Richard Libertini
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
While Richard Libertini, who grew up in Massachusetts, was of Italian descent, his acting career took off as he began to parlay his distinct look into playing various ethnicities with a variety of accents. In the 1960s, he started off in comedy, as part of Second City in Chicago and as an original member of the Off-Broadway production "The Mad Show" that was based off on Mad Magazine. His early comedic success translated into character roles and guest spots, first on film with the William Friedkin musical comedy "The Night They Raided Minsky's" (1968) and soon after on television in episodes of "That Girl" (ABC 1966-1971) and "Mary Tyler Moore" (CBS 1970-77). For the rest of the '70s, Libertini was a regular fixture in various shows, including multi-episode runs on "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" (Syndicated 1976-77) and "Soap" (ABC 1977-1981). His broad comedic and ethnic range hit the big time in his memorable turn as General Garcia in the madcap comedy "The In-Laws" (1979). Right after, Libertini appeared in Robert Altman's "Popeye" (1980) and appeared alongside Burt Reynolds in "Sharky's Machine" (1981) and "Best Friends" (1982). He created another memorable character shortly after in the Chevy Chase-starring "Fletch" (1985) and "Fletch Lives" (1989) as the titular character's befuddled copy chief. He furthered his character actor reputation throughout the '80s with roles in "Unfaithfully Yours" (1984) and the Steve Martin-starring "All of Me" (1984). In the early '90s, Libertini also dabbled in voice acting, chiefly as the genie Dijon in Disney's "DuckTales" (1987-1990). His last credited role was in "Dolphin Tale" (2011). In 2014, Libertini was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in early 2016.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1961
Appeared as member of "The Stewed Prunes" in "Three by Three"
1967
Billed as Dick Libertini in "Don't Drink the Water" on Broadway
1969
Reprised role in feature version, "Don't Drink the Water"
1971
Ensemble member of Broadway production of "Paul Sills' Story Theatre"
1972
Series regular on "The Melba Moore-Clifton Davis Show"
1977
Played the Godfather on the ABC sitcom, "Soap"
1979
Featured as General Garcia in "The In-Laws"
1984
Co-starred with Lily Tomlin and Steve Martin in "All of Me"
1984
Played Frank Walker in "Fletch"
1988
Played attorney Barry Slotnick in "The Trial of Bernhard Goetz" for American Playhouse
1989
Reprised role in "Fletch Lives!"
1990
Series regular, "The Fanelli Boys"
1991
Starred with Robert Guillaume in "Pacific Station"
1993
Played small role as informant Sore Throat in "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman"
1993
Played several supporting roles in Angela Lansbury series "Murder, She Wrote"
1994
Played several small roles in TV series "Law & Order"
1996
Cast as Akorem Laan in an episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
1998
Had an uncredited role in "Lethal Weapon 4"
2000
Cast as Luciano Baca in an episode of "NYPD Blue"
2008
Played a small role in the TV series "Numb3rs"
2015
Cast as Saul Hodiak in the David Duchovny series "Aquarius"
Videos
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