Veteran Character Actor Jon Polito Dead at 65
Images via Working Title Films, David Livingston/Getty
Jon Polito, an experienced character actor whose career spanned several decades, is dead at 65. The news was announced by Polito’s close friend, director James McNaughton, on Friday.
McNaughton estimates that Polito starred in more than 100 films, in addition to TV shows and Broadway productions, during the course of his career. Polito was a favorite of the Coen Brothers, appearing in Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink and, perhaps most famously, The Big Lebowski. Polito’s single scene as Private Detective Da Fino in The Big Lebowski is especially memorable, full of the distinctive kind of nervous energy that Polito always brought to the screen.
Polito also played the devoutly Catholic Detective Steve Crosetti on Homicide: Life on the Street for two seasons before leaving the show because of artistic differences. Polito later stated that the character’s departure from the show had left him “furious.”
Polito’s more recent work had been on shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Bunheads and Modern Family. Polito is survived by his longtime partner, Darryl Armbruster.