biography

Tony Lo Bianco Born on October 19, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York, actor Tony Lo Bianco was the son of a taxi driver and grew up in the tough neighborhood of Bensonhurst. As an athletic teenager, he fought in the Golden Gloves as a welterweight. His dream of playing professional baseball led to a failed tryout with the Dodgers in 1954, yet Lo Bianco had also taken an interest in acting while enrolled in high school vocational classes in the 1950s. He founded the Weekend Theater in 1956 as a way of gaining acting experience, and in 1963 he founded the Triangle Theater to help budding stage actors and directors. After spending many years in off-Broadway productions, he finally landed a supporting role in his first Broadway play, Incident at Vichy, in 1964. While he was cast in several more Broadway plays in the late 1960s, none was a huge success, so he began to explore the possibilities of film and television. In 1965, he landed his first film role, billed as Anthony Greco, in Doris Wishman's low-budget sexploitation flick The Sex Perils of Paulette (1965; with Darlene Bennett). He went on to make appearances in the television series Get Smart, N.Y.P.D., and Hawk in the late 1960s before landing a breakthrough role as Raymond Fernandez in The Honeymoon Killers (1970; with Shirley Stoler and Doris Roberts), shot for $150,000 in six weeks in 1969. The film was a critical if not a commercial success in the U.S. but found an enthusiastic audience in Europe and has since gone on to become a cult classic.

The Honeymoon Killers posterTony Lo Bianco

RIGHT: Poster from Tony Lo Bianco's first starring role in the cult classic The Honeymoon Killers. Co-star Shirley Stoler is also pictured. LEFT: Early 1970s 20th Century Fox promotional photo


This film proved to be a springboard for Lo Bianco, who followed up with the blockbuster crime thriller The French Connection (1971; with Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider). In order to provide a steady paycheck, in 1971 he took the role of Dr. Joe Corelli on the CBS soap opera Love of Life, staying with the show until 1973, when he was cast in another well-received crime thriller The Seven-Ups (1973; with Roy Scheider and Richard Lynch). He also took roles in such drive-in flicks as the Italian comedy Mean Frank and Crazy Tony (1973; with Lee Van Cleef), the horror thriller God Told Me To (1976; with Deborah Raffin and Richard Lynch), and Goldenrod (1976; with Donald Pleasence).

the films of tony lo bianco

The Sex Perils of Paulette (1965)

Tony Lo Bianco

Lo Bianco's first film appearance came in Doris Wishman's sexploitation drama The Sex Perils of Paulette portraying the 'nice guy' boyfriend of the doomed title character

The Honeymoon Killers (1970)

Tony Lo Bianco and Barbara CasonTony Lo Bianco and Shirley Stoler

Lo Bianco portrays Raymond Fernandez in the cult crime drama The Honeymoon Killers, based on the true story of Fernandez and Martha Beck, The Lonely Hearts Killers who murdered women for their money in the late 1940s. LEFT: With Barbara Cason. RIGHT: With costar Shirley Stoler

Mean Frank and Crazy Tony (1973)

Tony Lo Bianco

Lo Bianco stars as title character thug Tony Breda in the crime comedy Mean Frank and Crazy Tony, an Italian exploitation flick shot in Italy

The Seven-Ups (1973)

Tony Lo Bianco and Roy ScheiderTony Lo Bianco and Roy Scheider

With Roy Scheider in Philip D'Antoni's crime drama The Seven-Ups

The Story of Jacob and Joseph (1974)

Tony Lo Bianco

From the ABC made-for-TV movie The Story of Jacob and Joseph

Goldenrod (1976)

Donald Pleasence and Tony Lo Bianco

With Donald Pleasence in the Canadian drama Goldenrod

Bloodbrothers (1978)

Tony Lo Bianco and Richard GerePaul Sorvino, Richard Gere, and Tony Lo Bianco

From the blue-collar drama Bloodbrothers. LEFT: Tony Lo Bianco portrays Richard Gere's father. RIGHT: With Paul Sorvino and Richard Gere

Welcome Home, Bobby (1986)

Tony Lo Bianco and Timothy Williams

Lo Bianco is the father of troubled teen Timothy Williams in the CBS made-for-TV drama Welcome Home, Bobby

The Ann Jillian Story (1988)

Ann Jillian and Tony Lo Bianco

Tony Lo Bianco portrays Ann Jillian's husband, Andy Murcia, in the made-for-TV biopic The Ann Jillian Story

Body of Evidence (1988)

Barry Bostwick and Tony Lo Bianco

With Barry Bostwick in the CBS TV movie Body of Evidence

City of Hope (1991)

Tony Lo Bianco and Joe Morton

With Joe Morton in the crime drama City of Hope

The Juror (1996)

Alec Baldwin and Tony Lo Bianco

From the Columbia thriller The Juror with Alec Baldwin

later years

Since the late 1970s, Lo Bianco's career was largely focused on television, in made-for-television films, and on a couple of short-lived television series. While he directed several episodes of television series, he has directed only one film, the low-budget thriller Too Scared to Scream (1985; with Mike Connors and Anne Archer). Lae in his career, he enjoyed success on stage in the role of the late New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia in a one-man show called The Little Flower, adapted from the Broadway production Hizzoner! in which Lo Bianco acted in the late 1980s. Lo Bianco's final film was the comedy/drama Somewhere in Queens (2022; with Laurie Metcalf and Ray Romano).

Lo Bianco is the father of three daughters with first wife, Dora, a writer whom he married in 1964. The couple parted ways in 1984, and he married again in 2002 to second wife Elizabeth. He and his second wife divorced in 2008, and he married third wife Alyse in 2015. Sadly, Tony Lo Bianco passed away from cancer on June 11, 2024 at age 87. He is survived by his wife Alyse and his three daughters.

filmography

FILM
Somewhere in Queens (2022) with Laurie Metcalf, Ray Romano, and Karen Lynn Gorney
'79 Parts (2019) with Ryan O'Callaghan, Eric Roberts, and Sandra Bernhard
Send No Flowers (2013) with Sean Young
Kill the Irishman (2011) with Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, and Paul Sorvino
Frame of Mind (2009) with Chris Noth and Barbara Barrie
The Last Request (2006) with T.R. Knight, Danny Aiello, Mario Cantone, Joe Piscopo, Barbara Feldon, Mary Birdsong, and Gilbert Gottfried
The Engagement Ring (2005) with Patricia Heaton, Vincent Spano, and Lainie Kazan
N.Y.-70 (2005) with Donnie Wahlberg
Hate (2005) with Marcia Gay Harden
Endangered Species (2003) with Eric Roberts and John Rhys-Davies
Il pi첫 crudele dei giorni (2003) with Erika Blanc
Lucky Day (2002) with Amanda Donohoe
Down 'n Dirty (2001) with Fred Williamson, Bubba Smith, Gary Busey, Beverly Johnson, and David Carradine
Friends and Family (2001) with Greg Lauren and Christopher Gartin
The Day the Ponies Come Back (2000) with Burt Young
Rocky Marciano (1999) with Jon Favreau, Penelope Ann Miller, Judd Hirsch, and George C. Scott
Jane Austen's Mafia! (1998) with Jay Mohr, Billy Burke, Christina Applegate, Olympia Dukakis, and Lloyd Bridges
The Pawn (1998) with Greg Evigan
Bella Mafia (1997) with Vanessa Redgrave, Dennis Farina, Nastassja Kinski, Jennifer Tilly, Illeana Douglas, and James Marsden
Let Me Call You Sweetheart (1997) with Meredith Baxter, Victor Garber, and Nick Mancuso
Cold Night Into Dawn (1997) with Michael Ironside and Anthony Michael Hall
Sworn to Justice (1996) with Cynthia Rothrock, Brad Dourif, and Walter Koenig
The Juror (1996) with Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, James Gandolfini, Anne Heche, and Michael Constantine
Nixon (1995) with Anthony Hopkins, Powers Boothe, Ed Harris, Bob Hoskins, E.G. Marshall, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Sorvino, Mary Steenburgen, and James Woods
Tyson (1995) with George C. Scott, Paul Winfield, Michael Jai White, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner
The Ascent (1994) with Vincent Spano, Ben Cross, and Rachel Ward
La ragnatela del silenzio - A.I.D.S. (1994)
Power and Lovers (1994) with Vincent Riotta
Boiling Point (1993) with Wesley Snipes, Dennis Hopper, Lolita Davidovich, Viggo Mortensen, Valerie Perrine, and Paul Gleason
The Sands of Time (1992) with Deborah Raffin, Michael Nouri, Amanda Plummer, Rene Auberjonois, Martin Balsam, Nina Foch, Roddy McDowall, Constance Towers, and James Brolin
Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992) with Brian Dennehy, Jeff Daniels, Maria Conchita Alonso, Eli Wallach, and Donald Moffat
Stormy Weathers (1992) with Cybill Shepherd, Robert Beltran, Roy Thinnes, Philip Baker Hall, and Vonetta McGee
In the Shadow of a Killer (1992) with Scott Bakula, Miguel Ferrer, and Robert Forster
City of Hope (1991) with Vincent Spano and Chris Cooper
The 10 Million Dollar Getaway (1991) with John Mahoney
The Good Policeman (1991) with Ron Silver and Blair Brown
Perry Mason: The Case of the Poisoned Pen (1990) with Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William R. Moses, Cindy Williams, Barbara Babcock, David Warner, and Earl Boen
Death Has a Bad Reputation (1990) with Elizabeth Hurley
Body of Evidence (1988) with Margot Kidder and Barry Bostwick
The Ann Jillian Story (1988) with Ann Jillian and Viveca Lindfors
Police Story: The Freeway Killings (1987) with Richard Crenna, Angie Dickinson, Don Meredith, Ben Gazzara, and Gloria Loring
Blood Ties (1986) with Brad Davis, Vincent Spano, and Maria Conchita Alonso
Welcome Home, Bobby (1986) with Timothy Williams, Adam Baldwin, and John Karlen
Lady Blue (1985) with Danny Aiello, Katy Jurado, and Jim Brown
Hizzoner! (1985)
City Heat (1984) with Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Jane Alexander, Madeline Kahn, Rip Torn, Irene Cara, and Richard Roundtree
Jessie (1984) with Lindsay Wagner and Celeste Holm
Another Woman's Child (1983) with Linda Lavin, Joyce Van Patten, and Doris Roberts
Separate Ways (1981) with Karen Black, Monte Markham, David Naughton, Jack Carter, Sharon Farrell, William Windom, Robert Fuller, and Sybil Danning
Marciano (1979) with Belinda Montgomery, Vincent Gardenia, Dolph Sweet, and Michael Pataki
A Last Cry for Help (1979) with Linda Purl, Shirley Jones, Murray Hamilton, Grant Goodeve , and Delta Burke
Champions: A Love Story (1979) with Shirley Knight, Jimmy McNichol, Richard Jaeckel, and Eddie Deezen
Magee and the Lady (1978) with Sally Kellerman
Bloodbrothers (1978) with Paul Sorvino, Richard Gere, Marilu Henner, and Robert Englund
The Last Tenant (1978) with Lee Strasberg, Christine Lahti, and Danny Aiello
F.I.S.T. (1978) with Sylvester Stallone, Rod Steiger, Peter Boyle, Melinda Dillon, and Ken Kercheval
Merciless Man (1976) with Maud Adams, Adolfo Celi, and Howard Ross
God Told Me To (1976) with Deborah Raffin, Sandy Dennis, Sylvia Sidney, and Richard Lynch
Goldenrod (1976) with Donald Pleasence
A Shadow in the Streets (1975) with Sheree North and Dana Andrews
The Story of Jacob and Joseph (1974) with Colleen Dewhurst
The Seven-Ups (1973) with Roy Scheider, Ken Kercheval, Richard Lynch, and Bill Hickman
Mean Frank and Crazy Tony (1973) with Lee Van Cleef
Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside (1973) with Hal Linden
The French Connection (1971) with Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, and Bill Hickman
The Honeymoon Killers (1970) with Shirley Stoler, Doris Roberts, Marilyn Chris, and Barbara Cason
A Fine Pair (1968) with Rock Hudson, Claudia Cardinale, Leon Askin, Ellen Corby, and Tomas Milian
The Sex Perils of Paulette (1965) with Alan Feinstein and Darlene Bennett; directed by Doris Wishman

TELEVISION SERIES
Palace Guard, 1991 CBS TV series. Lo Bianco portrayed Arturo Taft
Jessie, 1984 ABC TV series. Lo Bianco portrayed Lieutenant Alex Ascoli
Love of Life, 1951-1980 CBS daytime drama. Lo Bianco portrayed Dr. Joe Corelli from 1971-1973

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Law & Order: Criminal Intent, episode World's Fair, originally aired January 2, 2007
Law & Order, episode True Crime, originally aired October 16, 2002
Walker, Texas Ranger, episode Saturday Night, originally aired February 10, 2001
Law & Order, episode Menace, originally aired February 5, 1997
Homicide: Life on the Street, episode End Game, originally aired February 10, 1995
Homicide: Life on the Street, episode Dead End, originally aired February 3, 1995
Homicide: Life on the Street, episode The City That Bleeds, originally aired January 27, 1995
Murder, She Wrote, episode Proof in the Pudding, originally aired January 9, 1994
Law & Order, episode Cradle to Grave, originally aired March 31, 1992
Murder, She Wrote, episode The Skinny According to Nick Cullhane, originally aired May 12, 1991
CBS Schoolbreak Special, episode Malcolm Takes a Shot, originally aired April 24, 1990
ABC Afterschool Specials, episode Over the Limit, originally aired February 22, 1990
True Blue, episode Pilot: Part 1, originally aired December 3, 1989
CBS Summer Playhouse, episode Off Duty, originally aired August 16, 1988
Night Heat, episode Flashback, originally aired August 25, 1987
American Masters, episode Eugene O'Neill: A Glory of Ghosts, originally aired September 8, 1986
The Twilight Zone, episode If She Dies/Ye Gods, originally aired October 25, 1985
Lady Blue, episode Pilot, originally aired April 15, 1985
The Paper Chase, episode The Advocates, originally aired August 7, 1984
Today's F.B.I., episode The Bureau, originally aired October 25, 1981
Jesus of Nazareth, episode Part 2, originally aired April 10, 1977
Origins of the Mafia, episode Omertà, originally aired September 1, 1976
Police Story, episode Eamon Kinsella Royce, originally aired February 20, 1976
Police Story, episode Firebird, originally aired February 6, 1976
The Streets of San Francisco, episode Solitaire, originally aired March 13, 1975
Police Story, episode Sniper, originally aired February 11, 1975
Police Story, episode Explosion, originally aired December 3, 1974
Police Story, episode Glamour Boy, originally aired October 29, 1974
Police Story, episode The Hunters, originally aired February 26, 1974
Police Story, episode Requiem for an Informer, originally aired October 9, 1973
Madigan, episode The Manhattan Beat, originally aired September 20, 1972
Great Performances, episode A Memory of Two Mondays, originally aired January 28, 1971
N.Y.P.D., episode Stones, originally aired February 27, 1968
N.Y.P.D., episode Cry Brute, originally aired February 6, 1968
Hawk, episode H Is a Dirty Letter, originally aired December 1, 1966
Get Smart, episode Smart the Assassin, originally aired February 19, 1966

tony lo bianco links

Tony Lo Bianco: Official Website

tony lo bianco trailers now showing

Watch the trailers for Tony Lo Bianco's 1970 crime drama The Honeymoon Killers and 1976 horror film God Told Me To

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