Vincent Schiavelli could look unsettling before he had said a word, but we value him for more than a memorable face. His supporting eccentrics worked best when the film gave them something useful to do.
Fi1m perspective
Schiavelli's tall, gaunt figure and drooping eyes made him immediately recognisable in a crowd. In Jerry Zucker's Ghost (1990), he plays the Subway Ghost, an unlikely teacher. We enjoyed his teaching scenes because watching a ghost explain how things work gives the supernatural story a welcome practical turn. Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore make the romance affecting, but its plot repeatedly tests our willingness to believe it. Schiavelli gives us a small, concrete reason to stay with the film.
His film career began with Miloš Forman's Taking Off (1971), followed by the breakthrough supporting role of Bruce Frederickson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Forman directed him in five films, including Amadeus (1984), in which he played Salieri's valet. That repeated employment makes sense: Schiavelli was good at making a small part count in an ensemble. Supporting roles remained the basis of his work across film and television.
In Tim Burton's Batman Returns (1992), he plays the Organ Grinder, a henchman. It is a good fit, though this is also the sort of casting that can reduce him to an unusual face in an already crowded film. We rate the film for its dark humour and elaborate design despite the untidy plotting; Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito have the substantial villainous parts. Schiavelli belongs in that company, but the part gives us less reason than Ghost to look beyond his appearance.
Typecasting was the limit, and a memorable appearance could become an excuse not to write him much of a character. We do not need to imagine a thwarted leading man to take his supporting work seriously. We do want the films to give him something to do once he has caught our attention. Start with Ghost, where his ability to teach is at least as important as his ability to unsettle.
Biography
Vincent Schiavelli (1948–2005) was an American character actor noted for numerous supporting roles in film and television. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied acting at New York University and began performing on stage in the 1960s. He attributed his height and distinctive appearance to Marfan syndrome, of which he was an honorary co-chair of the National Marfan Foundation.
Schiavelli appeared in Miloš Forman films including One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) as Bruce Fredrickson and Amadeus (1984) as Salieri's valet. He played the Subway Ghost in Ghost (1990) and the Organ Grinder in Batman Returns (1992), and had roles in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Man on the Moon (1999) and episodes of The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
In addition to acting, Schiavelli was a food writer. He authored three cookbooks and received the James Beard Foundation Journalism Award in 2001.
