Tony Rosato facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tony Rosato
Born	(1954-12-26)26 December 1954 Naples, Campania, Italy
Died	10 January 2017(2017-01-10) (aged 62) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actor, comedian
Years active	1975–2017
Spouse(s)	Leah Murray ​ ​ (m. 2003; div. 2010)​
Children	1

Antonio Rosato (born December 26, 1954 – died January 10, 2017) was a talented actor and comedian from Italy and Canada. He appeared in many TV shows and movies. Tony was famous for being a cast member on two popular comedy shows: SCTV and Saturday Night Live. He was also well-known for being the voice of Luigi in the cartoons The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World.

Tony Rosato's Early Life and Career Start

Tony Rosato was born in Naples, Italy. When he was four years old, his family moved to Canada. He grew up in different Canadian cities like Halifax, Ottawa, and Toronto. Tony finished high school at Oakwood Collegiate Institute.

He first planned to study chiropractic medicine at the University of Toronto. However, he found a passion for improv comedy at The Second City. He decided to leave university to follow his dream of becoming a performer.

Tony Rosato's Acting Career

Tony Rosato first became well-known when he joined the comedy show SCTV. This was in the fall of 1980, during the show's last season. He joined with another actor named Robin Duke. On SCTV, Tony's most famous character was a TV chef named Marcello Sebastiano.

After SCTV, Tony and Robin Duke moved to Saturday Night Live (SNL). He was on SNL for the 1981–82 season. Tony was the first SNL cast member who was not born in the United States or Canada. He was also one of three SCTV actors to join SNL.

Even though he was on SNL for a short time, Tony played some memorable characters. He impersonated famous people like Lou Costello, Ed Asner (as Lou Grant), and Captain Kangaroo.

In 1983, Tony starred in a TV show called Amanda's. He played a busboy named Aldo. The show was based on a British comedy, but it was canceled after only 10 episodes. From 1985 to 1989, Tony played Arthur "Whitey" Morelli in the Canadian police show Night Heat. He continued to act in TV and movies throughout the 1990s.

Tony Rosato's Voice Acting Roles

Tony Rosato was also a talented voice actor. In 1990, he became the voice of Nintendo's character Luigi. He voiced Luigi in the cartoon The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. He continued to voice Luigi in 1991 for the Super Mario World cartoon.

Tony also lent his voice to many other animated shows. These include Pelswick, George and Martha, and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. He also voiced characters in The Adventures of Sam and Max: Freelance Police and Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend. Later, he voiced Dharak in Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders.

Tony Rosato's Personal Life

Tony Rosato married Leah Murray on December 31, 2003. They had one daughter together. After seven years, their marriage ended in divorce in 2010.

Tony Rosato's Death

Tony Rosato passed away on January 10, 2017. He was 62 years old and died from a heart attack. Saturday Night Live honored Tony at the end of their show on January 14, 2017.

Tony Rosato's Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Video Games