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Tony Rosato
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tony Rosato (born December 26, 1954 in Naples, Italy) is an Italian-born actor who appears in television and movies in both Canada and the United States.
Raised in Ottawa, 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 Sebastiano.
After SCTV, Rosato moved with Duke to the cast of Saturday Night Live for the 1981-1982 season. The show was in somewhat of a state of turmoil at the time, and Rosato's contract was not renewed. He was glad to leave, however, because he felt that being on the show had encouraged his drug addiction.
Rosato next emerged on the Canadian police drama Night Heat, playing Arthur 'Whitey' Morelli 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 videogame of the same title). He continued his role as Luigi in 1991 for the "Super Mario World" cartoon. He continues to appear in television and film regularly.
Celebrities impersonated by Rosato on SCTV include: Lou Costello, William Conrad, Danny Thomas, Woodstock co-organizer Chip Monk, John Belushi, Tony Orlando and Ella Fitzgerald.