Dominick DeLuise (August 1, 1933, Brooklyn, New York, USA – May 4, 2009, Santa Monica, California, USA) was an American actor, voice actor, comedian, chef and author. He was the husband of actress Carol Arthur and the father of actor, director, pianist, and writer Peter DeLuise, and actors David DeLuise and Michael DeLuise. He starred in a number of movies directed by Mel Brooks, in a series of films with career-long best friend Burt Reynolds, and as a voice actor in various animated films by Don Bluth.
DeLuise was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian American parents Vincenza "Jennie" (née DeStefano), a homemaker, and John DeLuise, a public employee (garbage collector). He was the youngest of three children, having an older brother, Nicholas "Nick" DeLuise, and an older sister, Antoinette DeLuise-Daurio. DeLuise graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts and later attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. DeLuise was Roman Catholic and had a particular devotion to the Virgin Mary.
In 1961 DeLuise played in the Off-Broadway musical revue "Another Evening with Harry Stoons" that lasted nine previews and one performance. Another member of the cast was 19-year-old Barbra Streisand. He was also in the Off-Broadway play "All in Love" which opened on November 10, 1961, at the Martinique Theatre and ran for 141 performances. Other New York theater performances include, "Half-Past Wednesday" [Off-Broadway] (1962), "Around the World in 80 Days" [Off-Broadway] (1963), "The Student Gypsy" [Broadway] (1963), "Here's Love" [Broadway] (1963), and "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" [Broadway] (1969).
DeLuise also lent his distinct voice to various animated films and was a particular staple of Don Bluth's features, playing major roles in The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, A Troll in Central Park and All Dogs Go to Heaven. All Dogs Go to Heaven also featured Reynolds' voice as Charlie B. Barkin, the cheeky anti-hero, and DeLuise voiced Itchy Itchiford, Charlie's best friend, wing-man and later partner in business. Unlike DeLuise, however, Reynolds did not voice Charlie in any of the eventual film sequels, TV episodes, TV-episode sequels, or TV series. DeLuise also voiced the legendary character of Charles Dickens' Fagin in the Walt Disney film Oliver & Company and made voice guest appearances on several animated TV series.
| Year | Image | Character | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 
|
Itchy Itchiford | An All Dogs Christmas Carol |
| 1988 | 
|
Fagin | Oliver & Company |