mr. Favio | |
| 1986 | Omega Syndrome | Philadelphia 'Phil' Horton | |
| 1987 | Walk Like a Man | Bob (Bub) Downs | |
| 1988 | The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking | Mr. Blackhart | |
| 1988 | 18 Again! | Coach | |
| 1989 | Sing | Mr. Marowitz | |
| 1989 | Face of the Enemy | James Wald | |
| 1990 | The Exorcist III | Stedman | |
| 1992 | Gypsy Eyes | Wyden | |
| 1997 | Lesser Prophets | Jerry | |
| 1998 | Illuminata | Jailor | |
| 2000 | It Had to Be You | Mel | |
| 2001 | Tempted | Byron Blades | |
| 2001 | Hotel | Boris | |
| 2004 | Stateside | Detective #2 | |
| 2006 | A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints | Uncle George | (final film role) |
Television
[edit] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Ironside | Joe | Episode: "Another Shell Game" |
| 1973 | Ironside | Paul Benson | Episode: "Downhill All the Way" |
| 1973 | Gunsmoke | Newt | Episode: "Susan Was Evil" |
| 1974 | Barnaby Jones | Sy Landau | Episode: "Foul Play" |
| 1974 | Kung Fu | Jesse | Episode: "The Predators" |
| 1974 | The Rockford Files | Harry Stoner | Episode: "Tall Woman in Red Wagon" |
| 1975 | Gunsmoke | Mr. Bruce | Episode: "The Fires of Ignorance" |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T. | Owings | Episode: "Sole Survivor" |
| 1975 | Kojak | Harry Ferguson | Episode: "Be Careful What You Pray For" |
| 1976 | Helter Skelter | Vincent Bugliosi | Television film |
| 1977 | Aspen | Abe Singer | 3 episodes |
| 1977–1980 | Hawaii Five-O | Len Sessup, Alika Kalei, Yuri Bloch | 3 episodes |
| 1979 | The Waltons | Calvin Satterfield | 2 episodes |
| 1981 | BlackStar | John Blackstar (voice) | 13 episodes[4] |
| 1981 | McClain's Law | Lt. DeNisco | Television film |
| 1981–1982 | McClain's Law | Lt. DeNisco | 15 episode |
| 1981–1983 | Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends | Captain America, Cyclops, additional voices | 24 episodes |
| 1982 | Spider-Man | Captain America (voice) | Episode: "The Capture of Captain America" |
| 1984 | Magnum, P.I. | M. Barry Aldridge | Episode: "Blind Justice" |
| 1985–1986 | She-Ra: Princess of Power | Hordak, Bow, additional voices | 93 episodes |
| 1987 | The Equalizer | Frank Dorgan | Episode: "Memories of Manon" |
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Bruno Dominic | Episode: "A Dance on the Dark Side" |
| 1980 | The Night the City Screamed | Cliff Barrankos | Television film |
| 1990–1991 | Equal Justice | D.A. Arnold Bach | 26 episodes |
| 1991 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Fashion | Albert Nardone | Television film |
| 1991 | In the Heat of the Night | Ramon Palez | Episode: "A Woman Much Admired" |
| 1992 | Law & Order | Eddie Palmieri | Episode: "The Working Stiff" |
| 1993–1994 | Batman: The Animated Series | Ubu (voice) | 2 episodes[4] |
| 1993 | Joe's Life | Stan Gennaro | 11 episodes |
| 1993 | Animaniacs | Commandant (voice) | Episode: "Puttin' on the Blitz"[4] |
| 1995–1996 | NYPD Blue | Pete Russell | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Law & Order | Sam "Bunny" Russo | Episode: "Barter" |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Judge Raoul Sabatelli | Episode: "Semi-Professional" |
| 2004 | Hustle | A. Bartlett Giamatti | Television film |
Video games
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Mafia | Ennio Salieri | [4] |
| 2002 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Earnest Kelly | [4] |
References
[edit]- ^ Naedele, Walter F. (August 22, 2010). "A longtime TV talent, in roles big and small". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ Abrams, Rachel (August 11, 2010). "Character actor George DiCenzo dies / Thesp portrayed prosecutor in 'Helter Skelter'". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "George Ralph DiCenzo, of Washington Crossing". Bucks Local News. Digital First Media. August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "George DiCenzo (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 24, 2025. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
