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IMDbPro

Reni Santoni(1938-2020)

  • Actor
  • Additional Crew
  • Sound Department
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
RENI SANTONI IN "DOUBLE TAP"
Trailer for Cobra
Play trailer1:27
Cobra (1986)
13 Videos
23 Photos
Born Reinaldo Santoni in New York City on April 21, 1938 of French and Spanish heritage, Reni (aka Reni Sands) started his career off in entertainment as a comedy writer. He moved in front of the camera in the early 60s and was performing episodic TV drama ("East Side/West Side," "The Trials of O'Brien," "Hawk") when, out of the blue, director Carl Reiner thought enough of Santoni's talents to cast the young actor, an unknown, in his semi-autobiographical film Enter Laughing (1967).

In the make-or-break role of aspiring actor David Kolowitz, Santoni could have hit the jackpot to become a major movie star but unfortunately did not receive stand-out reviews in the still-popular film and never became a name. He played another lead in the Canadian film A Great Big Thing (1968) as a follow-up but nothing came of it. Henceforth, Santoni would be spotted in the supporting capacity in a number of film parts.

Santoni offered potent, reliable secondary turns in film playing good guys, bad guys, serious guys and amusing guys alongside such top names as Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry (1971), Steve Martin in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), which was again directed by Carl Reiner, Sean Penn in Bad Boys (1983) Richard Pryor in Brewster's Millions (1985), Sylvester Stallone in Cobra (1986) and Gene Hackman in The Package (1989), Howard Stern in Private Parts (1997), and, more recently, Sandra Bullock in 28 Days (2000) and Coolio in Gang Warz (2004). In contrast, he also broke into the voiceover business and provided expert characterizations wherever needed. He offered his vocal skills in Eddie Murphy's Doctor Dolittle (1998) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001).

His steady career employment, however, has been on the small screen. His 70s series work consisted of ably assisting such crime fighters as "Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law" and "Matt Houston. He was a regular on the short-lived TV series Manimal (1983) and played a Sanchez family member on the TV comedy Sanchez of Bel Air (1986). In addition to playing Father Joe DiMaggio on the series Midnight Caller (1988), he had guest shots on "Scarecrow & Mrs. King," "227," "Hill Street Blues," "Moonlighting," "Miami Vice," "Equal Justice," "Murder, She Wrote" and "Quantum Leap." Decades later Santoni played a recurring role as a judge on the series Murder One (1995) and received great attention for his occasional role as "Poppie" the unsanitary restaurateur on the classic comedy series Seinfeld (1989).

Into the millennium, Reni appeared as a guest on such popular TV programs as "According to Jim," "CSI," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Raising the Bar." He made his last appearance on an episode of "Franklin & Bash" in 2012. Reni died of cancer on August 1, 2020.
BornApril 21, 1938
DiedAugust 1, 2020(82)
BornApril 21, 1938
DiedAugust 1, 2020(82)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 nomination

Photos23

Reni Santoni in Manimal (1983)
Melody Anderson and Reni Santoni in Manimal (1983)
William Petersen and Reni Santoni in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000)
Tim Conway, Chuck McCann, Reni Santoni, and Dub Taylor in They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way (1978)
Tim Conway, Chuck McCann, Reni Santoni, and Dub Taylor in They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way (1978)
George Kennedy and Reni Santoni in Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969)
Joe Don Baker, George Kennedy, Bernie Casey, Monte Markham, Reni Santoni, Scott Thomas, and James Whitmore in Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969)
Clint Eastwood and Reni Santoni in Dirty Harry (1971)
Clint Eastwood and Reni Santoni in Dirty Harry (1971)
Lyn Edgington and Reni Santoni in Dirty Harry (1971)
Clint Eastwood and Reni Santoni in Dirty Harry (1971)
Reni Santoni in 28 Days (2000)

Known for

Sylvester Stallone in Cobra (1986)
Cobra
5.8
  • Gonzales
  • 1986
Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry (1971)
Dirty Harry
7.7
  • Chico
  • 1971
Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Norm MacDonald, and Reni Santoni in Doctor Dolittle (1998)
Doctor Dolittle
5.4
  • Rat #1(voice)
  • 1998
Bad Boys (1983)
Bad Boys
7.2
  • Ramon Herrera
  • 1983

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Going Rogue
    Going Rogue
    • John Rutherford
  • Heather Locklear, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and Breckin Meyer in Franklin & Bash (2011)
    Franklin & Bash
    • Judge Maurice Vincent
    • TV Series
    • 2012
  • Irene in Time (2009)
    Irene in Time
    • Sam
    • 2009
  • Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben, Natalia Cigliuti, Jane Kaczmarek, J. August Richards, Melissa Sagemiller, and Jonathan Scarfe in Raising the Bar (2008)
    Raising the Bar
    • Mr. Cansardi
    • TV Series
    • 2009
  • Seth Green, Shane McRae, Josh Cooke, and Todd Grinnell in Four Kings (2006)
    Four Kings
    • Mr. Hernandez
    • TV Series
    • 2006
  • James Pickens Jr., Ellen Pompeo, and Chandra Wilson in Grey's Anatomy (2005)
    Grey's Anatomy
    • Alan Griswold
    • TV Series
    • 2005
  • Elisabeth Shue, Ted Danson, and George Eads in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000)
    CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
    • Frank Mejia
    • TV Series
    • 2005
  • Gang Warz (2004)
    Gang Warz
    • Father Luis
    • 2004
  • Yancey Arias, Bobby Cannavale, and Sheryl Lee in Kingpin (2003)
    Kingpin
    • General Valdez
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2003
  • Jim Belushi, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Taylor Atelian, and Billi Bruno in According to Jim (2001)
    According to Jim
    • Tony
    • TV Series
    • 2002
  • Eddie Murphy, Michael Rapaport, Steve Zahn, Norm MacDonald, Phil Proctor, Richard C. Sarafian, and Crystal the Monkey in Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)
    Dr. Dolittle 2
    • Rat #2 (voice)
    • 2001
  • V.I.P. (1998)
    V.I.P.
    • Luis Montez
    • TV Series
    • 2001
  • Judging Amy (1999)
    Judging Amy
    • Clyde Tate
    • TV Series
    • 2000
  • Sandra Bullock in 28 Days (2000)
    28 Days
    • Daniel
    • 2000
  • Late Last Night (1999)
    Late Last Night
    • Drunk
    • TV Movie
    • 1999

Additional Crew

  • Wedding Band (1989)
    Wedding Band
    • loop group
    • 1989
  • Marvin & Tige (1983)
    Marvin & Tige
    • voice
    • 1983

Sound Department

  • Dead on: Relentless II (1992)
    Dead on: Relentless II
    • custom looping
    • Video
    • 1992

Videos13

Official Trailer
Trailer 2:10
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:10
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:04
Official Trailer
Manimal
Trailer 1:05
Manimal
Cobra
Trailer 1:27
Cobra
Dirty Harry
Trailer 2:53
Dirty Harry
Manimal: Panther Prowess
Trailer 0:37
Manimal: Panther Prowess
Manimal: Transformation
Trailer 0:41
Manimal: Transformation
Manimal: Owl In The Park
Trailer 0:39
Manimal: Owl In The Park
Manimal
Trailer 0:54
Manimal
Manimal: Official Intro Sequence
Trailer 1:04
Manimal: Official Intro Sequence
Manimal: Pigeon Play
Trailer 0:52
Manimal: Pigeon Play

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Reni Sands
  • Height
    • 6′ 1¼″ (1.86 m)
  • Born
    • April 21, 1938
    • Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • August 1, 2020
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(throat and lung cancer)
  • Spouses
      Lisa JamesMay 19, 1968 - ? (1 child)
  • Other works
    In 1972, he starred in an unsold pilot for ABC called "Cassidy and Torres." The plot concerned the adventures of a police reporter and a Hispanic detective.

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Briefly played professional baseball and originally planned on being a sports journalist.

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