Dom DeLuise tribute from Sunday Morning

Dominick "Dom" DeLuise (August 1, 1933 May 4, 2009) was an American actor, comedian, film director, television producer, chef, and author. He was the husband of actress Carol Arthur, and the father of actor, writer, director Peter DeLuise, and actors David DeLuise and Michael DeLuise.

DeLuise was born in Brooklyn, New York to Italian American parents, Vincenza "Jennie" (née DeStefano), a homemaker, and John DeLuise, a civil servant (garbage collector).

DeLuise graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts. He later attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

DeLuise generally appeared in comedic parts, although an early appearance (in the movie Fail-Safe as a nervous enlisted airman) showed a possible broader range. His first acting credit was as a regular performer in the television show The Entertainers in 1964. In the 1970s and 1980s, he often co-starred with Burt Reynolds; together they appeared in the films The Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II, Smokey and the Bandit II, The End, All Dogs Go to Heaven and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. DeLuise was the host of the television show Candid Camera from 1991 to 1992.

DeLuise also lent his voice for animated films, and was particularly a staple of Don Bluth's features, playing major roles in The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail and All Dogs Go to Heaven, along with their respective sequels and spinoff series. He also lent his voice to the Walt Disney film Oliver & Company, and made guest appearances on several animated TV series.

TV producer Greg Garrison hired DeLuise to appear as a specialty act on the popular Dean Martin show. DeLuise ran through his "Dominick the Great" routine, a riotous example of a magic act gone wrong, with host Martin as a bemused volunteer from the audience. Dom's catch phrase, with an Italian accent, was "No Applause Necessary, Sava to the End." The show went so well that DeLuise was soon a regular on Martin's program, participating in both songs and sketches. Garrison also featured DeLuise in his own hour-long comedy specials for ABC. (Martin was often just off-camera when these were taped, and his distinctive laugh can be heard loud and clear.)

DeLuise was probably best known as a regular in Mel Brooks's films. He appeared in The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, Silent Movie, History of the World, Part I, Spaceballs, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Brooks' late wife, actress Anne Bancroft, directed Dom in Fatso (1980). He also had a cameo in Johnny Dangerously as the Pope, and in Jim Henson's The Muppet Movie as a wayward Hollywood talent agent who comes across Kermit the Frog singing "The Rainbow Connection" in the film's opening scene.

DeLuise exhibited his comedic talents while playing the speaking part of the jailer Frosch in the comedic operetta Die Fledermaus at the Metropolitan Opera. In the production, while the singing was in German, the spoken parts were in English.

An avid cook and author of several books on cooking, in recent years he appeared as a regular contributor to a syndicated home improvement radio show, On The House with The Carey Brothers, giving listeners tips on culinary topics.

He also wrote seven children's books.

DeLuise died surrounded by his wife and three sons on May 4, 2009 at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. He was hospitalized at the time, suffering from kidney failure and respiratory problems following a long battle with cancer.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Dom
• DeLuise
• tribute
• from
• Sunday
• Morning
• Manhattan's
• High
• School
• of
• Performing
• Arts
• Tufts
• University

[taureandoll]

@LoveThatPhantom Blazing Saddles.

[Barclay1987]

What a nice guy!

[LadyBeth24]

I had such a crush on him...I loved him in Fatso..great and funny movie

[BoogsterSU2]

Dominic The Great, Captain Chaos, Barf, Koosy, Itchy, and many others he played a role in. This guy is one true comedian. He's a dead celebrity :(

[Carycomic]

I loved it whenever he appeared on the Dean Martin Show as "Domenic-ah the Great! The world's-ah greatest magician" (or knife-thrower, or whatever Dean was asked to be the "volunteer" for). Lol!

[barryredfield]

"Not in the face!" was a quote from the movie Blazing Saddles, a comedy by Mel Brooks that you should really watch. It's one of my favourite movies.

[oiyabastard]

i just had a thought ,

[LoveThatPhantom]

"Not in the face! ....Thank you." lol. Very funny. What movie was that anyway? Never seen it.

[Angietony]

Buddy Bizarre - I will miss you.

[sfy2004]

he was so funny as the straight man to burt reynolds funny man, he will be missed