Gabriel Dell

Gabriel Dell (born Gabriel Marcel Dell Vecchio; October 8, 1919 – July 3, 1988) was an American actor and one of the members of what came to be known as the Dead End Kids, then later the East Side Kids and finally The Bowery Boys.[1]

Gabriel Dell
Dell as Harry Grant in The Corner Bar, 1972.
Born
Gabriel Marcel Dell Vecchio

(1919-10-08)October 8, 1919
New York City, New York, United States
DiedJuly 3, 1988(1988-07-03) (aged 68)
North Hollywood, California, United States
OccupationActor
Years active1934–1982
Spouse(s)Barbara Dell
(m. 19??; div. 1953)
Viola Essen
(m. 19??; div. 19??)
Children1

Acting career

Born in New York City,[2] Dell almost made his stage debut a few years before Dead End when he and his sister were slated for roles in The Good Earth with Alla Nazimova and Claude Rains. Dell served in the United States Merchant Marine during World War II. He appeared in numerous films as a Dead End Kid/East Side Kid/Bowery Boy. In the 1944 East Side Kids film Million Dollar Kid, Dell actually appeared as a criminal villain, pitted against the boys, who gets brought to justice in the end.

Dell's most prominent stage role was in the play The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, written by Lorraine Hansberry. The production opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on October 15, 1964, and was directed by Peter Kass. Jack Blackman designed scenery, Jules Fisher designed lighting, and Fred Voelpel designed costumes. The original cast featured Dell as Sidney Brustein and Rita Moreno as Iris Parodus Brustein. The play received mixed reviews and closed on January 10, 1965.

His other non-Dead End Kids/Bowery Boys films included The 300 Year Weekend (1971), Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971), Earthquake (1974), and Framed (1975). He also appeared in The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery (1975), and The Escape Artist (1982). Dell also made several appearances on television shows during the 1960s and '70s including Ben Casey, The Fugitive, Mannix, Then Came Bronson, I Dream of Jeannie, McCloud, Sanford and Son, and Barney Miller.

According to differing sources, either Don Francks[3] or Dell[4] was the uncredited actor providing the voice of Boba Fett, a Mandalorian bounty hunter, in the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Death

Dell died in North Hollywood of leukemia in 1988 at age 68.

Selected filmography

See also
  •  Biography portal

References
  1. Bennetts, Leslie (July 7, 1988). "Gabriel Dell, 68, a Dead End Kid On Broadway and in Many Films". The New York Times.
  2. Fisher, James (2011). Historical Dictionary of Contemporary American Theater: 1930-2010. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810879508. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  3. Britt, Ryan (November 17, 2016). "38 Years Ago Today, Boba Fett Was Spotted for the First Time". Inverse. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  4. Star Wars Holiday Special at The Big Cartoon DataBase Archived from the original on May 26, 2018.
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