Actor Richard Romanus has died at the age of 80.
“The Sopranos” star died at a hospital in Volos, Greece, on Dec. 23, his son Robert confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter. A cause of death has not yet been announced.
Romanus played a slew of tough guy characters throughout his career, including Michael Longo in “Mean Streets” (1973) — Martin Scorsese’s first widely acclaimed film — and Richard LaPenna in “The Sopranos” (1999-2002).
He also appeared in the films “Point of No Return” (1993), “Oscar” (1991) and “Sitting Ducks” (1980). Romanus contributed his talents as a voice actor to “Wizards” (1977), “Heavy Metal” (1981) and “Hey Good Lookin'” (1982).
He appeared in guest roles on such television series as “Starsky and Hutch” (1975-1979) and “Hawaii Five-O” (1968-1980) and in regular roles on the series “Strike Force” (1981-1982) and “Foul Play” (1981).
The Connecticut-raised actor, born Feb. 8, 1943, in Barre, Vermont, earned a philosophy degree in 1964 from Xavier University in Cincinnati before heading to law school.
He only attended for one year before deciding instead to pursue acting, studying at the Actors Studio under famed teacher Lee Strasberg.
Romanus is survived by his son, shared with his first wife, actress and singer Tina Bohlman, whom he married in 1967 and divorced in 1985; his younger brother Robert Romanus, who appeared in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”; and his second wife Anthea Sylbert, an Oscar-nominated costume designer whom he wed in August 1985.
Sylbert and Romanus moved to Skiathos, Greece, more than two decades ago, where the couple wrote and produced two Lifetime telefilms — “Giving Up the Ghost” (1998) and “If You Believe” (1999) — and became honorary citizens of Skiathos in 2021.
Romanus also penned multiple books set in the country: “Chrysalis” (2011), “Matoula’s Echo” (2014) and his memoir, “Act III: A Small Island in the Aegean” (2011).
