Jon Polito, Famed Character Actor, Has Died

LOS ANGELES, CA — You might not know his name, but you definitely know his body of work. Jon Polito, one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood, died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 65.

Polito was a favorite of the Coen Brothers, appearing in "Miller's Crossing," "Barton Fink," "The Hudsucker Proxy" and as the shamus in "The Big Lebowski."

Polito recently had a recurring role on ABC's "Modern Family," portraying the business rival of Ed O'Neill's character.

The website TMZ and Variety reported that Polito was taken off life support Thursday night at City of Hope Hospital. Polito, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010, fell into a coma on Sunday, according to TMZ.

A Philadelphia native, Polito made his first television appearance in 1981 in the miniseries "The Gangster Chronicles." He went on to land film roles including a major supporting actor role in "Miller's Crossing."

"Very sad to learn that my dear friend and collaborator, Jon Polito, has passed away," film director John McNaughton wrote on his Facebook page. "John is probably best known for his work in Coen Brothers films, notably 'Barton Fink,' 'Miller's Crossing' and 'The Big Lebowski.' Jon and I worked together in TV starting with episodes of 'Homicide: Life on the Street,' some pilots and 'Masters of Horror.' He appeared in over 100 films, countless TV episodes and on Broadway. Jon a born actor and will be deeply missed by his legion of friends, fans, family and of course his long time partner, Darryl Armbruster, to whom I send my condolences. RIP old pal."

Funeral services were pending today for Polito.

Jon Polito was the kind of character actor they said they didn't make any more, and now he's gone too. RIP
— Glenn Kenny (@Glenn__Kenny) September" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/Glenn__Ken... 2, 2016

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Patch Staffer Paige Austin and City News Service contributed to this report. Photo: Youtube screengrab.