- Born
- Died
- Birth nameVito Giusto Scozzari
- Height5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
- With his dark features and having spent much of his early years in Naples, Italy, Vito Scotti was understandably typecast as Italian waiters, government functionaries, policemen, maitre d's and barbers. When Vito was seven, the Scottis moved back to the U.S. where his mother became a diva in the Italian theatre in New York. It was in that theatre that Scotti developed his gift for farce, which he modeled on the style found in the Commedia dell'Arte. He worked the night club circuit doing pantomime and broke into movies and television during the early 1950s. Vito loved cooking, especially the recipes of his beloved mother and grandmother.
- IMDb mini biography by: Kelly Wiebe (senhue@mts.net
- SpousesJo Ella Thompson(February 14, 1980 - ?) (divorced)Irene Aida Lopez(February 26, 1949 - April 15, 1979) (her death, 2 children)Beverly Cohen(? - June 5, 1996) (his death)
- Talking with his hands.
- His black moustache.
- His distinct voice & thick Italian accent.
- His affable characters
- Big at playing unsympathetic types such as snobs, loudmouths and bullies, he was known for his resourceful portrayals of various ethnic types. Of Italian heritage, he was seen playing everything from a Mexican bandit and Russian doctor to a Japanese sailor.
- In addition to his accomplishments as an actor, he was highly regarded as a chef. Two generations of Hollywood's top names always left his dinner parties raving about the food and wine.
- Once worked in nightclubs as a stand-up magician and mime. On "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in the 1960s he once made a guest appearance as a house painter who performed magic tricks and cooked meals which was episode 23 of season 2, first broadcast on 27 February 1963.
- Appeared numerous times on episodes of Columbo playing a different role each time. This includes the episode 'Negative Reaction', starring Dick Van Dyke, with whom he had worked before on The Dick Van Dyke Show in the1960s.
- Fluent in Neapolitan and Italian.
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