Alex Rocco
A gravel-voiced character actor who brought authentic menace and weary humanity to Hollywood's gangsters and everymen.
1936–2015 (age 79)·American actor·Birthday: February 29·The Silent Generation
Biography
Born Alexander Federico Petricone Jr. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Alex Rocco's path to the screen was paved with street-level experience. Before acting, he ran with Boston's Winter Hill Gang, a past he left behind after a police tip saved him from a planned hit. Moving to Los Angeles, he studied under actor Jeff Corey, shedding his accent and his history to forge a new identity. His breakthrough came as the slick, brutal mobster Moe Greene in Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather,' a performance forever etched in film history for its chilling final scene. Rocco's career became a masterclass in character work, shifting from menacing figures to lovable lugs like TV producer Al Floss on 'The Famous Teddy Z.' His lived-in face and world-weary delivery made him a sought-after presence for decades, a performer who understood the weight of real choices.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Alex was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alex Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Alex's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2015Died at 79
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role on the CBS series 'The Famous Teddy Z.'
- Portrayed the iconic Las Vegas casino owner Moe Greene in Francis Ford Coppola's landmark film 'The Godfather.'
- Had a prolific television career with recurring roles on series like 'The Simpsons,' voicing Roger Meyers Jr., and 'Magic City.'
- Appeared in a wide range of films from the comedy 'The Stunt Man' to the cult favorite 'That Thing You Do!'
Did You Know?
He was a close childhood friend of future Winter Hill Gang leader James "Whitey" Bulger.
He changed his name from Alex Petricone to Alex Rocco upon entering acting, reportedly inspired by the film 'A Clockwork Orange.'
Rocco was the original voice of Disney's character J. Audubon Woodlore, the keeper of Brownstone National Park.
He was nearly killed in a gangland shooting in 1961, an event that prompted his move away from Boston and into acting.
“I played a gangster so many times because I knew the territory. I grew up with those guys.”
