Tony Musante

Tony Musante has spent several decades portraying mob-connected criminals, vicious hit men, and general ne'er-do'wells. Musante, who began acting in Off-Broadway theater in 1960, broke into television with small but memorable roles in anthologies like the mystery series "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour." Some of Musante's earliest film roles were as a street-smart hoodlum in "The Incident," a New York City subway heist drama, and as an embattled guerilla Mexican general in "The Revolutionary," about Mexico's struggle for independence in the 1910s. In 1970, Musante was cast in Italian horror legend Dario Argento's "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage," as a writer who, after witnessing a murder attempt, is stalked by the vengeful killer. In 1973, he was cast in the lead role of the TV crime drama "Toma," based on the real-life exploits of a successful New Jersey police detective. The show drew heavy criticism for its graphic criminal and police violence and was canceled after one season; it was later brought back under the name "Baretta" and starred Robert Blake. Musante, who occasionally appeared in Italian films throughout the '70s, next landed a high-profile supporting role on the hospital drama "Medical Story" and portrayed a shady Mafioso uncle in 1984's "The Pope of Greenwich Village," about a robbery gone awry. In 1997, Musante appeared as prison gang leader and Mafia boss Antonio Schibetta in the critically acclaimed HBO series "Oz."