GODFATHER Actor & Emmy Winner Alex Rocco Passes Away at 79

Alex Rocco, best known for his role as Vegas casino owner Moe Green in THE GOFATHER, passed away on Saturday, July 18 at the age of 79. The actor's daughter, Jennifer Rocco, shared the news on Facebook in a touching tribute to her father.

In addition to his memorable role in The Godfather, the actor appeared in such films as The Wedding Planner and That Thing You Do!.

On TV, Rocco portrayedCharlie Polniaczek, Jo's father on The Facts of Life. From 1989-90, and was a regular on the television comedy series The Famous Teddy Z as "Al Floss", a Hollywood talent agent. He received an Emmy Award as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for this role.

Rocco also had a recurring part in the long running animated series THE SIMPSONS as the head of Itchy and Scratchy Studios, Roger Meyers, Jr. In DVD commentaries, Rocco expressed true gratitude to The Simpsons' staff for allowing him his first voice-over role. He parlayed that into a first-season episode of FAMILY GUY titled "Mind Over Murder", in which he had the memorable role of "the masculine woman".

Rocco most recently was one of the stars of the Starz cable channel's crime-drama series, MAGIC CITY and was scheduled to star as Mr. Marino in the Horror thriller filmThe Other.

Photo courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc

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