Tony Azito
Encyclopedia
Tony Azito was an American
eccentric dancer and character actor. During his career, he was best known for comic and grotesque parts, which were accentuated by his lanky, hyperextended body.
. His fellow students included Patti LuPone
and Kevin Kline
. Soon after arriving, Azito fell under the influence of choreographer Anna Sokolow
and began studying modern dance — although, at six-foot-three (190 cm), Azito was an unusual candidate for dance training. (There was another dancer in the family: Azito's younger brother, Arturo Azito, performed with Eliot Feld
and the Boston Ballet
.) This newfound interest in dance aggravated Houseman, who was apparently anxious about the number of gay men in Group I and had already clashed with Azito over a cross-dressing incident. Partly as a result of his conflict with Houseman, Azito left Juilliard without taking a degree and, as "Antonio Azito," spent two years performing in Sokolow's company.
theater, including Cotton Club
Gala, Bebop, The Life and Times of Toulouse Lautrec, and C.O.R.F.A.X. He quickly became associated with the director Wilford Leach
, who would be one of Azito's most frequent employers until Leach's own death. He made his Broadway debut in Richard Foreman
's controversial revival of The Threepenny Opera
, in a dancing role ("Samuel") invented just for him. Critics were intrigued by what soon became known as Azito's signature: a dancing style that made him look like a somewhat off-kilter marionette, accompanied by stylized facial expressions. An interviewer once described him as "a bit like Buster Keaton injected with Silly Putty." This production also inaugurated Azito's association with Joseph Papp
's New York Shakespeare Festival
, which continued with another Brecht-Weill musical, Happy End (1977).
Azito's best-known role, however, came in yet a third production for NYSF: as the Sergeant of Police in the 1980 Broadway revival of The Pirates of Penzance
, starring Linda Ronstadt
and Kevin Kline
. His performance earned him a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award, and he repeated the role in the 1983 film version. Azito went on to perform at Radio City Music Hall
, the Mark Taper Forum, and in the abortive American National Theater company at Kennedy Center. After playing Feste in the NYSF production of Twelfth Night (1986), directed by Wilford Leach. His last Broadway role was in The Mystery of Edwin Drood
, also directed by Leach. While in the road company of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, both of Azito's legs were badly broken after being struck by a cab. It would take a couple of years for Tony to get back on his feet. He went on to perform in a summer stock revival of "She Loves Me" in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and in productions of Tom Stoppard's "Travesties" and the musical "Amphigorey."
(1980), Private Resort
(1985) with Rob Morrow and Johnny Depp, Moonstruck
opposite Cher (1987), "Bloodhounds of Broadway
" with Madonna
, and was the lead in the cult film "Apple Pie". Azito's final film role was the Librarian in Necronomicon
. Azito also had a cameo as one of the party dancers in The Addams Family
(1991). On television, he played the villain Monolo on Miami Vice
, The Equalizer
, and Beacon Hill
.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
eccentric dancer and character actor. During his career, he was best known for comic and grotesque parts, which were accentuated by his lanky, hyperextended body.
Training
Azito was part of Juilliard's famous "Group I," the first students admitted to the drama program administered by John HousemanJohn Houseman
John Houseman was a Romanian-born British-American actor and film producer who became known for his highly publicized collaboration with director Orson Welles from their days in the Federal Theatre Project through to the production of Citizen Kane...
. His fellow students included Patti LuPone
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les...
and Kevin Kline
Kevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
. Soon after arriving, Azito fell under the influence of choreographer Anna Sokolow
Anna Sokolow
Anna Sokolow was a Jewish American dancer and choreographer.-Training:...
and began studying modern dance — although, at six-foot-three (190 cm), Azito was an unusual candidate for dance training. (There was another dancer in the family: Azito's younger brother, Arturo Azito, performed with Eliot Feld
Eliot Feld
Eliot Feld is an American modern ballet choreographer, performer and director.-Life and career:Feld was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Alice , a travel agent, and Benjamin Noah Feld, an attorney...
and the Boston Ballet
Boston Ballet
Boston Ballet, founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams, was the first professional repertory ballet company in New England. Boston Ballet’s national and international reputation developed under the leadership of Artistic Directors Violette Verdy , Bruce Marks , and Anna-Marie Holmes...
.) This newfound interest in dance aggravated Houseman, who was apparently anxious about the number of gay men in Group I and had already clashed with Azito over a cross-dressing incident. Partly as a result of his conflict with Houseman, Azito left Juilliard without taking a degree and, as "Antonio Azito," spent two years performing in Sokolow's company.
Theatrical career
Returning to drama in the mid-1970s, Azito began working in avant-garde off- and off-off-BroadwayOff-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway theatrical productions in New York City are those in theatres that are smaller than Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres. Off-Off-Broadway theaters are often defined as theaters that have fewer than 100 seats, though the term can be used for any show in the New York City area that...
theater, including Cotton Club
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem, New York City that operated during Prohibition that included jazz music. While the club featured many of the greatest African American entertainers of the era, such as Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, Count Basie, Bessie Smith,...
Gala, Bebop, The Life and Times of Toulouse Lautrec, and C.O.R.F.A.X. He quickly became associated with the director Wilford Leach
Wilford Leach
Carson Wilford Leach was an American theatre director, set designer, film director, screenwriter, and college professor.-Biography:...
, who would be one of Azito's most frequent employers until Leach's own death. He made his Broadway debut in Richard Foreman
Richard Foreman
Richard Foreman is an American playwright and avant-garde theater pioneer. He is the founder of the Ontological-Hysteric Theater.-Life :...
's controversial revival of The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera is a musical by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann and set designer Caspar Neher. It was adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and offers a Marxist critique...
, in a dancing role ("Samuel") invented just for him. Critics were intrigued by what soon became known as Azito's signature: a dancing style that made him look like a somewhat off-kilter marionette, accompanied by stylized facial expressions. An interviewer once described him as "a bit like Buster Keaton injected with Silly Putty." This production also inaugurated Azito's association with Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in downtown New York . "The Public," as it is known, has many small theatres within it...
's New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
, which continued with another Brecht-Weill musical, Happy End (1977).
Azito's best-known role, however, came in yet a third production for NYSF: as the Sergeant of Police in the 1980 Broadway revival of The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, starring Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
and Kevin Kline
Kevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
. His performance earned him a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award, and he repeated the role in the 1983 film version. Azito went on to perform at Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
, the Mark Taper Forum, and in the abortive American National Theater company at Kennedy Center. After playing Feste in the NYSF production of Twelfth Night (1986), directed by Wilford Leach. His last Broadway role was in The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens. The novel was left unfinished at the time of Dickens' death, and his intended ending for it remains unknown. Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, the story focuses on Drood's uncle, choirmaster John Jasper, who...
, also directed by Leach. While in the road company of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, both of Azito's legs were badly broken after being struck by a cab. It would take a couple of years for Tony to get back on his feet. He went on to perform in a summer stock revival of "She Loves Me" in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and in productions of Tom Stoppard's "Travesties" and the musical "Amphigorey."
Film and television career
Recreating his Broadway smash, Azito's most memorable film role was the Sergeant in The Pirates of Penzance playing opposite Angela Lansbury. Tony also had parts in "Union City," (1980) with Debbie Harry, Woody Allen's Stardust MemoriesStardust Memories
Stardust Memories is a 1980 film written and directed by Woody Allen, who considers this to be one of his best films in addition to The Purple Rose of Cairo and Match Point. The film is shot in black-and-white, particularly reminiscent of Federico Fellini's 8½ , which it parodies...
(1980), Private Resort
Private Resort
Private Resort is a 1985 comedy film, directed by George Bowers and written by Gordon Mitchell, Ken Segall, and Alan Wenkus. The film starred the then-unknown Rob Morrow , Johnny Depp and Andrew Dice Clay.-Plot:...
(1985) with Rob Morrow and Johnny Depp, Moonstruck
Moonstruck
Moonstruck is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Jewison. It stars Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Vincent Gardenia, and Olympia Dukakis....
opposite Cher (1987), "Bloodhounds of Broadway
Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989 film)
Bloodhounds of Broadway is a 1989 film based on four Damon Runyon stories. It was directed by Howard Brookner and starred Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey, Anita Morris, Julie Hagerty, Rutger Hauer, Madonna, Esai Morales and Randy Quaid....
" with Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, and was the lead in the cult film "Apple Pie". Azito's final film role was the Librarian in Necronomicon
Necronomicon (film)
H.P. Lovecraft's: Necronomicon, original title Necronomicon, also called Necronomicon: Book of the Dead or Necronomicon: To Hell and Back is an American anthology horror film released in 1993. It was directed by Brian Yuzna, Christophe Gans and Shusuke Kaneko and was written by Brent V...
. Azito also had a cameo as one of the party dancers in The Addams Family
The Addams Family (film)
The Addams Family is a 1991 American black comedy film based on the characters from the cartoon of the same name created by cartoonist Charles Addams....
(1991). On television, he played the villain Monolo on Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
, The Equalizer
The Equalizer
The Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past...
, and Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill (television series)
Beacon Hill was a short-lived dramatic television series shown on CBS in 1975. The show focused on the fictitious Lassiter family and their Irish servants who lived on Louisburg Square, in Boston's fashionable Beacon Hill area...
.
Death
Azito continued working in regional theater and occasional films until 1994, approximately a year before his death from AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.