RICHARD CONTE

Richard Conte (1910-75) was spotted by Elia Kazan and John Garfield when he was working as an entertainer at a Connecticut resort. That led to stage work, and he eventually earned a scholarship to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, where he became a standout actor and played on Broadway. His first film performance in 1939, HEAVEN WITH A BARBED WIRE FENCE. In 1942 he signed with 20th Century Fox, debuting for the studio in GUADALCANAL DIARY (1943). During the World War II years, Conte played mostly soldiers in war dramas, including A WALK IN THE SUN (1945). Following the war, Conte appeared in many films noir, including CRY OF THE CITY and CALL NORTHSIDE 777 (both from 1948) and THIEVES' HIGHWAY (1949). In the early-‘50s, Conte began appearing in films for various studios. Critics and fans consider his best films from that era include the film noir B-movies THE SLEEPING CITY (1950), HIGHWAY DRAGNET (1954) and THE BLUE GARDENIA (1953). When film noir waned in the ‘60s Conte career continued to work in Hollywood, though less often. In a memorable episode of "The Twilight ZAone," he played a man afraid to fall asleep for fear of dying in a nightmare. He eventually moved to Europe to work. Later in life, Conte acted one of his most memorable performances in THE GODFATHER (1972) as Don Barzini (he had briefly been considered for the title role).