Rick Aviles
Encyclopedia
Rick Aviles was an American
stand-up comedian and actor
of Afro-Puerto Rican
descent, who is best remembered for the role of Willie Lopez in the movie Ghost
.
to the United States
in the late 1940s. They lived in Manhattan
, New York City
, where Aviles was born. He was raised in the Lower East Side and at times got himself into trouble. One of his assets was that he had a comical side to him. Aviles' siblings Angel Aviles and Rod Reyes are also in the arts and entertainment fields.
night-club circuit in New York. In 1981
, he landed the role of Mad Dog in the movie Cannonball Run
. He went on to act in fourteen more film productions. In 1987, Aviles landed a small part as the maintenance man in the movie The Secret of My Success, starring Michael J. Fox
. That same year he became the host of It's Showtime at the Apollo, and continued as host until 1991.
In 1990, Aviles landed his most memorable role. He was cast as Willie Lopez, Sam Wheat's killer, in the movie Ghost
. The movie was a smash hit at the box office and received multiple Oscar
nominations. Besides Aviles, Ghost also starred Demi Moore
, Patrick Swayze
and Whoopi Goldberg
. He also acted in Jim Jarmusch
's "Mystery Train
" (1989) as Will Robinson; Francis Ford Coppola
's The Godfather Part III
(1990) as Mask #1; Brian De Palma
's Carlito's Way
(1993
) as "Quisqueya", starring Al Pacino
; in Waterworld
(1995) as the Gatesman, starring Kevin Costner
and in Joe's Apartment
(1996) as the voice of a cockroach.
Among the television
series in which he appeared are Mr. & Mrs. Dracula (1980), The Day Women Got Even (1980), The Carol Burnett Show (1991) and Stephen King
's The Stand
(1994).
through heroin abuse, Aviles died on March 17, 1995 in Los Angeles, California
, from complications of AIDS
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stand-up comedian and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
of Afro-Puerto Rican
African immigration to Puerto Rico
The history of African people in Puerto Rico begins with the immigration of African free men who accompanied the invading Spanish Conquistadors. The Spaniards enslaved the Taínos , and many of them died as a result of Spaniards' oppressive colonization efforts...
descent, who is best remembered for the role of Willie Lopez in the movie Ghost
Ghost (film)
Ghost is a 1990 romantic drama film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. It was written by Bruce Joel Rubin and directed by Jerry Zucker.-Plot:...
.
Early years
Aviles' parents moved from Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the late 1940s. They lived in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where Aviles was born. He was raised in the Lower East Side and at times got himself into trouble. One of his assets was that he had a comical side to him. Aviles' siblings Angel Aviles and Rod Reyes are also in the arts and entertainment fields.
Career
In the 1970s and 1980s, Aviles worked as a stand-up comedian on the Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
night-club circuit in New York. In 1981
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
, he landed the role of Mad Dog in the movie Cannonball Run
Cannonball Run
Cannonball Run may refer to:* Erwin Baker's 1933 NYC to LA drive* Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an outlaw automobile race, memorializing Erwin Baker's drive.* Films inspired by the race;...
. He went on to act in fourteen more film productions. In 1987, Aviles landed a small part as the maintenance man in the movie The Secret of My Success, starring Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
. That same year he became the host of It's Showtime at the Apollo, and continued as host until 1991.
In 1990, Aviles landed his most memorable role. He was cast as Willie Lopez, Sam Wheat's killer, in the movie Ghost
Ghost (film)
Ghost is a 1990 romantic drama film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. It was written by Bruce Joel Rubin and directed by Jerry Zucker.-Plot:...
. The movie was a smash hit at the box office and received multiple Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
nominations. Besides Aviles, Ghost also starred Demi Moore
Demi Moore
Demi Guynes Kutcher , known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...
, Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze
Patrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest...
and Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
. He also acted in Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch
James R. "Jim" Jarmusch is an American independent film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor and composer. Jarmusch has been a major proponent of independent cinema, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:...
's "Mystery Train
Mystery Train
"Mystery Train" is a song written by Junior Parker and Sam Phillips. It was first recorded in Phillip's Memphis Recording Service and Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee in 1953. Raymond Hill plays tenor sax and Matt Murphy plays lead guitar with Bill Johnson on piano, Pat Hare on...
" (1989) as Will Robinson; Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
's The Godfather Part III
The Godfather Part III
The Godfather Part III is a 1990 American gangster film written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, and directed by Coppola. It completes the story of Michael Corleone, a Mafia kingpin who tries to legitimize his criminal empire...
(1990) as Mask #1; Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:...
's Carlito's Way
Carlito's Way
Carlito's Way is a 1993 crime film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels Carlito's Way and After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo, Jorge Porcel, Joseph Siravo, and...
(1993
1993 in film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
) as "Quisqueya", starring Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
; in Waterworld
Waterworld
Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It is based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it. It was distributed by Universal Pictures...
(1995) as the Gatesman, starring Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
and in Joe's Apartment
Joe's Apartment
Joe's Apartment is a 1996 musical-serio-comedy film starring Jerry O'Connell and Megan Ward and the first film produced by MTV Films. It was based on a 1992 short film first made for MTV , but was also inspired by both the 1987 Japanese film Gokiburi-tachi No Tasogare and...
(1996) as the voice of a cockroach.
Among the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series in which he appeared are Mr. & Mrs. Dracula (1980), The Day Women Got Even (1980), The Carol Burnett Show (1991) and Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's The Stand
The Stand (TV miniseries)
# Project Blue [1:33]# The Dream Begins [2:08]# On the Road to Kansas [3:57]# The Trashmen in Vegas [1:58]# Headin' West [1:56]# Larry & Nadine [2:38]# Mother Abigail [3:10]# 'Sorry Mister, I Don't Understand' [2:54]# Mid Country [3:22]...
(1994).
Death
Having contracted HIVHIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
through heroin abuse, Aviles died on March 17, 1995 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, from complications of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1981 | The Cannonball Run | Mad Dog | |
| 1984 | Billions for Boris | Hector | |
| 1987 | Street Smart | Solo | |
| The Secret of My Success | Maintenance Man | ||
| 1988 | Mondo New York Mondo New York Mondo New York is a 1988 Mondo film directed by Harvey Nikolai Keith.-Overview:Mondo New York examines the lives and activities of Manhattan performance artists, and features Joey Arias and Rick Aviles. A number of New York City denizens appear in various sketches, each linked by a young woman's... |
Comic in Park | |
| Spike of Bensonhurst Spike of Bensonhurst Spike of Bensonhurst is a 1988 comedy-drama and mafia film directed by Paul Morrissey and starring Sasha Mitchell. The film also features Ernest Borgnine, Maria Pitillo, Dave Bettge, and Talisa Soto.-Plot:... |
Bandana | Alternative titles: The Mafia Kid Throwback! |
|
| 1989 | Mystery Train Mystery Train (film) Mystery Train is a 1989 independent anthology film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and set in Memphis, Tennessee. The film comprises a triptych of stories involving foreign protagonists unfolding over the course of the same night... |
Will Robinson | Segment: "Lost in Space" |
| Identity Crisis Identity Crisis (film) Identity Crisis is a 1989 comedy film directed by Melvin Van Peebles. Written by Mario Van Peebles, the film is about a rapper who winds up sharing his body with the soul of a dead fashion designer, switching between personalities every time he is struck on the head... |
El Toro | ||
| 1990 | Ghost Ghost (film) Ghost is a 1990 romantic drama film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. It was written by Bruce Joel Rubin and directed by Jerry Zucker.-Plot:... |
Willie Lopez | |
| The Godfather Part III The Godfather Part III The Godfather Part III is a 1990 American gangster film written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, and directed by Coppola. It completes the story of Michael Corleone, a Mafia kingpin who tries to legitimize his criminal empire... |
Mask #1 | ||
| Green Card Green Card (film) Green Card is a 1990 romantic comedy film written, produced, directed by Peter Weir and starring Gérard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell. The screenplay focuses on an American woman who enters into a marriage of convenience with a Frenchman so he can obtain a green card and remain in the United... |
Vincent | ||
| 1993 | The Saint of Fort Washington | Rosario | |
| Carlito's Way Carlito's Way Carlito's Way is a 1993 crime film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels Carlito's Way and After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo, Jorge Porcel, Joseph Siravo, and... |
Quisqueya | ||
| 1995 | Waterworld Waterworld Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It is based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it. It was distributed by Universal Pictures... |
Gatesman | |
| 1996 | Joe's Apartment Joe's Apartment Joe's Apartment is a 1996 musical-serio-comedy film starring Jerry O'Connell and Megan Ward and the first film produced by MTV Films. It was based on a 1992 short film first made for MTV , but was also inspired by both the 1987 Japanese film Gokiburi-tachi No Tasogare and... |
Cockroach | Voice |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1980 | Mr. and Mrs. Dracula | Mario | Unknown episodes |
| The Day the Women Got Even | Pancho Diaz | Television movie | |
| 1989 | No Place Like Home | J.J. | Television movie |
| 1991 | Monsters Monsters (TV series) Monsters is a syndicated horror anthology series which originally ran from 1988 to 1991 and reran on the Sci-Fi Channel during the 1990s. As of 2011, Monsters airs on NBC Universal's horror/suspense-themed cable channel Chiller in sporadic weekday marathons.In a similar vein to Tales from the... |
1 episode | |
| The Carol Burnett Show | Skit characters | Unknown episodes | |
| 1993 | Moon Over Miami Moon Over Miami (TV series) Moon Over Miami is a short-lived American comedy series that aired on ABC.-Synopsis:Gwen Cross runs away from her own wedding and Walter Tatum , a private detective, is hired to find her. Wanting her life to take a new direction, Gwen suggests working as a secretary at Walter's firm... |
Frankie The Rat | 1 episode |
| 1994 | The Stand The Stand (TV miniseries) # Project Blue [1:33]# The Dream Begins [2:08]# On the Road to Kansas [3:57]# The Trashmen in Vegas [1:58]# Headin' West [1:56]# Larry & Nadine [2:38]# Mother Abigail [3:10]# 'Sorry Mister, I Don't Understand' [2:54]# Mid Country [3:22]... |
Rat Man | Miniseries |
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Ricans of African descent
- African immigration to Puerto RicoAfrican immigration to Puerto RicoThe history of African people in Puerto Rico begins with the immigration of African free men who accompanied the invading Spanish Conquistadors. The Spaniards enslaved the Taínos , and many of them died as a result of Spaniards' oppressive colonization efforts...
External links
- Rick Aviles at NNDB.comNNDBThe Notable Names Database , produced by Soylent Communications, the same entity that produces Rotten, Daily Rotten, Dr. Sputnik's Society Pages and Penny Postcards, is an online database of biographical details of over 36,000 people of note...