Victor Argo

Actor

About

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Also Known As

Vic Argo

Birth Place

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Born

November 05, 1934

Died

April 07, 2004

Cause of Death

Lung Cancer

Biography

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Stocky character actor Victor Argo began his career on the stage before segueing to features and TV, where he found steady employment frequently cast as ethnic heavies, gangsters and law enforcement officers, often under the direction of such auteurs as Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Abel Ferrara.After making his debut as a snarling railroad detective in the Roger Corman-produced, Mart...

Filmography

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Love=ME 3 (2004)

Anything But Love (2003)

Angel Eyes (2001)

Don't Say A Word (2001)

Photos & Videos

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Blackmail (1929) -- (Movie Clip) Flying Squad

Blackmail (1929) -- (Movie Clip) Got A Real Criminal To Direct

Biography

Stocky character actor Victor Argo began his career on the stage before segueing to features and TV, where he found steady employment frequently cast as ethnic heavies, gangsters and law enforcement officers, often under the direction of such auteurs as Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Abel Ferrara.

After making his debut as a snarling railroad detective in the Roger Corman-produced, Martin Scorsese-directed "Boxcar Bertha" (1972), Argo often played rough and tumble urban types like one of the young hoods that ran with Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro down New York's "Mean Streets" (1973) and the baseball bat-wielding deli owner in "Taxi Driver" (1976), both for Scorsese. An atypical appearance under that director's gaze was the actor's fine turn as the Apostle Peter in the controversial "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988).

Although usually relegated to brief appearances (in films ranging from director-writer Martin Brest's impressive debut "Hot Tomorrows" (1977) to 1985's "Desperately Seeking Susan"), Argo has on occasion landed meatier roles, perhaps most notably as Tracey Ullman's widowed father in Nancy Savoca's richly rendered portrait of an Italian-American family "Household Saints" (1993), one of a group of aging gangsters in "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" (1999), the skeptical buddy of a sixtysomething who answers a personal ad in "Fast Food, Fast Women" (2000) and the abusive father of Jennifer Lopez's police detective in the thriller "Angel Eyes" (2001).

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

Love=ME 3 (2004)

Anything But Love (2003)

Angel Eyes (2001)

Don't Say A Word (2001)

Double Whammy (2001)

Queenie in Love (2001)

Coyote Ugly (2000)

Fast Food, Fast Women (2000)

A Change of Climate (1999)

The Yards (1999)

Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai (1999)

Coming Soon (1999)

On the Run (1999)

Going Nomad (1999)

Lulu on the Bridge (1998)

Next Stop Wonderland (1998)

Side Streets (1997)

Sins of Silence (1996)

The Funeral (1996)

Blue in the Face (1995)

Condition Red (1995)

Monkey Trouble (1994)

The Cowboy Way (1994)

True Romance (1993)

Household Saints (1993)

Lino Falconetti

Bad Lieutenant (1992)

Shadows And Fog (1991)

Johnny Ryan (1990)

King Of New York (1990)

Quick Change (1990)

Her Alibi (1989)

Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)

New York Stories (1989)

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

The Pick-Up Artist (1987)

Raw Deal (1986)

Florida Straits (1986)

Off Beat (1986)

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

After Hours (1985)

Falling in Love (1984)

Hanky-Panky (1982)

Dream House (1981)

The Rose (1979)

Which Way Is Up? (1977)

Hot Tomorrows (1977)

Taxi Driver (1976)

Force Five (1975)

Frankie Hatcher

Smile Jenny, You're Dead (1974)

Sergeant Richard Marum

The Don Is Dead (1973)

Mean Streets (1973)

Cast (Special)

Dark Eyes (1995)

Nicky and the Nerd (1987)

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Vendetta: Secrets of a Mafia Bride (1991)

Life Events

1972

Feature debut in "Boxcar Bertha"; first of six appearances (to date) under Martin Scorsese's direction

1973

Appeared in "Mean Streets"; first of 11 film appearances (to date) alongside Harvey Keitel; film directed by Scorsese

1974

TV-movie debut in "Smile Jenny, Your Dead", the pilot for the ABC series "Harry-O"

1976

Appeared as a deli owner in "Taxi Driver"

1979

Played featured role in the Bette Midler vehicle "The Rose"

1986

Co-starred in the HBO film "Florida Straits"

1988

Portrayed the Apostle Peter in the controversial Scorsese-directed "The Last Temptation of Christ"

1989

Appeared as a detective in Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors"

1989

Debut as regular in short-lived drama series, "Dream Street" (NBC)

1989

Last screen work with Scorsese to date, the "Life Stories" segment of the omnibus film "New York Stories"

1990

First of four features (to date) under the direction of Abel Ferrara, "King of New York"

1991

Had featured role in the syndicated TV miniseries "Vendetta: Secrets of a Mafia Bride"

1993

Co-starred in "Household Saints", directed by Nancy Savoca

1995

Played the owner of a Brooklyn cigar store in "Smoke" and its follow-up "Blue in the Face"

1995

Reteamed with director Nancy Savoca on the ABC TV-movie "Dark Eyes"

1996

Again worked under the direction of Abel Ferarra in "The Funeral"

1999

Cast as an aging gangster in "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai"

2000

Played the skeptical buddy of a older man who answers a personal ad in "Fast Food, Fast Women", directed by Amos Kollek

2001

Cast as the heroine's father in "Angel Eyes", starring Jennifer Lopez

2001

Reteamed with Kollek to play the romantic lead in "Queenie in Love"; screened at Cannes

Videos

Blackmail (1929) -- (Movie Clip) Flying Squad Part of the prologue, from the shot-silent portion of the film, with sound effects added, many tricks from the director, John Longden the young cop and leading man introduced, from what is generally seen as the first British talkie, Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail, 1929.

Blackmail (1929) -- (Movie Clip) Got A Real Criminal To Direct The director very much at play here, his cameo on the London underground, then protagonists Alice (Anny Ondra, voice by Joan Barry) and boyfriend policeman Frank (John Longden) feuding at tea, with witty insights about the pictures, in Alfred Hitchcok's first partial-talkie, Blackmail, 1929.

Blackmail (1929) -- (Movie Clip) I'd Better Go Polish-born Anny Ondra here as straying "Alice," is lip-synching to the off-camera voice of Joan Barry, Alfred Hitchcock directing his first talkie, quite deliberate with the shadow on the face of "the artist" Cyril Ritchard, who goes a bit too far for her, in Blackmail, 1929.

Ring, The (1927) -- (Movie Clip) One Round Jack Opening sequences, brilliance from Alfred Hitchcock guiding his then-novice cameraman Jack Cox, some repugnant carnival events, and the introduction of the three principals, Lillian Hall-Davis, Ian Hunter, and Carl Brisson as “One-Round Jack,” from the silent boxing drama The Ring, 1927.

Ring, The (1927) -- (Movie Clip) Jack's Met His Man With crafty shooting by director Alfred Hitchcock, Ian Hunter as Bob, gentleman challenger, agrees to take on boxer “One-Round” Jack (Carl Brisson), the main carnival attraction, who’s clobbered all comers, mainly due to interest in his ticket-taker girlfriend, (Lillian Hall-Davis), early in The Ring, 1927.

Ring, The (1927) -- (Movie Clip) I'll Take My Revenge Sort of in good fun, at the wedding party for his sparring partner Jack (Carl Brisson) and wife (Lillian Hall-Davis), romantic rival and affluent boxer Bob (Ian Hunter) acts jovial, director Alfred Hitchcock playng tensions, Gordon Harker the inebriated trainer, in The Ring, 1927.

Ring, The (1927) -- (Movie Clip) I Thought You Said You'd Fight For Her Alfred Hitchcock with an advanced sequence from his boxing melodrama, challenger Jack (Carl Brisson) boils as his wife Mabel (Lillian Hall-Davis) enjoys a dance party with charming champ Bob (Ian Hunter), in The Ring, 1927.

Dreamgirls -- (2006) -- (Movie Clip) Fake Your Way To The Top We’ve just met Eddie Murphy as James “Thunder” Early, Danny Glover his manager, Jamie Foxx as Curtis who’s just made himself manager of the “Dreamettes” (Beyoncè Knowles, Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Hudson), who meet with the star’s approval, song by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen, in Dreamgirls , 2006.

Dreamgirls -- (2006) -- (Movie Clip) Cadillac Car R&B star Jimmy (Eddie Murphy) and manager Marty (Danny Glover) hear a pitch from Curtis (Jamie Foxx) who manages the backup-singing Dreamettes (Beyoncè Knowles, Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Hudson), for a song composed by C.C. (Keith Robinson), cueing big narrative progress and a cameo by Dick Clark, in Dreamgirls , 2006.

Dreamgirls -- (2006) -- (Movie Clip) Move From director Bill Condon’s lively opening scenes shot at the Orpheum Theater in LA, just-introduced “Dreamettes” Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncè (Knowles) and Anika Noni Rose (as Effie, Deena and Lorell) do their first song, by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen, ambitious Curtis (Jamie Foxx) in the wings, in Dreamgirls , 2006.

Murder! (1930) -- (Movie Clip) About Three Doors Down Opening scenes, director Alfred Hitchcock in one of his earliest sound films, conveying the sense of not only an artist but also, perhaps, a comedian, at work, in Murder!, 1930, Diana Baring the apparent culprit.

Murder! (1930) -- (Movie Clip) Rex v. Diana Baring Director Alfred Hitchcock's elliptical coverage of the trial of distraught actress Nora Baring (playing "Diana" Baring), hero Herbert Marshall first seen as a juror, Esme Chaplin the prosecutor, Amy Brandon-Thomas for the defense, still early in Murder!, 1930.

Shadows and Fog - (Original Trailer) Woody Allen adapted his one-act play into this all-star tribute to German Expressionism, Shadows And Fog (1992).

Mean Streets - (Original Trailer) Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and director Martin Scorsese all first came to major critical attention with the gritty Mean Streets (1973).

Bibliography

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