Alex Rocco facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alex Rocco
Rocco in 1990
Born	Alessandro Federico Petricone Jr. (1936-02-29)February 29, 1936 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	July 18, 2015(2015-07-18) (aged 79) Studio City, California, U.S.
Other names	Alexander F. Petricone
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1965–2015
Spouse(s)	Grace Petricone (m. 19??; div. 19??) Sandra Elaine Garrett ​ ​ (m. 1964; died 2002)​ Shannon Wilcox ​ (m. 2005)​
Children	4

Alex Rocco (born Alessandro Federico Petricone Jr.; February 29, 1936 – July 18, 2015) was an American actor. He was known for his unique, deep voice. He often played tough characters in movies and TV shows. Some of his most famous roles include Moe Greene in The Godfather (1972). He also won an Primetime Emmy Award for his role in The Famous Teddy Z. Later in his career, Rocco did a lot of voice-over work for animated shows.

Early Life

Alex Rocco was born as Alessandro Federico Petricone, Jr. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1936. He grew up in a nearby town called Somerville. His mother, Mary, was an Italian immigrant. His father, Alessandro Sam Petricone, was from Gaeta, Italy. Rocco served in the California Army National Guard during the Korean War.

Acting Career

After some time, Alex Rocco moved to California. He started taking acting lessons from actor Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy, who was also from Boston, helped Rocco change his strong Boston accent. Rocco worked hard on his speech. He soon began working in the film industry. He chose the name "Alex Rocco" after seeing it on a bakery truck.

His very first movie role was in Motorpsycho! in 1965.

Famous Roles

In 1972, Rocco played Moe Greene in Coppola's movie The Godfather. Moe Greene was a Las Vegas casino owner in the story. That same year, Rocco played a bank robber in the film The Friends of Eddie Coyle.

In 1975, Rocco starred in the CBS drama series Three for the Road. He played Pete Karras, a father who was also a writer and photographer. He traveled across the United States with his two sons in a recreational vehicle. In the 1980s TV series The Facts of Life, Rocco played Charlie Polniaczek. He was the father of the character Jo.

In 1989, he played Gus Keller in the movie Dream a Little Dream. From 1989 to 1990, Rocco was a regular on the TV comedy series The Famous Teddy Z. He played Al Floss, a Hollywood talent agent. He won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for this role in 1990.

In 1995, Rocco appeared in the movie Get Shorty. He played Jimmy Cap, a tough Miami boss. In 1997, he was on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement for a special Thanksgiving episode.

Voice Acting and Later Work

In the 1996 film That Thing You Do!, Rocco had a small but memorable part. He played Sol Siler, who started Playtone Records. He also appeared as Salvatore in the 2001 film The Wedding Planner.

Rocco had a regular voiceover role in The Simpsons. He was the voice of Roger Meyers Jr., the head of Itchy and Scratchy Studios. He was very thankful for this first voiceover role. He also did voice work for Family Guy and the 1998 Disney/Pixar film A Bug's Life. He called A Bug's Life his "greatest prize in life."

In 2008, Rocco was in a Super Bowl commercial for the Audi R8 car. The commercial was inspired by The Godfather movie. He also appeared in the Starz TV series Magic City. His last role was in the BBC2 TV series Episodes. He played the father of Matt LeBlanc's character.

Personal Life and Family

After moving to Los Angeles, Alex Rocco became a member of the Baháʼí Faith. He appeared in several projects related to this religion. He even thanked Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, in his Emmy Award speech.

Alex Rocco was married twice. His first marriage was to Grace Petricone. They had one daughter named Maryann.

He later married Sandra Elaine Rocco in 1964. He adopted her son, Marc King, who became known as Marc Rocco. Marc later became a film producer and director. Alex and Sandra also had two children together, a daughter named Jennifer and a son named Lucien. Sandra Rocco passed away from cancer when she was 59 years old.

Alex Rocco married Shannon Wilcox in 2005.

Alex Rocco passed away on July 18, 2015. He was 79 years old. He died from pancreatic cancer at his home in Studio City.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Alex Rocco para niños