“I’m actually a thin serious person but I play fat and fUnNy,
but only for the movies!” – Dom DeLuise
Born on August 1, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian American parents, Dominick “Dom” DeLuise developed an interest in acting at the age of 8, after playing Peter Rabbit in a grade school play. A graduate of Manhattan’s High School of Performing Arts, #DomDeLuise initially enrolled at #TuftsUniversity in Medford, Massachusetts, to study biology, with the aim of becoming a teacher. However, the acting bug caught him and was found to be incurable.
DeLuise began landing roles on TV shows such as The Entertainers and The Shari Lewis Show, when he caught the attention of actor #GarryMoore. Moore hired DeLuise to appear on The Garry Moore Show.
This is where he debut his character #DominicktheGreat, in which he pretends to be an unsuccessful magician. Following this he began appearing in variety shows and comedy specials of his own, including The Dom DeLuise Show in 1968.
Dom DeLuise is probably best known for his roles with actor Burt Reynolds and director #MelBrooks which includes The Twelve Chairs (1970), Blazing Saddles (1974), Silent Movie (1976), History of the World: Part I (1981), and the voice for the character of #PizzatheHutt in the cult comedy hit, Spaceballs (1987).
With #BurtReynolds, DeLuise appeared in films such as The Cannonball Run (1981) and Cannonball Run II (1984) as well as Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982).
An avid cook & #foodie, before the term existed, Dom DeLuise authored several instructional books on cooking, including Eat This, It’ll Make You Feel Better (1991), and Eat This Too: It’ll Make You Feel Better (1998). He also authored children books, such as Charlie the Caterpillar (1993) and a retelling of the traditional tale Goldilocks (1997).
On May 4, 2009, Dom DeLuise died in his sleep after suffering from kidney failure. He was survived by his wife, actress #CarolArthur, and three actor sons, #PeterDeLuise, #DavidDeLuise and #MichaelDeLuise
Brilliant comedic timing, sensitivity, a friendly face, variety of talents and skills, and made up of heart and hearty foods Dom DeLuise will forever be loved by young and old film and television viewers for all of time!