Actor
Jon Polito, is a veteran character actor who grew up in southwest Philidelphia and attended Villanova University on a drama scholarship. From there, he began a lengthy run on the New York stage. In 1977, he won his first Broadway job, understudying actor Kenneth McMillan in David Mamet's visceral drama, "American Buffalo", which also starred Robert Duvall. Other Broadway roles include "Curse of an Acting Heart". oposite Faye Dunaway, and the acclaimed revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman" with Dustin Hoffman as Willie Loman.

Off-Broadway, Polito originated roles in "Gemini" with Sigourney Weaver, "The Transformation of Benno Blimpie" and "Othe People's Money" oposite Mercedes Ruehl. He won on Obie Award as Best Actor in 1980 for five different performances at the Dodge Theater for the 1970-80 Season

The same year, he arrived in Hollywood, and immediately won a role in the television series "Gangster Chronicles". By the end of the decade, Polito landed the role with which he is most associated -- Johnny Casper, the colorful mob rival to Alber Finney's Irish gangster in the Coen Brother's "Miller's Crossing". Two years later, he he reunited with the fraternal filmmakers as a studio gofer in their Cannes Film Festival winner, "Barton Fink". He continued his association with the brothers in both "The Hudsucker Proxy" and in their recent release, "The Big Lebowwski". Recently, Polito has been seen in the very successful "Stuart Little" and "Rocky and Bullwinkle", and he is associated with the following slate of 2001 releases: "View from the Top" with Gwyneth Paltrow, "The Tailor of Panama" with Pierce Brosnan and Geoffrey Rush, and "Twentynine Palms" with Bill Pullman, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Chris O'Donnel and Michael Rappaport.

Polito has also appeared in such feature films as "Fluke", "The Crow", "The Freshmen" opposite Marlon Brando, "The Rocketeer", "Highlander", "Critical Condition", "Homeboy", "Fire with Fire", "Leather Jackets", Bushwhacked", "Blankman", and "Showtime's "The Defenders" opposite Beau Bridges and "The Apartment Complex", directed by Tobe Hooper.

On the small screen, Polito co-starred in such series as Barry Leninson's "Homicide: Life on the Street", Michael Mann's "Crime Story", "O'Hara", and John Landis' "Dream On". He has also guest -starred on "Millennium", "Veronica's Closet", "Seinfeld", "Roseanne", "Chicago Hope", "NYPD Blue", "Mad About You" and "Early Edition". He co-starred in Showtime's "Fallen Angels" (directed by Tom Hanks), the Cable ACE Award winning episode of HBO's anthology series, "Tales from the Crypt" (directed by Walter Hill), and reprised his Broadway role in the CBS-TV production of "Death of a Salesman". 2001also has Jon Polito shooting the Sci-Fi Channel's newest series, "The Chronicle" and he will also be seen as a woman on an upcoming episode of HBO's "The Chris Isaak Show".

FILM