Great character actor. One of the top “that guys” for a long time.
“Let me tell ya something - I dig your work.”
Oh man! I just watched Miller’s Crossing a few weeks ago in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep. One of the all time best movies and Polito as Jonny Caspar in what I consider his best performance was a big part of why.
“One thing I always try to teach my boys: always put one in the brain!”
First thing that came to mind.
He’s given his last high hat.
What odd serendipity. A friend at work just loaned me his copy of Miller’s Crossing today - we were talking about Coen Brother’s movies, and that’s one I’ve never seen.
Then you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
I love the Danny Boy scene in that movie. You’ll know it when you see it.
Oh, my! The dry-cleaner guy from Miller’s Crossing. 
The most recent thing I’ve seen him in is “Modern Family”, where he plays Ed O’Neill’s former business partner/current rival. He’s brilliant in that too.
Don’t watch TriPolar’s link then - huge spoiler.
Wasn’t he in an episode of Seinfeld, as well?
Only 65? Jeez, that guy looked 65 fifteen years ago!
The guy just seemed to pop up everywhere. I think I saw him most recently in “Major Crimes” as the owner of a shady computer security firm that had been hacked.
Yes, he was the landlord/super in the “Reverse Peepholes” episode.
He was a lead in the short-lived series The Chronicle. I was one of the few that watched and remember that show.
I was thinking the same thing. When he was in Homicide he was only around 40 but I thought he was much older.
For those who didn’t understand the picture I posted above.
In Homicide: Life on the Street Jon Polito played Det Crosetti. I’m not sure why but they decided to kill off the character off screen. It led to a memorable episode. It turned out that Crosetti committed suicide. When the squad wanted to give him a full funeral they were told that it was against policy to give a formal department funeral to someone who committed suicide. They were allowed to attend but not in uniform. Meanwhile Andre Braugher as Frank Pembleton says he doesn’t go to funerals and won’t be attending. When the funeral procession goes past the station Pembleton is on the front steps in full uniform rendering a crisp salute.
For me, Johnny Caspar was his most memorable performance. I particularly love the scene where he backhands his kid across the mouth and then comforts him by asking who hit him.
RIP Brother Shamus.
And the pawnbroker Gideon in The Crow, among a bunch of other things.
“Goddamned creatures of the night. They never learn.”
RIP, Jon.
I mainly knew him from Homicide. I’ve seen him in other stuff, of course.
I watched Miller’s Crossing again last night. They really should have just given Caspar the schmatte.
Also I completely forgot that Albert Finney was one of the women in the ladies room when Tommy went barging in.
I always thought a good compromise would have been to let Caspar’s crew slap Bernie around a little with a warning that if he kept up his shenanigans, he’d be offed next time - and follow through. Hopefully that’d mollify both Caspar and Verna.
Albert Finney was in the ladies’ room? I didn’t know. I’ll look out for him next time I watch.
Yes. Just as Tom went in, he’s on the right side of the screen, in a gray maid’s dress.
