Frank Vallelonga Jr., an actor who appeared in “Green Book” and “The Sopranos,” died Monday of unknown causes in the Bronx, New York, the NYPD confirmed to TheWrap. He was 60.
Police responded to a 3:50 a.m. call reporting that a body had been dumped outside of a factory near 1243 Oak Point Ave. The man, who was later identified as Vallelonga Jr., was found unconscious and pronounced dead at the scene. No obvious signs of trauma were observed on the body, said a spokesperson for the NYPD.
Steven Smith, 35, has been arrested and charged with concealment of a human corpse. According to the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the investigation is ongoing.
Vallelonga Jr. is the son of the real-life bouncer and actor Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga, who Viggo Mortenson portrayed in the 2018 Best Picture winner “Green Book.” Vallelonga Jr. played his uncle Rudy Vallelonga in the film that his brother Nick Vallelonga co-wrote with Peter Farrelly and Brian Hayes Currie.
“Green Book” tells the true story of Bronx native Tony Lip’s tenure as a bouncer who was later hired to drive pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) on a tour through the Jim Crow-era South.
Vallelonga Jr. landed his first acting gig in 1994’s “A Beautiful Disguise,” written and directed by his brother Nick. He appeared on an episode of “The Sopranos,” on which his father played mob boss Carmine Lupertazzi, in 2004.
Other TV and film roles include “The Signs of the Cross,” “All In,” “The Neighborhood” and “Gravesend.” Vallelonga’s most recent role was Uncle Luca in the 2021 film “The Birthday Cake,” starring Ewan McGregor and Val Kilmer.
Vallelonga is survived by his wife Angela and 17-year-old son Frank, as well as his brother Nick. In a statement provided to press, the Vallelonga family asked for privacy in their time of grief.
