Biography
Vincent Schiavelli was an American character actor. He trained at New York University, where he earned an MFA, and began his career in the early 1970s.
He appeared in numerous supporting roles on stage, film and television. Schiavelli is known for his performances as Bruce Fredrickson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Salieri's valet in Amadeus (1984), the Subway Ghost in Ghost (1990) and the Organ Grinder in Batman Returns (1992). He worked repeatedly with director Miloš Forman and also wrote three cookbooks and food articles for magazines and newspapers. In 1997 Vanity Fair named him one of America's best character actors.
Schiavelli was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 11 November 1948 and died of lung cancer on 26 December 2005 in Polizzi Generosa, Sicily.
