Character actor John Capodice, known for his roles in General Hospital and Ace Ventura among others, died Monday, a listing on New Jersey’s Pizzi Funeral Home website, reveals. He was 83.
Capodice played Carmine Cerullo from 1994-1996 in six episodes of the soap opera and appeared as a police officer who was dismissive of Carrey’s pet detective in the 1994 movie.
An actor who appeared on stage, TV and film, Capodice’s other film credits include roles in Wall Street, The Doors, Honeymoon in Vegas, Speed and Independence Day.
He had an extensive list of TV show guest-star credits including CSI, Seinfeld, Ellen, Another World, Knots Landing, Law & Order, Will & Grace, Spenser: For Hire, Kate & Allie, As the World Turns, Moonlighting, Murphy Brown, Melrose Place, Mad About You, Diagnosis Murder, Six Feet Under, The West Wing and Murder, She Wrote. His first TV role was in six episodes of Ryan’s Hope as Lloyd Lord.
He also made two memorable commercial appearances. In one for Polly-O String Cheese, he played Fred, a perplexed pizzeria worker who gets an order for pizza with extra cheese but to hold the tomato sauce and crust. Indeed, the kids ordering the pizza with “nuttin’” just wanted the mozzarella cheese, which Polly-O sells in stick form and called the “best part of the pizza.” He also played a source of unsolicited medical advice in an ad for Dimetapp cold medicine.
Born on Christmas Day in 1941 in Chicago, Capodice served in the U.S. Army in Korea from 1964-1966 before launching his acting career in the late 1970s.
He is described by the funeral home as a “devoted husband, father and grandfather” who will be “missed by all who had the pleasure to meet him.”
In addition to his work as an actor, he was a proud member of the fraternal organization, the Blauvelt Sons of Italy Rockland Lodge 2176.
He is survived by his wife, daughters and four grandchildren.
Donations in his memory can be made to the New York homeless veterans charity Rockland Homes for Heroes
