Victor Argo brought a deep voice and a lived-in face to cops, gangsters and small parts that could easily have stayed anonymous. We value his solidity, though too many of those parts asked only for menace.
Fi1m perspective
Argo could look intimidating before he spoke. His jowly face and deep voice suited cops and heavies, but they also gave a small part an immediate identity. In Taxi Driver (1976), his deli owner Melio helps make the city feel inhabited beyond Travis, even though the film leaves too little room for anyone but its central character. We found Travis's company frightening because Robert De Niro's restraint makes it hard to know what he will do next.
His early work with Martin Scorsese included Mario in Mean Streets (1973), and the association offered one conspicuous escape from the usual casting: the Apostle Peter in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). That part matters because so much of his screen work asked for another intimidating New Yorker. It is a reason to be curious about him beyond the crime films, rather than to pretend that every small appearance was a revelation.
Abel Ferrara gave him a more substantial part as the weary, righteous detective Roy Bishop in King of New York (1990). In Bad Lieutenant (1992), he appears as Bet Cop, with Harvey Keitel carrying the film's distress. We recommend that punishing film for Keitel, whose suffering never makes the policeman's behaviour less repellent, rather than for Argo's supporting appearance. Yet Argo helped make the central performance possible: he persuaded Keitel to take the lead.
Later, Jarmusch cast him as an ageing gangster, Vinny, in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999). There is pleasure in recognising an actor who can give a small role some weight, but also frustration when the same sort of role keeps coming round. We would have liked more departures from the heavies. Start with Taxi Driver, then try King of New York for a part that gives him more to do.
Biography
Victor Argo (born Victor Jiménez) was an American actor and musician. He appeared in nearly 70 theatrical films and numerous television productions, often in supporting roles as tough or intimidating characters.
Argo made his film debut in the early 1970s and became a frequent collaborator with directors Martin Scorsese and Abel Ferrara. His credits include Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976) as Melio, The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Bad Lieutenant (1992), True Romance (1993) and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999). He also worked in stage productions and made his Broadway debut in the final months of his life in Anna in the Tropics.
Argo died in New York City on 7 April 2004, aged 69.
