Carlito's Way Actors You Might Not Know Passed Away
Based on a pair of novels by Edwin Torres, "Carlito's Way" tells the story of Carlito Brigante, a former drug dealer who has just been released from jail and is ready to get away from his criminal past. However, the people and instincts from his old lawless life keep creeping back, preventing him from living as an honest man. The film performed modestly at the box office when it was first released in 1993, but was generally well-received by critics and even received several award nominations, including two Golden Globe nominations. That's probably because it had an impressive amount of talent both behind and in front of the camera. Directed by legendary crime/thriller filmmaker Brian De Palma, who had made "Scarface" with Al Pacino a decade earlier, the film starred Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, and John Leguizamo.
While the primary cast of the movie continue to have strong careers today, there are several others who are, unfortunately, no longer with us. Here are the actors from "Carlito's Way" you might not know passed away.
Al Israel
While not the most prolific actor, Al Israel had a very diverse career that spans across studio films, TV movies, television shows, short films, and even video games. Born in Manhattan in 1935, his first film role was as "Gunman #1" in 1982's "The Soldier." However, he made a bigger impression in his second role, that of chainsaw-wielding drug dealer Hector the Toad in "Scarface." His appearance in that film marked the first time that he worked with director Brian De Palma, who would later cast him as Corso in 1984's "Body Double," and of course in "Carlito's Way."
Israel plays Rolando, an old associate from Carlito's criminal days, the two having previously sold heroin together. Carlito never gave up Rolando's name when he was arrested and Rolando ended up getting rich while Carlito was in prison. Carlito doesn't feel Rolando owes him anything, however, and tells a surprised Rolando he's retired from his life of crime.
Some of Israel's other film roles include "Confessions of a Hit Man," "Broken Vessels," and "Attention Shoppers." In addition to his film work, he appeared in numerous popular television shows, most notably in "Days of Our Lives," and he would even go on to reprise his role of Hector the Toad in the video game "Scarface: The World Is Yours." Israel died in 2011 at the age of 75.
Jorge Porcel
Jorge Porcel portrays Saso (aka Ron) a nightclub owner and a gambling addict in debt to some powerful people. Carlito agrees to help him get out of trouble in exchange for a cut of the nightclub's profits, which he plans to use to start a new life for himself.
While not widely known in the United States, Porcel is considered to be one of the 20th century's most important Argentinian comedians. He had a long and prolific career, starring in 50 films and several TV shows, but he's best known for the raunchy, adult-aimed comedies he made alongside fellow Argentinian comedy legend Alberto Olmedo in the 1970s and 1980s. Later in his life, Porcel lived in Miami and starred in the late-night Spanish-language variety show, "A la cama con Porcel," which also lent its name to his restaurant, A La Pasta con Porcel. "Carlito's Way" was his final film appearance — and his first in a Hollywood production. He retired from television in 1995 and passed away in 2006 at the age of 69 due to complications from gall bladder surgery.
James Rebhorn
James Rebhorn is probably one of the most recognizable actors on this list, as he has more than a hundred credits to his name, including many popular movies and TV shows. In "Carlito's Way," he plays Bill Norwalk, the district attorney who put Carlito away — but did a faulty job of it, allowing Carlito's lawyer, David Kleinfeld (Sean Penn), to get him out on a technicality. Later, after Kleinfeld sells Carlito out, Norwalk approaches Carlito with an offer to testify against Kleinfeld in exchange for immunity, but Carlito refuses.
Rebhorn appeared in supporting roles in a string of films and television programs, including "The Doctors," "Silkwood," and "Guiding Light." By the 1990s Rebhorn began making a name for himself, and it wasn't long before he started appearing in bigger and more acclaimed projects, often playing authority figures for which his stern demeanor was a perfect fit. Some of these films include "My Cousin Vinny," "Basic Instinct," "Scent of a Woman" (which also featured Al Pacino), and "Independence Day."
Later in his career, Rebhorn added several other major projects to his resume, including appearances on "Homeland," "Blue Bloods," and "Leap of Faith." He died of melanoma in 2014 — and he even wrote his own obituary.
Joseph Siravo
Joseph Siravo's first role was as a mugger, and he made his big screen debut in "Carlito's Way." These formative roles set the tone for the rest of his career, as he would often star in movies and TV shows in the crime genre. Perhaps his most notable recurring role came in the hit series, "The Sopranos," where he played Tony Soprano's father, Johnny Boy. Siravo's face was also familiar to "Law & Order" fans — he appeared in four iterations of the show between 1992 and 2010, portraying a total of 10 different characters. Some of his other crime-related roles include Gene Gotti in the 1998 TV movie "Witness to the Mob," John Gotti in 2015's "The Wannabe," and Fred Goldman in the 2016 FX miniseries "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story."
Siravo was also an established stage actor, having done over 2,000 performances as Angelo DeCarlo in the first national tour of "Jersey Boys" and appeared in productions of "Oslo" and "The Light in the Piazza" — all three plays won Tony Awards.
In "Carlito's Way," Siravo plays Vinnie Taglialucci, the son of crime boss Anthony Taglialucci. Vinnie kills Dave Kleinfeld in retaliation for Kleinfeld's murder of his father and brother, then tries to kill Carlito, considering him Kleinfeld's accomplice. It all comes to a head in a shootout at Grand Central Terminal, where Vinnie is ultimately shot dead by the police. Siravo himself lost a battle with cancer in 2021.
Frank Minucci
While Frank Minucci didn't have the most prolific acting career (he only has 14 credits), he still managed to appear in a variety of interesting projects throughout his life. Minucci didn't act in a film until he was nearly 50 years old — his first role was as an FBI chief in the 1993 Hong Kong film "Hu xue tu long zhi hong tian xian jing." This was followed by his role in "Carlito's Way," in which he plays Anthony "Tony" Taglialucci, an incarcerated crime boss who is one of Kleinfeld's clients. Knowing that Kleinfeld stole a million dollars from him, Tony coerces him into helping him get out of jail along with one of his sons, Frankie. However, Kleinfeld ends up killing Tony and Frankie and dumping their bodies in the East River.
Minucci also appeared in "Law & Order," "New York Undercover," and "The Cosby Mysteries," and he was seen in the 1998 TV movie "Witness to the Mob" alongside his other son in "Carlito's Way,"Joseph Siravo. He died in Whiting, New Jersey, in 2014, at the age of 70.
Rick Aviles
Puerto Rican actor and comedian Rick Aviles made his feature film debut as Mad Dog in 1981's "The Cannonball Run." After landing roles in various films throughout the 1980s, he had perhaps his most notable year in 1990, when he appeared in two of the year's Best Picture nominees — "The Godfather: Part III" and "Ghost." The latter film represents Aviles' most famous work, as he played Willie Lopez, the man who sets the movie's plot in motion by killing Patrick Swayze's character, Sam Wheat. Like many of his "Carlito's Way" co-stars, Aviles got a credit on "Law & Order," and he put in some work on the sketch comedy "The Carol Burnett Show" before playing the role of Quisqueya, a friend of Carlito's younger cousin, Guajiro. Both are killed when their drug deal goes wrong.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Aviles died of AIDS in 1995 — IMDB suggests the disease led to a pulmonary embolism.
Frank Ferrara
Frank Ferrara spent most of his time in the entertainment industry working in stunts as a coordinator, driver, double, and more. He has more than 140 stunt credits to his name over the course of his 36-year career, working on such films "RoboCop," "Catch Me If You Can," "The Bourne Ultimatum," and many more. He's also the actor behind Sonny Manzanero, one of the men sent to kill Dave Kleinfeld at his office in retaliation for his murder of Tony and Frankie Taglialucci in "Carlito's Way." Manzanero and his fellow henchman manage to stab Kleinfeld multiple times, but Kleinfeld manages to survive and is put in the hospital. However, Manzanero returns later with Vinnie Taglialucci to try and take out Carlito.
While Ferrara's career as an actor was less prolific than his stunt career (he only has 38 acting credits to his name), he still made appearances in some hit films, including "The Warriors," "Married to the Mob," "Under Siege." According to IMDB, he died from Lou Gehrig's disease in 2017. He's survived by his son, Frank Ferrara Jr., who in addition to his professional football career as a member of the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, has also done some stunt work of his own.