Reni Santoni

Reni Santoni (born April 21, 1939, died August 1, 2020) was an American film, television and voice actor.

Life and career
Santoni was born in New York City of Italian, French and Spanish descent.

He began his career in off-Broadway theatre. His first significant film role was an uncredited appearance in the 1964 film The Pawnbroker, starring Rod Steiger, in which he played a junkie trying to sell a radio to the title character, using anti-Semitic slurs that have absolutely no effect.

Santoni's first leading role was as the young actor in Carl Reiner's Enter Laughing. His other well-known film roles include Inspector "Chico" González in the 1971 classic Dirty Harry, as Ramon Herrera in the 1983 hit drama Bad Boys and as detective Tony Gonzales in 1986 action film "Cobra". Around that time he also made guest appearances on television shows such as Barnaby Jones, Hardcastle and McCormick, Hill Street Blues and Midnight Caller. In 1973 he was a junior partner on, "Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law". (Santoni and "Owen Marshall" co-star Lee Majors were born the same week in April 1939).

Some of his more memorable characterizations include "Poppie", the unhygienic, incontinent, anti-abortion restaurateur on TV's Seinfeld, and "Captain Carlos Rodríguez" in Carl Reiner's comedy film Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid.

Death
Santoni died on August 1, 2020 at a hospice in Los Angeles at the age of 82. He had several health issues during his last years, including cancer.

Filmography

 * Strangers in the City (1962)
 * The Pawnbroker (1964)
 * Enter Laughing (1967)
 * Anzio (1968)
 * Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969)
 * Dirty Harry (1971)
 * Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
 * Bad Boys (1983)
 * Brewster's Millions (1985)
 * Radioactive Dreams (1985)
 * Cobra (1986)
 * The Pick-up Artist (1987)
 * Bright Lights, Big City (1988) (voice)
 * The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)
 * Private Parts (1997)
 * Dr. Dolittle (1998) (voice)
 * Can't Hardly Wait (1998)
 * 28 Days (2000)
 * Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001) (voice)
 * Kingpin (2003) (mini series)
 * Gang Warz (2004)
 * Double Tap (2006)
 * Irene in Time (2009)