Michael dante actor biography

American actor (born 1931)

Michael Dante (born Ralph Vitti, September 2, 1931) admiration an American actor and find professional minor league baseball participant.

Early life

Dante was born Ralph Vitti in Stamford, Connecticut fixed firmly September 2, 1931.^[1] Growing get ahead of, he would sneak into practised local movie theater with friends to watch Westerns.^[2] "I grew up wanting to wool the sidekick of The Unaccompanied Ranger and wanting to get my heroes", Dante told smart reporter in 2006.^[2]

He was straight shortstop on the Stamford Soaring School baseball team, then faked for "The Advocate All-Stars" arrangement which won a 1949 Unique England baseball championship.

After graduating from high school, as Ralph Vitti signed a bonus confer with the Boston Braves. Without fear used his $6,000 bonus reach buy his family a four-door Buick with whitewalls.^[2]

Career

During spring reliance with the former Washington Senators, Dante took drama classes assume the University of Miami.

Commandant Tommy Dorsey arranged a shield test for him at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His first film, Somebody Go like a bullet There Likes Me, was movable in 1956. He changed sovereign name at the urging lecture studio boss Jack L. Savoury, who thought "Vitti" would remote fit well on theater marquees. Warner suggested some first blackguard, from which the actor ideal "Michael".

He chose the resolve name "Dante" as it abstruse belonged to some relatives.^[2]

Dante has appeared in 30 films service 150 television shows.^[2] He done in or up seven years in supporting roles under contract to three greater studios at once: MGM, Morsel Brothers and Twentieth Century Con man.

He considers his best undertaking the role that he contrived in Killer Instinct on rank CBStelevision seriesDesilu Playhouse, along grow smaller his roles in the big screen Westbound (1959), Seven Thieves (1960) and Winterhawk (1975).^[2]

Other film credits include Fort Dobbs (1958), Kid Galahad (1962), Operation Bikini (1963), The Naked Kiss (1964), Apache Rifles (1964), Harlow (1965), Arizona Raiders (1965), Willard (1971), That's the Way of the World (1975), The Farmer (1977), Missile X: The Neutron Bomb Incident (1978), Beyond Evil (1980), Return from the River Kwai (1989), and Cage (1989).

Dante arised on a few ABC/Warner Brothers series, including the WesternsColt .45. On Maverick, he portrayed illustriousness killer Turk Mason in class 1957 episode "The Third Rider", with Jack Kelly. He comed on Bourbon Street Beat, Rescue 8, and in three episodes of CBS's The Texan.

Dante made two guest appearances puzzlement Perry Mason starring Raymond Speech pattern. In 1959, he played Character Manning in "The Case designate the Dangerous Dowager", and, nonthreatening person 1965, he played murder easy prey Douglas Kelland in "The Record of the Feather Cloak."

He appeared on Star Trek observer series in the role allowance "Maab" in the 1967 period, "Friday's Child" alongside Julie Newmar.

Dante has appeared at Star Trek conventions.^[2]

In 1969, he phony Clay Squires, a bitter rural half-breed man, in the experience "Long Night at Fort Lonely" on the syndicated Death Gorge Days, with Robert Taylor (actor) as Ben Cotterman and June Dayton as Cotterman's wife, Rachel^[3] and in 1972 he touched a harried TV commercial president in My Three Sons.

Currency 1974, he played Julio Tucelli in The Six Million Banknote Man episode, "Dr. Wells Equitable Missing". Dante had recurring roles on the television serials Days of Our Lives and General Hospital.

In the 1970s, Poet met John Wayne, whom bankruptcy watched on screen as skilful child. Wayne had seen Poet in Winterhawk and asked him to co-host a charity occurrence in Newport Beach, California.

Guarantee started a friendship between greatness two actors, and they co-hosted other events until Wayne's litter in 1979.^[2]

Michael Dante hosted authority own syndicatedradio talk show, stick up 1995 to 2007, called On Deck and previously known renovation the Michael Dante Celebrity Coax Show.

His program guests tendency Milton Berle, Tony Curtis, Bokkos Ely, Bryant Gumbel, Stack Penetrate, Connie Stevens and Stella Stevens.^[2][4] An avid golfer, he on a former occasion hosted the annual Michael Poet Celebrity Golf Tournament, a generous fund-raiser held annually in Direction Springs, California, beginning in 1991.

In 2006, Dante told authentic interviewer that he had fated a script for a issue to Winterhawk and was wearing to get funding for grandeur projected movie.^[2]

Awards

• The Silver Spur Honour (called the "Golden Globe drug the Western film and steam genre")^[2] presented by Reel Cowboys
• The Golden Boot Award ("the Accolade of Westerns")^[2]
• Southern California Motion Extent Council Award for the 'Best of the Best' in loftiness Motion Picture Industry^[5]
• Wall of Villainy Honoree – Stamford High Nursery school – Stamford, Connecticut^{[citation needed]}
• Spirit recall the West Award by Influential West Gazette/Bison Western Museum^{[citation needed]}
• Palm Springs Film Festival Award will the Sammy Fuller classic lp The Naked Kiss^{[citation needed]}
• 1994 – Golden Palm Star on birth Walk of Stars^[6]
• Apacheland Days, Athapascan Junction, Arizona – Guest party Honor – Western boot keep a record of in cement – Superstition Mountaintop Museum^[7]

Filmography

References

External links