Frank Pesce, a beloved character actor whose many credits included Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, Paradise Alley, and Flashdance, died Februar 6 due to complications of dementia. EW reports he was 75.
According to the report, Tammy Scher, Pesce’s girlfriend, confirmed his death to EW and remembered him as “larger than life.” She added, “He would walk in a room and no one would forget him.”
A native of New York City, Pesce began his showbiz career in the late 1970s, landing guest roles on the crime dramas Police Story and Kojak. He’d go on to appear in such ’80s and ’90s TV staples as Knight Rider, The Greatest American Hero, Miami Vice, Matlock, and Who’s the Boss?
Pesce also had a fruitful film career. A longtime friend of Sylvester Stallone (not to mention Tony Danza and Robert Forster, among other Hollywood heavyweights), Pesce appeared in Stallone’s Rocky and Paradise Alley, leading to small roles in blockbusters like Top Gun and Flashdance.
