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James Coco
Coco inCalucci's Department, 1973
Born	James Emil Coco (1930-03-21)March 21, 1930 Little Italy, Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Died	February 25, 1987(1987-02-25) (aged 56) Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Saint Gertrude Cemetery Colonia, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1947–1987

James Emil Coco (March 21, 1930 – February 25, 1987) was an American stage and screen actor. He was the recipient of aPrimetime Emmy Award, aDrama Desk Award, aCable ACE Award and threeObie Awards, as well as nominations for aTony Award, anAcademy Award and twoGolden Globe Awards. Coco is remembered for his supporting roles in the filmsMan of La Mancha (1972),Murder by Death (1976) andOnly When I Laugh (1981).

Born in theLittle Italy section ofManhattan,^[1] Coco was the son of Felice Lescoco, a shoemaker, and Ida Detestes Lescoco (Coco being a shortened version of his birth name).

The family moved to thePelham Bay section of the Bronx when he was an infant, where he lived until his late teens.^[1]

James began acting straight out of high school.^[2] He received his acting training atHB Studio^[3] in New York City. As an overweight and prematurely balding adult, he found himself relegated to character roles. He made hisBroadway debut inHotel Paradiso in 1957, but his first major recognition was forOff-Broadway'sThe Moon in Yellow River byDenis Johnston, for which he won anObie Award.^[4]

In 1964 Coco toured with a production ofThe Irregular Verb to Love, withCyril Richard, and they appeared at the oldestSummer stock theater, Denver'sElitch Theatre.

Coco's first modern collaboration with playwrightTerrence McNally was a 1968Off-Broadway double-bill of the one-act playsSweet Eros andWitness, followed byHere's Where I Belong, a disastrous Broadway musical adaptation ofEast of Eden that closed on opening night. They had far greater success with their next project,Next, a two-character play withElaine Shore, which ran for more than 700 performances and won Coco theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance. Sixteen years later, the two reunited for theManhattan Theatre Club production ofIt's Only a Play.^[4]

Coco also achieved success withNeil Simon, who wroteThe Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1969) specifically for him. It earned him aTony Award nomination as Best Actor in a Play. The two later joined forces for a Broadway revival of the musicalLittle Me and the filmsMurder by Death (1976),The Cheap Detective (1978) andOnly When I Laugh (1981), for which he was bothOscar-nominated andRazzie-nominated.^[5]

Coco, a veteran of many failed diets, was the author of the bestselling bookThe James Coco Diet, released on February 1, 1983, which documented his successful experience of the Structure House Weight Loss Plan, developed byGerard Musante. However, he only lived four years after the release of his book.^[6]

Coco's additional film credits includeEnsign Pulver (1964),The Patty Duke Show(1965).End of the Road (1970),The Strawberry Statement (1970),Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970),A New Leaf (1971),Such Good Friends (1971),Man of La Mancha (1972),The Wild Party (1975),Charleston (1977),Scavenger Hunt (1979),Wholly Moses! (1980) andThe Muppets Take Manhattan (1984).

Several of hisfilms were released posthumously, including:Hunk (1987) andThat's Adequate (1989).^[5][7]

On television, Coco starred on two unsuccessful 1970s series,Calucci's Department andThe Dumplings, and made guest appearances on many series, includingABC Stage 67, NBC Children's Theater,The Edge of Night,Marcus Welby, M.D.,Trapper John, M.D.,Medical Center,Maude,Fantasy Island,Alice,The Eddie Capra Mysteries,Murder, She Wrote,The Muppet Show,The Carol Burnett Show,The Love Boat,$weepstake$, andSt. Elsewhere, for which he won anEmmy Award. One of his later television assignments was a recurring role as Nick Milano on the sitcomWho's the Boss?.^[7] Coco died^[8][1] exactly one day after^[9] what was hisfinal appearance onWho's the Boss? was broadcast.^[5]

Coco wasgay. This information became available nine years after he died.^[10]

Coco died atSt. Vincent's Hospital, Manhattan, on February 25, 1987, at age 56 after suffering a heart attack at hisGreenwich Village home.^[2] He is buried in St. Gertrude's Roman Catholic Cemetery inColonia, New Jersey.^[11]

• Coco, James; Paone, Marion (1984).The James Coco Diet.Bantam Books.ISBN 978-0-553-05024-0.^[6]

• Ensign Pulver (1964) - Skouras
• Patty Duke Show (1965) - Director
• Generation (1969) - Mr. Blatto
• End of the Road (1970) - School Man
• The Strawberry Statement (1970) – Grocer
• Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970) – Mario
• A New Leaf (1971) – Uncle Harry
• Such Good Friends (1971) – Timmy
• Man of La Mancha (1972) – Sancho Panza / Cervantes's Manservant
• VD Blues (1972) – Himself
• Calucci's Department (1973) – Joe Calucci
• The Wild Party (1975) – Jolly Grimm
• Murder by Death (1976) – Milo Perrier
• Charleston (1977) – Joe Lo Monaco
• Bye Bye Monkey (1978) – Andreas Flaxman
• The Cheap Detective (1978) – Marcel
• The Muppet Show (1978) - Himself (Special Guest Star)
• Scavenger Hunt (1979) – Henri
• Wholly Moses! (1980) – Hyssop
• Only When I Laugh (1981) – Jimmy Perrino
• The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) – Mr. Skeffington
• Johnny Dangerously (1984) – Moronie's Bouncer (uncredited)
• The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985) – "Marionettes, Inc." (Season 1, Episode 1), John Braling
• Hunk (1987) – Dr. D (posthumous release)
• The Chair (1988) – Dr. Harold Woodhouse Langer (posthumous release)
• That's Adequate (1989) – Max Roebling (final film role, posthumous release)

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJames Coco.

• James Coco atIMDb
• James Coco at theInternet Broadway Database
• James Coco at theInternet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
• James Coco at theTCM Movie Database
• James Coco atFind a Grave

• 1930 births
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• Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
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• People from Pelham Bay, Bronx

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