Abraham Charles "Abe" Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for a number of roles, especially his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather (1972) and Phil Fish in Barney Miller (1975–1977) and Fish (1977–1978); the latter role earned him three Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Abe Vigoda gained acting notability in the 1960's with his work on Broadway productions, including Marat/Sade playing "Mad Animal", The Man in the Glass Booth playing "Landau", Inquest , and Tough to Get Help. His best known film role is that of Capo Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather. He also appeared briefly in The Godfather Part II in a flashback sequence at the end of the film. According to Francis Ford Coppola's commentary on the DVD's widescreen edition, Vigoda landed the role of Tessio in an "open call", in which actors who did not have agents could come in for an audition. He gained further fame as Phil Fish on Barney Miller, a character known for his world-weary demeanor and persistent hemorrhoids..
Abe Died on January 26, 2016, Woodland Park, NJ at his daughters home.