Tony Rosato
Encyclopedia
Tony Rosato is an Italian
-Canadian
animated voice actor who has appeared in television and movies in both Canada and the United States
.
Rosato was born in Naples, Italy
, and raised in Halifax
, Ottawa
, and Toronto
. He planned to study chiropractic
medicine, but dropped out of the University of Toronto
after he began doing improv comedy at The Second City
. Rosato first gained attention when he and Robin Duke
joined the cast of the first incarnation of SCTV
in its final season during the fall of 1980. His most well-known character on the program was a notoriously drunk TV chef named Marcello Sebastiani.
After SCTV, Rosato moved with Duke to the cast of Saturday Night Live
for the 1981-1982 season, becoming the first cast member to be born outside of North America. Following Jean Doumanian
's tenure during the sixth season and Dick Ebersol
trying to retool the show (and relying on Eddie Murphy
and Joe Piscopo
to spice up the sketches), Rosato (along with fellow SCTV cast member, Robin Duke
) only appeared on the show for one year before leaving due to an expired contract.
Rosato next emerged on the Canadian police drama Night Heat
, playing Arthur 'Whitey' Morelli. This role lasted from 1985 through 1989. In autumn of 1990, Rosato portrayed Nintendo
's character Luigi
on DiC
's television show The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
(loosely based around the video game
of the same title). He continued his role as Luigi in 1991 for the Super Mario World cartoon. He continued to appear in television and film regularly throughout the 1990s.
He did a small voicing part in Resident Evil 3 as a man named Dario Rosso and Nemesis
.
In Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders, he played the voice of Dharak.
, George and Martha
, Rescue Heroes
, Birdz
, The Busy World of Richard Scarry
, Hello Kitty and Friends, Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse
, Peep and the Big Wide World
, Interlude, Pippi Longstocking, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, Rolie Polie Olie
, Bad Dog
, Sam and Max: Freelance Police, Little Bear
, Monster by Mistake
, Odd Job Jack
, Free Willy
, Blazing Dragons
, The Neverending Story
, Flash Gordon, Timothy Goes to School
, Time Warp Trio
, Roboroach
, Tales from the Cryptkeeper
, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
, Cyberchase
, Redwall
, Power Stone
, Anatole
, Elliott Moose, Sailor Moon
, Ned's Newt
, Medabots
, Highlander: The Animated Series
, Corduroy
, Freaky Stories
, King
, Blaster's Universe, Stickin' Around
, Bob and Margaret
, Flying Rhino Junior High
, Avengers: United They Stand, Silver Surfer, The Dumb Bunnies, Undergrads
, Quads!, Angela Anaconda
, Cyberchase
, Slam Dunk
, The Ripping Friends
, Committed
, Bedtime Primetime Classics, Elliott Moose, Franklin
, Braceface
, George Shrinks
, Delta State
, Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series
, Mr. Men and Little Miss
, The Dumb Bunnies, The Accuser, Maggie and the Ferocious Beast
, Atomic Betty
and Mischief City.
with criminal harassment of his wife Leah, who asserted that Rosato's deteriorating mental health
had caused her to fear for her safety and that of the couple's infant daughter. The charge was laid after Rosato complained repeatedly to Toronto
and Kingston
police that his wife, who had recently left him, and daughter had been abducted and replaced by impostors, a belief characteristic of Capgras delusion
, a delusional misidentification syndrome
with which the Crown
's expert psychiatrist
has diagnosed Rosato, according to Rosato's eighth lawyer, Daniel Brodsky. It was alleged that the harassment occurred from December 28, 2003 and escalated until April 21, 2005. In spite of the diagnosis Rosato, who denied he was mentally ill and refused to plead insanity, was held for over two years without bail
at a maximum-security detention centre. Daniel Brodsky, who calls his client's two-year detention awaiting trial "shocking," asserted that Rosato "spent more time in custody on a harassment charge" than anyone ever convicted of the offence in Canada, estimating that "on average, someone convicted of criminal harassment spends one day in jail and two years on probation." The trial finally commenced on August 7, 2007, in Kingston and it ended on September 5, 2007. In the end the prosecution downgraded the charge to summary (misdemeanour) from indictable (felony). Rosato was spared a criminal conviction and handed a conditional discharge including a psychiatric hospital residence order issued for a maximum of three years. Rosato was released from the hospital in December 2009 but remained on probation until September 2010.
(whom he also impersonated when he was a castmember on Saturday Night Live), William Conrad
, Danny Thomas
, Woodstock co-organizer Chip Monck
, SNL castmember John Belushi
, Tony Orlando
and Ella Fitzgerald
. His characters on SNL
, despite his short tenure, were memorable as well, and included Ed Asner
(in character as Lou Grant), Captain Kangaroo
, and U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
animated voice actor who has appeared in television and movies in both Canada and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Rosato was born in Naples, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and raised in Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. He planned to study chiropractic
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine...
medicine, but dropped out of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
after he began doing improv comedy at The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
. Rosato first gained attention when he and Robin Duke
Robin Duke
Robin Duke is a Canadian actress and comedian. Duke is most famous for her work on the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live. In the 2000s, Women Fully Clothed, a sketch comedy troupe which she co-founded, toured Canada...
joined the cast of the first incarnation of SCTV
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
in its final season during the fall of 1980. His most well-known character on the program was a notoriously drunk TV chef named Marcello Sebastiani.
After SCTV, Rosato moved with Duke to the cast of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
for the 1981-1982 season, becoming the first cast member to be born outside of North America. Following Jean Doumanian
Jean Doumanian
Jean Doumanian is an American producer.Doumanian is probably most well known for her short reign as producer of Saturday Night Live between November 1980 and March 1981...
's tenure during the sixth season and Dick Ebersol
Dick Ebersol
Duncan "Dick" Ebersol is an American television executive and a senior adviser for . He had previously been the chairman of NBC Sports, producing large scale television events such as the Olympic Games and National Football League broadcasts....
trying to retool the show (and relying on Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
and Joe Piscopo
Joe Piscopo
Joseph Charles John "Joe" Piscopo is an American comedian and actor best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
to spice up the sketches), Rosato (along with fellow SCTV cast member, Robin Duke
Robin Duke
Robin Duke is a Canadian actress and comedian. Duke is most famous for her work on the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live. In the 2000s, Women Fully Clothed, a sketch comedy troupe which she co-founded, toured Canada...
) only appeared on the show for one year before leaving due to an expired contract.
Rosato next emerged on the Canadian police drama Night Heat
Night Heat
Night Heat is a Canadian police drama series, which aired on CTV from 1985 to 1991. The show also aired on CBS in the United States from 1987 to 1993 and was the first Canadian-produced drama series to air on an American network...
, playing Arthur 'Whitey' Morelli. This role lasted from 1985 through 1989. In autumn of 1990, Rosato portrayed Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's character Luigi
Luigi
is a fictional character, featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger fraternal twin brother of Nintendo's mascot Mario, and appears in many games throughout the Mario series,...
on DiC
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
's television show The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 is an American animated television series based on the video game Super Mario Bros. 3. It aired on NBC with Captain N: The Game Master in a programming block titled Captain N & The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 from September 8, 1990 through December 1,...
(loosely based around the video game
Super Mario Bros. 3
, also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the third game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, in the United States in 1990, and in Europe in 1991...
of the same title). He continued his role as Luigi in 1991 for the Super Mario World cartoon. He continued to appear in television and film regularly throughout the 1990s.
He did a small voicing part in Resident Evil 3 as a man named Dario Rosso and Nemesis
Nemesis
Nemesis may refer to:* Nemesis , in Greek mythology, a spirit of divine retribution against those who succumb to hubris* Archenemy, the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction-Literature:...
.
In Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders, he played the voice of Dharak.
Voice Work
Rosato has also done voices for other animated series including PelswickPelswick
Pelswick is an animated television series produced by Nelvana for CBC Television in Canada and the Nickelodeon cable channel in the United States. The series is about a teenage boy who uses a wheelchair, emphasized how he lived a normal life and was based on the books created by John Callahan. It...
, George and Martha
George and Martha
George and Martha is an animated children's television show which comprises 26 episodes made in 1999. The program revolves around the lives of two hippos: George and Martha...
, Rescue Heroes
Rescue Heroes
Rescue Heroes is a line of toys from Fisher-Price that was introduced in 1997. Rescue Heroes depicts various rescue personnel and their equipment. In 1999, an animated television series titled Rescue Heroes was released and was based on the figurines...
, Birdz
Birdz
Birdz is an animated television series produced by Canada's Nelvana studio, and Scottish Television . The show was first broadcast in 1998 on CBS...
, The Busy World of Richard Scarry
The Busy World of Richard Scarry
The Busy World of Richard Scarry is a Canadian/French animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeon, and ran for 65 episodes...
, Hello Kitty and Friends, Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse
Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse
Marvin The Tap-Dancing Horse is a Canadian animated television show produced by Nelvana. It tells the stories of a young horse named Marvin who is part of a carnival. Among the Executive Producers are Michael Paraskevas and Betty Paraskevas, creators of Maggie and the Ferocious Beast who also...
, Peep and the Big Wide World
Peep and the Big Wide World
Peep and the Big Wide World is an animated cartoon that teaches nature and basic science concepts to preschoolers. The main characters include a baby chicken named Peep and his friends Quack, a blue duck, and Chirp, a red robin with purple eyelids...
, Interlude, Pippi Longstocking, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, Rolie Polie Olie
Rolie Polie Olie
Rolie Polie Olie is a children's television series produced by Nelvana and created by William Joyce. The show centers on a little boy who is composed of several spheres and other three-dimensional geometric shapes...
, Bad Dog
Bad Dog (TV series)
Bad Dog was an animated cartoon that aired on FOX Family and Teletoon in 1998. The cartoon focused on the Potanski family and their dog Berkeley. The show's gimmick was that, whenever Berkeley was told that he was a bad dog, he would freeze and pretend to be dead until someone told him he was a...
, Sam and Max: Freelance Police, Little Bear
Little Bear (TV series)
Maurice Sendak's Little Bear is a Canadian children's television series starring a Little Bear voiced by Kristin Fairlie. Originally produced by Nelvana for Nickelodeon, it currently airs on Treehouse TV in Canada and Nick Jr. in the United States. A direct-to-video full-length feature film was...
, Monster by Mistake
Monster by Mistake
Monster by Mistake is a Canadian computer-animated television program aired on YTV. The story deals with an eight-year-old boy named Warren Patterson and his older sister Tracy, as they deal with bullies, ghosts, magic and an irate sorcerer.-Synopsis:...
, Odd Job Jack
Odd Job Jack
Odd Job Jack was a Canadian animated comedy television show featuring Don McKellar, about one man's misadventures in temporary employment. Seen on and produced for the The Comedy Network, a cable specialty channel, and shown on Adult Swim in Latin America, the show is currently finished its...
, Free Willy
Free Willy (TV series)
For the 1954-1955 CBS situation comedy starring June Havoc, see Willy.Free Willy is an animated television series, inspired by the 1993 film of the same name....
, Blazing Dragons
Blazing Dragons
Blazing Dragons is the title of a popular British cartoon series, the brainchild of Monty Python's Terry Jones. A coinciding graphic adventure video game was released for the original PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996 by Crystal Dynamics...
, The Neverending Story
The Neverending Story (TV series)
The Neverending Story: The Animated Adventures of Bastian Balthazar Bux is an animated television series, produced by CineVox , Ellipse , and Nelvana , aired for one season on HBO, ran for 26 episodes, and loosely based on Michael Ende's book, The Neverending Story .In the animated series, the...
, Flash Gordon, Timothy Goes to School
Timothy Goes to School
Timothy Goes to School is a cartoon series based on the books by Rosemary Wells.It features a young raccoon, Timothy, who attends a fictional primary school kindergarten. The series aired on PBS Kids as part of the PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch from 2000 until 2004. It was later broadcast on Discovery...
, Time Warp Trio
Time Warp Trio
The Time Warp Trio is a book series written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith and later by Adam McCauley, which chronicles the adventures of three boys - Joe, Sam, and Fred - who travel through time and space with the aid of the mysterious Book.The storyline has been adapted into an...
, Roboroach
Roboroach
Roboroach is a Canadian animated television series, which ran on Teletoon in Canada and Jetix in Europe. It follows the story of a cockroach named Rube and his brother Reg. While scavenging for food, as seen in the introduction film, Rube is caught and experimented on...
, Tales from the Cryptkeeper
Tales from the Cryptkeeper
Tales from the Cryptkeeper is an animated series aimed at children made byNelvana Limited, PeaceArch Entertainment, kaBOOM! Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television Animation. It was shown on TVO and ABC,and is still shown near Halloween on Teletoon. It was based on the live-action television...
, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (TV series)
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is an animated television series based on the film of the same name. The series was produced by Morgan Creek Productions and Nelvana for Warner Bros. Studios. It aired for two seasons from 1995 to 1997 on CBS...
, Cyberchase
Cyberchase
Cyberchase is an American educational television series for children age 6-12, that teaches children discrete mathematics. The show airs on Public Broadcasting Service and PBS Kids GO! in the United States. Seasons one through five were produced by Thirteen/WNET New York and Nelvana...
, Redwall
Redwall (TV series)
Redwall is a television series made by Canada-based Nelvana and France-based Alphanim and is based on the Redwall novels by Brian Jacques. The series currently spans three seasons, the first based on the first book Redwall, the second on Mattimeo and the third on Martin the Warrior...
, Power Stone
Power Stone
Power Stone is a fully 3D arena fighting game series made by Capcom. Power Stone was initially released on the Sega NAOMI hardware and later ported to the Dreamcast...
, Anatole
Anatole (TV series)
Anatole is an animated children's television series based on the Anatole book series by Eve Titus. The series tells the story of Anatole, a mouse who lives in Paris. He works as a night watchman in a cheese factory. He has a wife, Doucette and a family of six little mice. It originally aired in...
, Elliott Moose, Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
, Ned's Newt
Ned's Newt
Ned's Newt is a Canadian/German cartoon series produced by Nelvana and TMO Film GmbH. The program aired from 1993 to 1996 in Germany, and on Teletoon from 1997 to 1998 in Canada. In the United States, the program aired on Fox Kids from 1998 to 1999, and was later rerun on Fox Family Channel...
, Medabots
Medabots
Medabots, known in Japan as , is a role-playing video game franchise developed by Natsume and published by Imagineer in Japan in 1997. The video game franchise was later adapted into a Japanese anime television series produced by Bee Train. Spanning 52 episodes, the series originally aired on TV...
, Highlander: The Animated Series
Highlander: The Animated Series
Highlander: The Animated Series is a Canadian-French animated television series which premiered on September 18, 1994. It is a loose spinoff of the cult classic 1986 film of the same name. The series was produced by Gaumont Multimedia with the worldwide distribution rights owned by Bohbot...
, Corduroy
Corduroy (TV series)
Corduroy is a 1997 animated TV series based on Don Freeman's 1968 children's book Corduroy. The show was shown on PBS Kids' Bookworm Bunch until it was cancelled along with Elliot Moose. The show was set in New York City. It was directed by Louis Piche and Larry Jacobs...
, Freaky Stories
Freaky Stories
Freaky Stories is a Canadian television series, which was originally broadcasted by YTV in English and Canal Famille in French...
, King
King (TV series)
King is a Canadian television series on Family, also aired on Nicktoons TV in the UK from 4 March 2006, and showing on POP! on March 12, 2007.-Plot:...
, Blaster's Universe, Stickin' Around
Stickin' Around
Stickin' Around is a Canadian animated children's television series from Nelvana, which originally aired on YTV in Canada and on ABC in Australia. In Latin America, it was broadcast by Nickelodeon under the title Los Grafitos...
, Bob and Margaret
Bob and Margaret
Bob and Margaret was a Canadian/UK animated television series that was also shown in the United States and all over the world. The series was produced by Nelvana, a Toronto animation studio, and created by Canadian David Fine and Brit Alison Snowden...
, Flying Rhino Junior High
Flying Rhino Junior High
Flying Rhino Junior High is a Canadian animated television series produced by Nelvana Limited and Scottish Television. It originally aired from October 3, 1998 to January 22, 2000 on the CBS Kids Show. Reruns used to be shown on STV in Scotland, and in 2011 reruns returned to YTV after a four...
, Avengers: United They Stand, Silver Surfer, The Dumb Bunnies, Undergrads
Undergrads
Undergrads is an animated television series centered on the lives of four college undergraduate freshmen. Originally broadcast on MTV during 2001, only thirteen episodes were created. It has since been shown on Comedy Central in the United States, Teletoon in Canada, and Trouble in the United Kingdom...
, Quads!, Angela Anaconda
Angela Anaconda
Angela Anaconda is a Canadian cutout animation television series that aired on the channels Teletoon and Fox Family. It centers on the adventures of an eight-year-old girl named Angela who lives in the fictional town of Tapwater Springs, has wacky brothers, weird friends, and hates a snobbish...
, Cyberchase
Cyberchase
Cyberchase is an American educational television series for children age 6-12, that teaches children discrete mathematics. The show airs on Public Broadcasting Service and PBS Kids GO! in the United States. Seasons one through five were produced by Thirteen/WNET New York and Nelvana...
, Slam Dunk
Slam Dunk (manga)
is a sports-themed manga series written by Takehiko Inoue about a basketball team from Shōhoku High School. It was first serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in Japan from 1990 to 1996 and had also been adapted into an anime series by Toei Animation which had been broadcast worldwide,...
, The Ripping Friends
The Ripping Friends
The Ripping Friends was an American/Canadian animated television series, created by John Kricfalusi. The show premiered September 22, 2001 on Fox Kids, but was cancelled in September 2002. Adult Swim later picked up the show. The series occasionally airs in Canada on Teletoon...
, Committed
Committed (TV series)
Committed is a Canadian animated television series that aired on CTV, beginning in 2001. It is currently airing on YTV.It was based on an American comic strip of the same name by Michael Fry, better known for Over the Hedge....
, Bedtime Primetime Classics, Elliott Moose, Franklin
Franklin (TV series)
Franklin is a Canadian animated television series, based on the Franklin the Turtle books by Brenda Clark and Paulette Bourgeois. The television series was named after its main character, Franklin the Turtle...
, Braceface
Braceface
Braceface is a Canadian animated series that aired on Teletoon in Canada, and on Disney Channel and ABC Family in the United States. Then Noggin's pre-teen programming block, The N, aired Braceface in reruns from May 2002 to April 2004. It moved in reruns on CBS as part of its KOL Secret Slumber...
, George Shrinks
George Shrinks
George Shrinks is a Canadian animated television series. It is based on the children's book by William Joyce, produced in China by Jade Animation and in Canada by Nelvana, in association with Public Broadcasting Service . It tells the story of a ten-year-old boy named George who, for unexplained...
, Delta State
Delta State
Delta State may refer to:*Delta State, a state in southern Nigeria.*Delta State , a Canadian animated television series.*Delta State University, a public university located in the U.S. state of Mississippi....
, Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series
Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series
Anne: The Animated Series is a half-hour animated television show produced by Sullivan Entertainment and created by writer/director/producer Kevin Sullivan. The series was developed for PBS and each episode contained an educational aspect. An issue or problem was woven into each show for one or...
, Mr. Men and Little Miss
Mr. Men and Little Miss
Mr Men and Little Miss aired in both the United Kingdom and the United States. In the United Kingdom, the program was fully animated, and the characters were voiced by British voice actors Geoffrey Palmer, Gordon Peters, Arnold Stang, and Jill Shilling. The show was narrated by Geoffrey Palmer...
, The Dumb Bunnies, The Accuser, Maggie and the Ferocious Beast
Maggie and the Ferocious Beast
Maggie and the Ferocious Beast is an animated TV series based on the books by Michael Paraskevas and his mother Betty. It currently airs on the American Channel Nick Jr.....
, Atomic Betty
Atomic Betty
Atomic Betty is a Canadian animated television series produced by Atomic Cartoons, Breakthrough Films & Television, and Tele Images Kids. Additional funding for production is provided by Teletoon in Canada and M6 and Télétoon in France. It currently airs on CITV. The series has once again begun...
and Mischief City.
Arrest
On May 5, 2005, Tony Rosato was arrested and chargedIndictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
with criminal harassment of his wife Leah, who asserted that Rosato's deteriorating mental health
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
had caused her to fear for her safety and that of the couple's infant daughter. The charge was laid after Rosato complained repeatedly to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
police that his wife, who had recently left him, and daughter had been abducted and replaced by impostors, a belief characteristic of Capgras delusion
Capgras delusion
The Capgras delusion theory is a disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, or other close family member has been replaced by an identical-looking impostor...
, a delusional misidentification syndrome
Delusional misidentification syndrome
Delusional misidentification syndrome is an umbrella term, introduced by Christodoulou for a group of delusional disorders that occur in the context of mental or neurological illness. They all involve a belief that the identity of a person, object or place has somehow changed or has been altered...
with which the Crown
Crown attorney
Crown Attorneys or Crown Counsel are the prosecutors in the legal system of Canada.Crown Attorneys represent the Crown and act as prosecutor in proceedings under the Criminal Code of Canada...
's expert psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
has diagnosed Rosato, according to Rosato's eighth lawyer, Daniel Brodsky. It was alleged that the harassment occurred from December 28, 2003 and escalated until April 21, 2005. In spite of the diagnosis Rosato, who denied he was mentally ill and refused to plead insanity, was held for over two years without bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
at a maximum-security detention centre. Daniel Brodsky, who calls his client's two-year detention awaiting trial "shocking," asserted that Rosato "spent more time in custody on a harassment charge" than anyone ever convicted of the offence in Canada, estimating that "on average, someone convicted of criminal harassment spends one day in jail and two years on probation." The trial finally commenced on August 7, 2007, in Kingston and it ended on September 5, 2007. In the end the prosecution downgraded the charge to summary (misdemeanour) from indictable (felony). Rosato was spared a criminal conviction and handed a conditional discharge including a psychiatric hospital residence order issued for a maximum of three years. Rosato was released from the hospital in December 2009 but remained on probation until September 2010.
Characters
Celebrities impersonated by Rosato on SCTV include: Lou CostelloLou Costello
Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...
(whom he also impersonated when he was a castmember on Saturday Night Live), William Conrad
William Conrad
William Conrad was an American actor, producer and director whose career spanned five decades in radio, film and television....
, Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas was an American nightclub comedian and television and film actor, best known for starring in the television sitcom Make Room for Daddy . He was also the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...
, Woodstock co-organizer Chip Monck
Chip Monck
Chip Monck is a Tony Award winning lighting designer, most famously serving as the Master of Ceremonies at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Personal History:...
, SNL castmember John Belushi
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
, Tony Orlando
Tony Orlando
Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis , better known as Tony Orlando, is an American show business professional, best known as the lead singer of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn in the early 1970s. Discovered by producer Don Kirshner, Orlando had songs on the charts in 1961 when he was 16, "Halfway to...
and Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
. His characters on SNL
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, despite his short tenure, were memorable as well, and included Ed Asner
Ed Asner
Edward Asner , commonly known as Ed Asner, is an American film, television, stage, and voice actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, primarily known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant...
(in character as Lou Grant), Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
, and U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese.