Tony Rosato was an Italian-Canadian comedian, actor and voice actor who was a member of both Saturday Night Live and SCTV. He has passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 62.
Originally from Naples, Italy, he moved to Canada at age four. Rosato first gained attenion when he joined the cast of the first incarnation of SCTV in its final season during 1980. After SCTV wrapped, he found his way on the cast of Saturday Night Live becoming the first member to be born outside of North America.
Celebrities that Rosato impersonated over the years included Lou Costello, William Conrad, Danny Thomas, Woodstock co-organizer Chip Monck as well as SNL cast member John Belushi. He also did Tony Orlando and Ella Fitzgerald. Despite his short tenure on the show his impressions of Ed Asner, Captain Kangaroo, and U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese were all very memorable.
Rosato also found his way into the voice over industry most notably as the voice of Nintendo’s Luigi character. A role he carried on from The ADventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 to the Super Mario World cartoon. Other voice work included Hello Kitty and Friends, The Neverending Story, Flash Gordon, Sailor Moon, and Highlander: The Animated Series.
Here we see Rosato delivering a public service message on Weekend Update, he conducts a test of the Emergency Broadcast Network with his own screams of panic and terror over nuclear bombs being dropped and aliens invading.
