14 Facts About Jon Polito

Jon Polito appeared in several films including The Rocketeer, The Crow and Gangster Squad, as well as his work with the Coen brothers.

Jon Polito appeared in five of their films, including Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink and The Big Lebowski.

Jon Polito was born on December 29,1950, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to John and Delaida "Dee" Jon Polito.

Jon Polito had an older brother and sister, Rosemary Simpson and Jack Polito, an animator.

Jon Polito was initially reluctant to audition for Homicide as he had just relocated from New York City to Los Angeles, and did not want to move to Baltimore for the series.

Jon Polito was initially offered a role as a Polish-American detective, but series co-creators Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana rewrote the character as an Italian named Steve Crosetti and cast him in the role.

Fontana assured him that he would be brought back later in the season, but Jon Polito was unhappy and criticized the producers publicly, an action he later said that he regretted.

Jon Polito said that he and Fontana had subsequently reconciled, and as a result the Crosetti character returned to make a farewell appearance as a spirit in Homicide: The Movie.

Jon Polito was a regular in the films of the Coen brothers, appearing in five of their films.

Jon Polito was offered the role of Lou Breeze in their next film Barton Fink, in a role which was written especially for him.

Jon Polito later appeared in The Hudsucker Proxy as an eccentric businessman, The Big Lebowski as a private detective and finally in 2001 as a flirtatious salesman in The Man Who Wasn't There.

Jon Polito won an Obie Award in 1980 for his theater performances off Broadway, and for his lifetime of work in film and television, he received the Maverick Spirit Award at Cinequest Film Festival in 2005.

Jon Polito was gay and married fellow actor Darryl Armbruster on October 16,2015, fifteen years after they first met.

Jon Polito died from multiple myeloma on September 1,2016, at the City of Hope National Medical Center, where he was being treated.