LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dom DeLuise, the portly actor-comedian whose affable nature made him a popular character actor for decades with movie and TV audiences as well as directors and fellow actors, has died, a son told two broadcasters Tuesday. He was 75.
DeLuise died Monday night, Michael DeLuise told KTLA-TV and radio station KNX on Tuesday. The comedian died in his sleep after a long illness.
The actor, who loved to cook and eat almost as much as he enjoyed acting, also carved out a formidable second career later in life as a chef of fine cuisine. He authored two cookbooks and would appear often on morning TV shows to whip up his favorite recipes.
As an actor, he was incredibly prolific, appearing in scores of movies and TV shows, in Broadway plays and voicing chracters for numerous cartoon shows.
Writer-director-actor Mel Brooks particularly admired DeLuise's talent for offbeat comedy and cast him in several of his films, including "The Twelve Chairs," ''Blazing Saddles," ''Silent Movie," ''History of the World Part I" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." DeLuise was also the voice of Pizza the Hutt in Brooks' "Star Wars" parody, "Spaceballs."
The actor also appeared frequently in films opposite his friend Burt Reynolds. Among them, "The End," ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," 'Smokey and the Bandit II," ''The Cannonball Run" and "Cannonball Run II."
Reynolds fondly recalled DeLuise in a statement issued by his publicist.
"I was thinking about this the other day," Reynolds said. "As you get older and start to lose people you love, you think about it more and I was dreading this moment. Dom always made you feel better when he was around and there will never be another like him. I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. I will miss him very much."
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