Ron Carey

He was a notably short Italian nasaltoned and mischievouslooking fellow a perfect type for the standup comedy circuit and for playing Brooklynesque characters in TV sitcoms and filmswhich is just what Ron Carey did He was born Ronald Joseph Cicenia in Newark New Jersey on December eleventh 1935 into a huge Italian family his father was a singing waiter at one time Ron earned his Bachelors degree in communications from Seton Hall University in South Orange in 1956 but it didnt take him long to change directions Together his pintsized frame actually he was 57 but acted much shorter pushy attitude and elastic face seemed like an ideal blend for inducing laughs so he decided to begin a career in entertainment instead Ron moved to nearby New York and took to the comedy stage finding work in such prime clubs as The Improvisation He soon earned notice for his little man humor which was built around Italian family and Roman Catholic guilt jokes in reality he once considered being a priest Ron finally gained some momentum on TV making various funnyman appearances on the talkvariety show formats hosted by the best of the best Jack Paar Merv Griffin Mike Douglas Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson He also found lucrative work in commercials playing various feisty or hapless characters Ron finally broke into films with the Jack LemmonSandy Dennis comedy The Out of Towners 1970 as a Boston taxi driver then continued on with other minor bits in Who Killed Mary Whatsername 1971 and the cult film Made for Each Other 1971 starring Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor Earlier Ron appeared on Broadway in the couples 1968 hit comedy Lovers and Other Strangers It wasnt until his work as a secondary staple in Mel Brooks madcap company that he earned even a modicum of success in films His participation in the zany parodies Silent Movie 1976 High Anxiety 1977 and History of the World Part I 1981 occurred during the height of his TV fame Likewise he went on to deliver a substantial role as plussized Dom DeLuises unsympathetic brother Frankie in Fatso 1980 directed by Brooks wife Anne Bancroft As for the smaller screen a regular player on the summer variety series The Melba MooreClifton Davis Show 1972 led to his being cast in the New Yorkarea sitcom The Corner Bar 1972 and the ethnic family comedy The Montefuscos 1975 A steady paycheck was not to be had however until he was added to the second season ensemble of Barney Miller 1975 headed by Hal Linden and Abe Vigoda Ron earned sympathy strokes as Carl Levitt a brownnosing eagerbeaver patrolman who yearned to be a plainclothes detective in Barneys police agency but just didnt measure up because of his vertically challenged stature Ron whose character finally received a promotion after the long haul stayed with the popular show until its cancellation in 1982 Ron died of complications from a stroke at seventyone years old in Los Angeles and is survived by longtime wife Sharon