Photo: TV episode screenshot (Peter Rodgers Organization) — Public domainSource
Louis Guss
film actor
- January 4, 1918 · New York City
- September 29, 2008 · New York City
- 90 years
About Louis Guss
Louis Guss, 90, American actor (Moonstruck, Highlander, The Godfather).
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Full Biography
|Louis Guss (January 4, 1918 – September 29, 2008) was an American character actor with a long line of screen credits, having appeared in hundreds of TV series, feature films and stage productions, specializing in blue-collar ethnic roles, over a five decade career. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Don Zaluchi in The Godfather (1972), Joseph Magliocco in Crazy Joe (1974), Raymond Capomaggi in Moonstruck (1987), Nathan Grodner in The Yards (2000), and Jerry "the Hammer" Fungo in The Crew (2000).
Guss was born in New York City on January 4, 1918.
His last role was in Sidney Lumet's Find Me Guilty in 2006.
Broadway plays in which Guss appeared included The Girl on the Via Flaminia (1954), Handful of Fire (1958), One More River (1960), Once There Was a Russian (1961), The Night of the Iguana (1961), Mother Courage and Her Children (1963), Arturo Ui (1963), Diamond Orchid (1965), Flora, The Red Menace (1965), But, Seriously (1969), Gandhi (1970), and Captain Brassbound's Conversion (1972).
Death
Guss died at the age of 90 in 2008 from natural causes.
Partial filmography
- Love with the Proper Stranger (1963) – Flooey (uncredited)
- The Godfather (1972) – Don Zaluchi (uncredited)
- The Laughing Policeman (1973) – Gus Niles
- Crazy Joe (1974) – Magliocco
- The Super Cops (1974) – Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
- Harry and Tonto (1974) – Dominic
- Lepke (1975) – Max Rubin
- Lucky Lady (1975) – Bernie
- No Deposit, No Return (1976) – Freddie
- Nickelodeon (1976) – Dinsdale
- Fun with Dick and Jane (1977) – Phone Co. Customer
- New York, New York (1977) – Frankie Harte Band Member
- H.O.T.S. (1979) – Bugs Benny
- Willie & Phil (1980) – Mr. D'Amico
- Highlander (1986) – Newsvendor
- Sno-Line (1986) – Gus
- Seize the Day (1986) – Rubin
- Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter (1986) – Grandpa Ragon
- Moonstruck (1987) – Raymond Cappomaggi
- American Blue Note (1989) – Abe Katz
- Slaves of New York (1989) – Vardig
- Used People (1992) – Uncle Normy
- The Cemetery Club (1993) – Ed Bonfigliano
- Night Falls on Manhattan (1996) – Court Clerk
- A Wake in Providence (1999) – Uncle Guy
- Two Family House (2000) – Donato
- Girlfight (2000) – Don
- The Yards (2000) – Nathan Grodner
- Pedestrian (2000)
- The Crew (2000) – Jerry 'The Hammer' Fungo
- A Tale of Two Pizzas (2003) – Emilio
- Find Me Guilty (2006) – Court Clerk (final film role)
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Guss
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 28, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Louis Guss's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Louis Guss born?
- A.Philadelphia
- B.Boston
- C.New York Citycorrect
- D.Chicago
Louis Guss was born in New York City on January 4, 1918.
Source: early life section
2.In what year was Louis Guss born?
- A.1910
- B.1918correct
- C.1915
- D.1922
Louis Guss was born on January 4, 1918.
Source: biographical summary
3.What was the occupation of Louis Guss?
- A.Film director
- B.Theatrical producer
- C.Character actorcorrect
- D.Screenwriter
Louis Guss was an American character actor who appeared in hundreds of productions.
Source: biographical summary
4.In which 1972 film did Louis Guss play the character Don Zaluchi?
- A.The Yards
- B.The Crew
- C.The Godfathercorrect
- D.Moonstruck
Louis Guss is known for his role as Don Zaluchi in The Godfather (1972).
Source: career highlights
5.Which role did Louis Guss play in the 1987 film Moonstruck?
- A.Joseph Magliocco
- B.Jerry Fungo
- C.Raymond Capomaggicorrect
- D.Nathan Grodner
Louis Guss played the character Raymond Capomaggi in the film Moonstruck.
Source: career highlights
6.What was the final role performed by Louis Guss?
- A.Find Me Guiltycorrect
- B.Crazy Joe
- C.The Crew
- D.The Yards
The last role Louis Guss played was in Sidney Lumet's Find Me Guilty in 2006.
Source: career summary
7.What type of roles did Louis Guss specialize in?
- A.Historical monarch roles
- B.Science fiction hero roles
- C.High-society aristocratic roles
- D.Blue-collar ethnic rolescorrect
Louis Guss specialized in blue-collar ethnic roles throughout his career.
Source: biographical summary
8.In what year did Louis Guss pass away?
- A.2010
- B.2004
- C.2006
- D.2008correct
Louis Guss passed away on September 29, 2008.
Source: death section
9.At what age did Louis Guss die?
- A.82
- B.88
- C.90correct
- D.94
Louis Guss died at the age of 90.
Source: death section
10.In which Broadway play did Louis Guss appear in 1954?
- A.Flora, The Red Menace
- B.Diamond Orchid
- C.The Night of the Iguana
- D.The Girl on the Via Flaminiacorrect
Louis Guss appeared in the Broadway play The Girl on the Via Flaminia in 1954.
Source: Broadway credits
11.Which of these Broadway plays featured Louis Guss in 1963?
- A.One More River
- B.Arturo Uicorrect
- C.Gandhi
- D.Handful of Fire
Louis Guss appeared in the play Arturo Ui in 1963.
Source: Broadway credits
12.Louis Guss appeared in the 2000 film The Yards as which character?
- A.Nathan Grodnercorrect
- B.Jerry Fungo
- C.Joseph Magliocco
- D.Don Zaluchi
Louis Guss played the role of Nathan Grodner in The Yards in 2000.
Source: career highlights
13.What was the cause of death for Louis Guss?
- A.A long illness
- B.A heart condition
- C.An accident
- D.Natural causescorrect
Louis Guss died from natural causes.
Source: death section
14.In which Broadway production did Louis Guss appear in 1970?
- A.Gandhicorrect
- B.Diamond Orchid
- C.Once There Was a Russian
- D.But, Seriously
Louis Guss performed in the play Gandhi in 1970.
Source: Broadway credits
15.Which of these films featured Louis Guss as Jerry "the Hammer" Fungo?
- A.The Crewcorrect
- B.Find Me Guilty
- C.Crazy Joe
- D.The Godfather
Louis Guss played the character Jerry "the Hammer" Fungo in the film The Crew (2000).
Source: career highlights
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