Actor Jon Polito, a Coen brothers regular with roles in films including “The Big Lebowski” and “Miller’s Crossing,” has died. He was 65.
Film director John McNaughton shared the news on Friday morning on Facebook. “Very sad to learn that my dear friend and collaborator, Jon Polito has passed away,” he wrote.
“He appeared in over 100 films, countless TV episodes and on Broadway,” McNaughton added. “Jon was a born actor and will be deeply missed by his legion of friends, fans, family and of course his long time partner, Darryl Armbruster to whom I send my condolences. R.I.P. old pal.”
According to TMZ, the actor died Thursday after being taken off life support. The publication reports Polito was diagnosed with melanoma in 2008, and was also suffering from arthritis, as well as an infection from a recent surgery. He reportedly slipped into a coma last Sunday.
Polito’s representatives were not immediately available for comment.
The actor, who played a bumbling private eye in “The Big Lebowski,” most recently landed a role in “The Maestro,” which is currently in pre-production. His most recent roles include “Gangster Squad” and “Locker 13,” and he also starred in three “Modern Family” episodes and one episode of “Major Crimes.”
Overall, Polito has 217 credits listed on IMDb.
Polito was born in Philadelphia in 1950. The actor won an OBIE award in 1980 for his theater performances off Broadway. For his lifetime of work in film and TV, he won the Maverick Spirit Event Award at Cinequest Film Festival in 2005. In 2012, he received the “Best Actor in a Short Film” award at Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival.
See McNaughton’s Facebook post below.