Actor Richard Romanus, Best Known for Mean Streets and The Sopranos, Dead at 80

Richard Romanus, actor best known for his roles in Evil streets and The Soprano familydied, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 80 years old.

He died Dec. 23 at a hospital in Volos, Greece, his son Robert Romanus said. The cause of death was not given.

Romanus was known for playing tough guys, including Michael Long in 1973 Evil streets. In the crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese, Romanus played a greengrocer who gets into an unforgettable confrontation with Johnny Civello (Robert De Niro).

Richard Romanus in ‘Evil Streets’.

Warner Brothers/Getty

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Scorsese, 81, recalled Andy Dougan’s iconic bar scene The Untouchables: Robert De Niroaccording to The Hollywood Reporter.

“Something happened between Bobby and Richard because the animosity between them in that scene is real, and I played on that. They were getting on each other’s nerves to the point where I think they really wanted to kill each other,” the writer-director recalled in the biography from 2011. “I kept shooting frame after frame of Bobby yelling all these insults while the crew was really upset.”

According to Romanus, De Niro (80) was angry with him because he saw him laughing.

“I was saving face by laughing,” he said. “He thought I should be angry, but he had no control over my reactions. Sometimes the reaction you get from your co-star is not what you want. Then you just have to react to it. But in this scene I laughed organically.”

Added Romanus: “I thought Bobby was very funny when he was doing those things. And he looked funny.”

Richard Romanus played the estranged husband of Tony Soprano’s psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi on ‘The Sopranos’.

HBO/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

The novel also appeared in three episodes of another cult crime drama, The Soprano familyas the estranged husband of Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Tony Soprano’s psychiatrist, from 1999 to 2002, according to IMDB.

Some of his other television roles include Charlie’s Angels, Mission Impossible, MacGyver, The A team, Hawaii Five-0 and Striking power. He has also starred in several made-for-TV movies including Night driving, Gold of the Amazons, More than murder and Ghost of a Chance.

His last role was Ben Ishak in 2003 A young black stalliona prequel to the 1979 Disney classic Black stallion.

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Richard Romanus, Goldie Hawn, Anthea Sylbert and Kurt Russell.

Getty for the Costume Designers Guild

The late actor is survived by his son Robert; his wife, Oscar-nominated costume designer Anthea Sylbert; and his younger brother Robert Romanus (Fast times at Ridgemont High, Glory), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Romanus and Sylbert, who married in August 1985, co-wrote and produced two Lifetime movies in 1998. Renunciation of the spirit and in 1999 If you believewhich earned them a WGA nomination, per outlet.

More than two decades ago, the couple moved to the Greek city of Skiathos, and they were declared honorary citizens of the city in 2021. The Hollywood Reporter.

Roman has also published three books, all set in Greece, starting in 2011: Act III: A small island in the Aegean Sea, Chrysalis and Matoula’s echoaccording to its author biography on Amazon.

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Source: HIS Education