Dom DeLuise dies at age 75
Dom DeLuise, the comedian who became a household name in the '70s and '80s for his small but memorable roles in Blazing Saddles, Cannonball Run and Spaceballs, died late Monday night in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 75.
"It's easy to mourn to his death, but easier to remember a time when he made you laugh," his family said in a statement.
The Brooklyn-born DeLuise got his big break in 1964 as a as a regular performer on TV's The Entertainers. He soon became a regular guest star on The Dean Martin Summer Show. The exposure led to Deluise's landing his own eponymous comedy program on CBS that lasted for a season.
The actor died Monday night, son Michael DeLuise told KTLA-TV and radio station KNX on Tuesday.
DeLuise, who loved to cook and eat almost as much as he enjoyed acting, also carved out a formidable second career later in life as a chef of fine cuisine. He wrote two cookbooks and would appear often on morning TV shows to whip up his favorite recipes.
"Dom always made you feel better when he was around, and there will never be another like him," said Burt Reynolds in an e-mail. Reynolds starred with DeLuise in The Cannonball Run and other films.
DeLuise was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1933. He graduated from the Manhattan School of the Performing Arts before breaking into the off-Broadway circuit in the 1960s. He established a solid comedic career, appearing on several variety shows and then expanding into movies, though his first part, atypically, was in the doomsday drama Fail-Safe in 1964.
Mel Brooks particularly admired DeLuise's talent for offbeat comedy and cast him in Blazing Saddles, Silent Movie, History of the World Part I and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, among others.
Dean Martin cast DeLuise as a regular on his 1960s comedy-variety show. In 1973, he starred in a short-lived situation comedy, Lotsa Luck. On Broadway, DeLuise appeared in Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers and other plays.
In addition to his son Michael, he is survived by two other sons, Peter and Dave, all of whom became actors; his wife, Carol; and three grandchildren.
In the '70s, DeLuise moved to the big screen, becoming a regular fixture in various Mel Brooks films. After meeting Burt Reynolds on the set of Brooks's Silent Movie, the two actors became friends and worked together in several films, including two Cannonball Run movies, Smokey and the Bandit II and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
DeLuise, who often made jokes about his rotund figure, was an avid chef who wrote four cookbooks. He also wrote seven children's books.
He married actress Carol Arthur in 1965. His three sons – Peter, Michael and David – are all actors.
"It's easy to mourn to his death, but easier to remember a time when he made you laugh," his family said in a statement.
The Brooklyn-born DeLuise got his big break in 1964 as a as a regular performer on TV's The Entertainers. He soon became a regular guest star on The Dean Martin Summer Show. The exposure led to Deluise's landing his own eponymous comedy program on CBS that lasted for a season.
The actor died Monday night, son Michael DeLuise told KTLA-TV and radio station KNX on Tuesday.
DeLuise, who loved to cook and eat almost as much as he enjoyed acting, also carved out a formidable second career later in life as a chef of fine cuisine. He wrote two cookbooks and would appear often on morning TV shows to whip up his favorite recipes.
"Dom always made you feel better when he was around, and there will never be another like him," said Burt Reynolds in an e-mail. Reynolds starred with DeLuise in The Cannonball Run and other films.
DeLuise was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1933. He graduated from the Manhattan School of the Performing Arts before breaking into the off-Broadway circuit in the 1960s. He established a solid comedic career, appearing on several variety shows and then expanding into movies, though his first part, atypically, was in the doomsday drama Fail-Safe in 1964.
Mel Brooks particularly admired DeLuise's talent for offbeat comedy and cast him in Blazing Saddles, Silent Movie, History of the World Part I and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, among others.
Dean Martin cast DeLuise as a regular on his 1960s comedy-variety show. In 1973, he starred in a short-lived situation comedy, Lotsa Luck. On Broadway, DeLuise appeared in Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers and other plays.
In addition to his son Michael, he is survived by two other sons, Peter and Dave, all of whom became actors; his wife, Carol; and three grandchildren.
In the '70s, DeLuise moved to the big screen, becoming a regular fixture in various Mel Brooks films. After meeting Burt Reynolds on the set of Brooks's Silent Movie, the two actors became friends and worked together in several films, including two Cannonball Run movies, Smokey and the Bandit II and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
DeLuise, who often made jokes about his rotund figure, was an avid chef who wrote four cookbooks. He also wrote seven children's books.
He married actress Carol Arthur in 1965. His three sons – Peter, Michael and David – are all actors.