- Born
- Died
- Birth nameVincenzo Scognamiglio
- Height5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
- He was honored twice off-Broadway with Distinguished Performance OBIE Award, first in 1960 for "Machinal" and again in 1969 for "Passing Through From Exotic Places." In 1972 he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a play for "Prisoner on 2nd Avenue." In 1979 he was nominated for Best Actor in a musical for "Ballroom." Gardenia was twice nominated with an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, first in 1974 "Bang the Drum Slowly" and again in 1988 for "Moonstruck." He won an Emmy Award in 1990 for Best Supporting Actor in a movie made for television, "Age Old Friends." In 1988 he was honored to be named the Grand Marshal of the Columbus Day Parade in New York City.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Vincent Gogliormella
- ParentsGennaro Gardenia ScognamiglioElisa Gardenia Scognamiglio
- RelativesRalph Gardenia Scognamiglio(Sibling)
- In Brooklyn, New York, 16th Avenue (between Cropsey Avenue and Shore Parkway) has renamed Vincent Gardenia Boulevard to honor his memory. This is the block where he lived.
- Suffered a fatal heart attack at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- He was born in Naples, Italy, the son of Elisa (Ausiello) and Gennaro Gardenia Scognamiglio, an actor/manager. His family moved to the United States in 1922, settling in Brooklyn, where his father founded an Italian-language based acting troupe. Vincent first appeared on stage with this company at age five, playing a shoeshine boy. His first English-speaking stage role was in the 1955 Broadway play "In April Once".
- Highly effective in choleric or exasperated roles, and noted on screen for his comic portrayals of New Yorkers, particularly in The Front Page (1974), or as Cher's father in Moonstruck (1987).
- Was named as "King of Brooklyn" at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival in 1989.
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