Today in Star Trek history: Vincent Schiavelli, character actor and food writer, was born

A holographic salesman (Vincent Schiavelli) pitches a weapons system to Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Arsenal of Freedom”

You may or may not know his name off the top of your head, but if you were alive in the 1980s or ‘90s, you knew character actor Vincent Schiavelli’s face. Today we observe what would have been his 73rd birthday.

Vincent Andrew Schiavelli was born on November 11th, 1948 in Brooklyn, NY. He matriculated his way through the theatre program at New York University and began his acting career onstage in the 1960s.

Schiavelli’s acting career really took off when he appeared in the 1971 film Taking Off, directed by Miloš Forman. He then appeared as a supporting character in many of Forman’s films, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus and Man on the Moon. Among many other, he portrayed the role of Mr. Vargas in the film Fast Times At Ridgemont High, a Subway Ghost in Ghost, a villain in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, the made-for-TV movie Return to Gilligan’s Island and the Penguin’s henchman, an organ grinder, in Batman Returns.

Schiavelli’s distinctive appearance coupled with his acting chops won him many a supporting actor gig, as well as a recognizable guest star in many popular television shows, including  Miami Vice, MacGyver, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Highlander: The Series, and The X-Files.

In 1988, Schiavelli appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation’s season one episode, “The Arsenal of Freedom,” in which he portrayed a holographic salesman pitching a weapons system to our heroic crew. The weapon traps Riker in a stasis field and separates the away team, leaving Picard to nurse Doctor Crusher’s broken leg in an underground cavern while the Enterprise, under La Forge’s command, is attacked by a space-faring version of the weapon. Schiavelli’s character can only be convinced to end the “demonstration” when Picard agrees to purchase the system.

In 1993, the Sicillian-American actor dipped his toe into the world of food writing, publishing the book Papa Andrea’s Sicilian Table: Recipes from a Sicilian Chef as Remembered by His Grandson. That mouthful of a title was followed up by Bruculinu, America: Remembrances of Sicilian-American Brooklyn, Told in Stories and Recipes in 1998 and ManyBeautiful Things: Stories and Recipes From Polizzi Generosan in 2002.

Schiavelli suffered from Marfan Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting the connective tissue. Sufferers, like Schiavelli, tend to be tall and thin, with long arms, legs, fingers and toes. The condition can cause scoliosis and also affect the heart, bones and lungs. Schiavelli was the honorary co-chair of the National Marfan Foundation.

Vincent Schiavelli died of lung cancer on December 26, 2005 in Polizzi Generosa, the town where his grandfather was born. He is buried in the cemetery there.

If you would like to learn more about Marfan Syndrome or support the cause of saving and improving the lives of Marfan sufferers, please visit the National Marfan Foundation.