Michael DeLano, the prolific character actor whose decades-long career seamlessly spanned hit television dramas, quintessential action films, and major studio blockbusters, has died at the age of 84. The veteran performer passed away on October 20 in Las Vegas, his family confirmed in a death notice.
His wife of 28 years, Jean DeLano, confirmed the cause of death to The Hollywood Reporter as a heart attack.
From Harlem to Hollywood: A Life of Thrills and Stages
Born in New York City in 1940, DeLano’s connection to the entertainment world began long before he landed his first official screen role. A natural thrill-seeker who enjoyed skydiving and motorcycle riding, DeLano got his first taste of performance excitement at just 10 years old after moving to Harlem and joining a neighborhood singing group. By the age of 14, convinced he had witnessed enough of life and the nascent entertainment industry, he left home to pursue an acting career in Hollywood.
When that initial dream stalled, DeLano shifted his focus, hitting the road as a singer, traveling across the country and performing wherever he could secure a gig. His commitment to performance continued during his time in the Army, where he spent three years acting and singing in military revues while simultaneously serving his country as a paratrooper.
In 1960, at the age of 20, Michael DeLano briefly became known as Key Larson after signing a recording deal with Swan Records—a new stage name that was part of the package. Under this alias, he recorded several songs and quickly landed coveted spots as a guest artist on American Bandstand. However, the stage name never resonated with the performer, and by the early 1970s, he successfully transitioned his focus to acting.
The Rise of a Steady Television Presence
DeLano quickly found his footing in television, securing early guest spots on popular series of the era, including Adam-12, Barnaby Jones, and Banyon, alongside early feature film roles in Catlow (1971) and The New Centurions (1972).
His first major, sustained television role arrived in 1974, when he played firefighter Sonny Caputo across all 13 episodes of ABC’s drama Firehouse. Caputo was the fire company’s cook and resident comedian, a character that highlighted DeLano’s natural charm. Following this, he enjoyed a steady run of guest appearances on some of the biggest shows of the decade, including Kojak, The Rockford Files, and Starsky and Hutch.
DeLano’s most memorable television work came soon after when he charmed audiences as the smooth-talking lounge singer Johnny Venture on the hit series Rhoda, appearing in 11 episodes opposite Valerie Harper.
Action Classics and Soderbergh’s Casino World
The actor maintained a busy schedule throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, demonstrating his versatility with appearances on Charlie’s Angels, The Jeffersons, Wonder Woman, Magnum, P.I., and The A-Team.
His film work included a memorable role as a motorcycle cop in the comedy classic 9 to 5 (1980) and, perhaps most notably to action fans, as Forrestal—a former ally of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s John Matrix—in the 1985 action blockbuster Commando.
DeLano kept up the relentless pace in the 1990s, securing roles in comedies like Another Stakeout and Father Hood, as well as a series of action titles including Zero Tolerance, Lion Strike, Private Wars, and Fists of Iron.
His most widely recognized big-screen role came in 2001, when director Steven Soderbergh cast him in the star-studded heist film Ocean’s Eleven as a Las Vegas casino manager working directly for Andy García’s antagonist, Terry Benedict. DeLano reprised the role for the sequel, Ocean’s Twelve, in 2004. His later credits spanned across several genres, including an appearance on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a role in Wong Kar-wai’s My Blueberry Nights (2007), and his final screen performance in a pair of Royal Pains episodes in 2012.
Michael DeLano is survived by his wife, Jean, his daughter, Bree, and three grandchildren: Michael, Lincoln, and Jaxon. The industry mourns the loss of a hardworking, ever-present character actor who defined the sound and look of several classic decades of American film and television.
