Michael DeLano — whose decades-long career spanned hit TV shows, action classics, and major studio films — has died at age 84.
The actor passed away on Oct. 20 in Las Vegas, his family confirmed in a death notice.
His wife of 28 years, Jean Delano, told The Hollywood Reporter that the cause of death was a heart attack.
Serving as a paratrooper
Born in New York City in 1940, DeLano entered entertainment long before his first screen role. The skydiving, motorcycle-riding, thrill-seeking DeLano got his first real taste of excitement at age 10, when he moved to Harlem and joined a neighborhood singing group. By 14, he was convinced he’d already seen enough of life — and entertainment — to leave home and chase an acting career in Hollywood.
When that dream didn’t take off, he hit the road as a singer instead, traveling from town to town and performing wherever he could.
Later, during his time in the Army, DeLano kept performing, spending three years acting and singing in military revues while also serving as a paratrooper.
The Key Larson project
Then in 1960, at just 20 years old, Michael DeLano briefly became Key Larson after signing a recording deal with Swan Records. The new name was part of the package. He recorded a few songs and quickly landed spots as a guest artist on American Bandstand. But the stage name never felt right to him.
By the early 1970s, he transitioned into acting, landing spots on Adam-12, Barnaby Jones, Banyon, and early film roles in Catlow (1971) and The New Centurions (1972).
DeLano’s first major TV role came in 1974, playing firefighter Sonny Caputo across all 13 episodes of ABC’s Firehouse. Caputo was the company cook and the comedian of the group.
After that came a steady run of guest appearances on some of the biggest shows of the era, including Kojak, The Rockford Files, and Starsky and Hutch.
His most memorable television work came soon after, when he charmed audiences as smooth-talking lounge singer Johnny Venture on Rhoda, appearing in 11 episodes opposite Valerie Harper.
Big-screen role in 2001
The actor continued to stay busy through the late ’70s and ’80s, showing up on Charlie’s Angels, The Jeffersons, Wonder Woman, Magnum, P.I., and The A-Team.
His film work included a role as a motorcycle cop in 9 to 5 (1980) and Forrestal — a former ally of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s John Matrix — in the 1985 action hit Commando.
DeLano kept up the pace in the ’90s, appearing in comedies like Another Stakeout and Father Hood as well as action titles such as Zero Tolerance, Lion Strike, Private Wars, and Fists of Iron.
His most widely recognized big-screen role came in 2001, when Steven Soderbergh cast him as a Las Vegas casino manager working for Andy García’s Terry Benedict in Ocean’s Eleven. He returned for Ocean’s Twelve in 2004. Later credits included CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Wong Kar-wai’s My Blueberry Nights (2007), and his final performance in a pair of Royal Pains episodes in 2012.
DeLano is survived by his wife Jean, daughter Bree, and three grandchildren: Michael, Lincoln, and Jaxon. Rest in peace, Michael!
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