George DiCenzo American character actor (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Helter Skelter) and voice actor (He Man and the Masters of the Universe)

George Ralph DiCenzo was an American character actor and one-time associate producer for Dark Shadows died he was ,70. He was in show business for more than 30 years, with extensive film, TV, stage and commercial credits.

(April 21, 1940 – August 9, 2010)

Life and career

DiCenzo was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He appeared in over 30 feature films, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Back to the Future, The Ninth Configuration, The Exorcist III, and About Last Night.... He stated that one of his favorite roles was when he starred in Helter-Skelter, where he played Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor in the Charles Manson mass murder trial. DiCenzo also appeared in Hotel directed by Mike Figgis with an all-star cast, and Tempted, directed by Bill Bennett and starring Burt Reynolds and Saffron Burrows. He recently played the late baseball commissioner, A. Bartlett Giamatti, in the ESPN made for TV movie Hustle, about disgraced baseball great Pete Rose.

George guest-starred in a wide variety of TV shows, including regular appearances on Murder, She Wrote and NYPD Blue. His own series included Equal Justice and Joe's Life in the early and mid-1990s. He appeared as a guest star in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Semi-Professional".

In the early 1990s, George appeared on Broadway with Nathan Lane in On Borrowed Time directed by his late friend George C. Scott.

George's voice can be heard on many commercials, books on tape, and cartoon series. Notable in regards to the third is his work for Filmation; his roles include the title character in BlackStar, and Hordak in She-Ra: Princess of Power.

George was also an acting teacher in New York City and Philadelphia for several years. He apprenticed under his mentor Milton Katselas at the Beverly Hills Playhouse in California. In addition, George frequently privately coached students, and actors appearing on the New York stage. Burt Reynolds on an episode of Inside the Actors Studio referred to George DiCenzo as the best acting teacher in America.

Death

DiCenzo died on August 9, 2010. He had been in ill health after being the victim of a near-fatal accident some years ago.

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