Robert Joseph Pastorelli (June 21, 1954 – March 8, 2004) was an American actor.

Robert Pastorelli
Born	(1954-06-21)June 21, 1954 New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	March 8, 2004(2004-03-08) (aged 49) Hollywood Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1982–2004
Partner	Charemon Jonovich
Children	2

After he acquired a reputation as a skilledcharacter actor in the 1980s and 1990s, Pastorelli's career went into decline after the death of his girlfriend under mysterious circumstances at his home in 1999. He died of a narcotic overdose in 2004.^[1] He was best known as Eldin inMurphy Brown (1988–1994), Johnny C. inEraser (1996), and Hughey inMichael (1996).

Pastorelli was born inNew Brunswick, New Jersey, the son of Ledo ("Tally") Pastorelli, an insurance salesman and Dorothy ("Dottie"), an artist.^[2][3] His sister, Gwen Pastorelli, is anopera singer and a real estate agent.^{[citation needed]}

He spent his childhood years inEdison, New Jersey,^[4] graduating fromEdison High School in 1972. He initially intended a career as a professional boxer, but had to abandon the sport due to injuries sustained in a near-fatal high-speed car crash at the age of 19 (he later claimed that he had a "near death" incident at this time, and that he had experienced himself looking down from above upon his body in the hospital bed with his father at the bedside overcome with grief).^[5] He acquired a narcotic habit in his early twenties prior to his acting career that he overcame, but he would relapse throughout his later life.

He entered the acting profession viaNew York City theater in the late 1970s after studying at the New York Academy of Theatrical Arts and theActors Studio, financially maintaining himself by working as a bartender and a male exotic dancer. In 1977 he made his stage debut in a production ofRebel Without a Cause. He also performed in productions ofThe Rainmaker, andDeath of a Salesman.^[6] Later in his career he performed at London'sSouth Bank theater inA Streetcar Named Desire in 2002.

In 1982 Pastorelli headed west toLos Angeles seeking opportunities in Hollywood. Spending the early 1980s employed in televisionbit-part appearances, he found a niche playing streetwise characters, appearing also in supporting roles in the cinema filmsOutrageous Fortune (1987) andBeverly Hills Cop II (1987). His first substantial cinematic role came withDances with Wolves (1990). His big break in television came with the role of the gruff but lovable house painter Eldin Bernecky on the seriesMurphy Brown, which was a ratings hit, and he stayed with the show for seven seasons from 1988 to 1994.Murphy Brown producerDiane English was sufficiently impressed with his abilities that she worked with him to produce his first starring vehicle, the television sitcomDouble Rush which lasted one season in 1995. Two years later, he starred in the American adaptation of theBritish detective seriesCracker (1997–1999).

As his television career gained momentum Pastorelli's opportunities in cinema roles increased:Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993); a career defining performance playing a demented serial killer in the 1993 murder mystery thrillerStriking Distance;Eraser (1996),Michael (1996), andModern Vampires (1998).

On the evening of March 15, 1999, during an incident at his Hollywood home, Pastorelli's 25-year-old girlfriend, Charemon Jonovich, was killed by a gunshot to the head. During the authorities' investigation that followed, Pastorelli testified that in the midst of an argument between the two of them, she suddenly produced a handgun and killed herself. The incident was investigated as an accident or suicide, and theLos Angeles Department of Coroner declared the cause of death undetermined.^[7]

Pastorelli was exonerated of responsibility for Charemon Jonovich's death and received public expressions of sympathy within Hollywood and from the Los Angeles media, but his career went into noticeable decline afterwards. He appeared in two more cinema productions in small roles in the early 2000s as well as some minor supporting roles in television productions. He developed a friendship withGlenn Close towards the end of his career, and appeared alongside her in the television filmsThe Ballad of Lucy Whipple, and inSouth Pacific in 2001.^[8] In 2002 he again appeared alongside her at London'sRoyal National Theatre in a performance of Tennessee Williams'A Streetcar Named Desire.^[9] In 2002 he co-founded theGarden State Film Festival. His posthumous final screen appearance was in the filmBe Cool (2005).

Pastorelli was found dead at the age of 49 at his home in theHollywood Hills on March 8, 2004, from anarcotics overdose.^[10] The Coroner's Office reported Pastorelli died of a "fatal blood concentration ofmorphine".^[11] Pastorelli's body was interred in the mausoleum at Saint Catharine's Cemetery inSea Girt, New Jersey.

• List of people who died on the toilet
• Toilet-related injuries and deaths

• Robert Pastorelli atIMDb
• Robert Pastorelli atFind a Grave