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Michael Dante

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Michael Dante
Born
Ralph Vitti

(1931-09-02) September 2, 1931 (age 93)
Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1956–present
SpouseMary Jane Dante

Michael Dante (born Ralph Vitti, September 2, 1931) is an American actor and former professional minor league baseball player.

Early life

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Dante was born Ralph Vitti in Stamford, Connecticut on September 2, 1931.[1] Growing up, he would sneak into a local movie theater with his friends to watch Westerns.[2] "I grew up wanting to be the sidekick of The Lone Ranger and wanting to follow my heroes", Dante told a reporter in 2006.[2]

He was a shortstop on the Stamford High School baseball team, then played for "The Advocate All-Stars" team which won a 1949 New England baseball championship. After graduating from high school, as Ralph Vitti signed a bonus contract with the Boston Braves. He used his $6,000 bonus to buy his family a four-door Buick with whitewalls.[2]

Career

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During spring training with the former Washington Senators, Dante took drama classes at the University of Miami. Bandleader Tommy Dorsey arranged a screen test for him at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His first film, Somebody Up There Likes Me, was released in 1956. He changed his name at the urging of studio boss Jack L. Warner, who thought "Vitti" would not fit well on theater marquees. Warner suggested some first names, from which the actor picked "Michael". He chose the last name "Dante" as it had belonged to some relatives.[2]

Dante has appeared in 30 films and 150 television shows.[2] He spent seven years in supporting roles under contract to three major studios at once: MGM, Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox. He considers his best performances the role that he played in Killer Instinct on the CBS television series Desilu Playhouse, along with his roles in the movies Westbound (1959), Seven Thieves (1960) and Winterhawk (1975).[2]

Other film credits include Fort Dobbs (1958), Kid Galahad (1962), Operation Bikini (1963), The Naked Kiss (1964), Apache Rifles (1964), Harlow (1965), Arizona Raiders (1965), Willard (1971), That's the Way of the World (1975), The Farmer (1977), Missile X: The Neutron Bomb Incident (1978), Beyond Evil (1980), Return from the River Kwai (1989), and Cage (1989).

Dante appeared on a few ABC/Warner Brothers series, including the Westerns Colt .45. On Maverick, he portrayed the killer Turk Mason in the 1957 episode "The Third Rider", with Jack Kelly. He appeared on Bourbon Street Beat, Rescue 8, and in three episodes of CBS's The Texan.

Dante made two guest appearances on Perry Mason starring Raymond Burr. In 1959, he played Arthur Manning in "The Case of the Dangerous Dowager", and, in 1965, he played murder victim Douglas Kelland in "The Case of the Feather Cloak."

He appeared on Star Trek television series in the role of "Maab" in the 1967 episode, "Friday's Child" alongside Julie Newmar. Dante has appeared at Star Trek conventions.[2]

In 1969, he played Clay Squires, a bitter young half-breed man, in the episode "Long Night at Fort Lonely" on the syndicated Death Valley Days, with Robert Taylor (actor) as Ben Cotterman and June Dayton as Cotterman's wife, Rachel[3] and in 1972 he played a harried TV commercial director in My Three Sons. In 1974, he played Julio Tucelli in The Six Million Dollar Man episode, "Dr. Wells Is Missing". Dante had recurring roles on the television serials Days of Our Lives and General Hospital.

In the 1970s, Dante met John Wayne, whom he watched on screen as a child. Wayne had seen Dante in Winterhawk and asked him to co-host a charity event in Newport Beach, California. That started a friendship between the two actors, and they co-hosted other events until Wayne's death in 1979.[2]

Michael Dante hosted his own syndicated radio talk show, from 1995 to 2007, called On Deck and previously known as the Michael Dante Celebrity Talk Show. His program guests included Milton Berle, Tony Curtis, Ron Ely, Bryant Gumbel, Stack Pierce, Connie Stevens and Stella Stevens.[2][4] An avid golfer, he once hosted the annual Michael Dante Celebrity Golf Tournament, a charitable fund-raiser held annually in Palm Springs, California, beginning in 1991.

In 2006, Dante told an interviewer that he had written a script for a sequel to Winterhawk and was trying to get funding for the projected movie.[2]

Awards

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  • The Silver Spur Award (called the "Golden Globe of the Western film and television genre")[2] presented by Reel Cowboys
  • The Golden Boot Award ("the Oscar of Westerns")[2]
  • Southern California Motion Picture Council Award for the 'Best of the Best' in the Motion Picture Industry[5]
  • Wall of Fame Honoree – Stamford High School – Stamford, Connecticut[citation needed]
  • Spirit of the West Award by Wild West Gazette/Bison Western Museum[citation needed]
  • Palm Springs Film Festival Award for the Sammy Fuller classic film The Naked Kiss[citation needed]
  • 1994 – Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars[6]
  • Apacheland Days, Apache Junction, Arizona – Guest of Honor – Western boot prints in cement – Superstition Mountain Museum[7]

Filmography

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1956 Somebody Up There Likes Me Shorty the Greek (uncredited)
1957 Jeanne Eagels Sgt. O'Hara in 'Rain' (uncredited)
1958 Fort Dobbs Billings
1958 Born Reckless Cowboy Dancing with Jackie (uncredited)
1959 Westbound Rod Miller
1960 Seven Thieves Louis Antonizz
1962 Kid Galahad Joie Shakes
1963 Operation Bikini Lt. William 'Bill' Fourtney
1964 The Naked Kiss Grant
1964 Apache Rifles Red Hawk
1965 Harlow Ed
1965 Arizona Raiders Brady
1971 Willard Brandt
1973 Thirty Dangerous Seconds Timothy Sills
1975 That's the Way of the World Mike Lemongello
1975 Winterhawk Winterhawk
1977 The Farmer Johnny O.
1979 Missile X: The Neutron Bomb Incident Konstanine Senyonov
1980 Beyond Evil Del Giorgio
1983 The Big Score Goldy
1986 The Messenger Emerson
1989 Return from the River Kwai Commander Davidson
1989 Cage Tony Baccola
2020 Unbelievable!!!!! Michael Dante
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1957-1958 Sugarfoot Mike Wilson / Walt Lane / Ken Brazwell 3 episodes
1957-1958 Colt .45 Ab Saunders / Davey Bryant 2 episodes
1957-1958 Cheyenne Billy Bob / Whitey / Lt. Dowd / ... 4 episodes
1958 Tales of the Texas Rangers Alfredo Episode: "Edge of Danger"
1958 Rescue 8 Mickey Episode: "The Steel Mountain"
1959 Lawman Jack McCall Episode: "The Captives"
1959 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Ramon Estrada Episode: "The Matador"
1957-1959 Maverick Joe / Turk Mason / Sam Harris 3 Episodes
1959 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse Angel Episode: "The Killer Instinct"
1959 The Texan Steve Chambers 4 episodes
1960 Bourbon Street Beat Gunner Doyle Episode: "Inside Man"
1960 General Electric Theater Holofernes Episode: "The Story of Judith"
1961 Checkmate Trumpet Player Episode: "Voyage Into Fear"
1961 The Detectives Joe Rano Episode: "The Champ"
1961 Cain's Hundred Danny Speckter Episode: "Final Judgment: Alexander Marish"
1962 87th Precinct Larry Brooks Episode: "Idol in the Dust"
1963 Hawaiian Eye Harry Larcombe Episode: "Go Steady with Danger"
1959-1965 Perry Mason Douglas Kelland / Arthur Manning 2 Episodes
1965 Bonanza Miguel Ortega Episode: "The Brass Box"
1965 Days of Our Lives Barney Jannings (1984)
1966 Get Smart Savage Episode: "Kisses for KAOS"
1967 Star Trek: The Original Series Maab Episode: "Friday's Child"
1967 Custer Crazy Horse 16 Episodes
1968 The Big Valley Francisco Episode: "Deathtown"
1959-1969 Death Valley Days Clay Squires / Capt. Richard Rocha 2 Episodes
1969 Daniel Boone Akari Episode: "For a Few Rifles"
1972 My Three Sons Perry Perigrine Episode: "TV Triplets"
1974 The Six Million Dollar Man Julio Tucelli Episode: "Dr. Wells Is Missing"
1980 The Magical World of Disney Ross Episode: "The Kids Who Knew Too Much"
1980 The Kids Who Knew Too Much Ross TV movie
1982 Knots Landing Captain Alving Episode: "Night"
1983-1984 The Fall Guy Oscar Fields / Tommy 2 Episodes
1986 Simon & Simon Mr. Tobias Episode: "Tonsillitis"
1987 Cagney & Lacey Paul Bennet Episode: "Right to Remain Silent"
2018 Find Your Future Reality Michael Dante

References

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  1. ^ Aaker, Everett (8 June 2017). Television Western Players, 1960–1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 115. ISBN 9781476662503. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lee, Natasha, "A reel cowboy: Actor doesn't forget Stamford roots", article in The Advocate of Stamford, October 22, 2006, page 1
  3. ^ "Death Valley Days". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
  4. ^ Michaeldanteway.com - Radio Show Guest List
  5. ^ Crier, Idyllwild Town (2015-07-15). "Michael Dante brings Hollywood to Idyllwild • Idyllwild Town Crier". Retrieved 2024-06-18.
  6. ^ Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated Archived October 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Times, Cherokee Mangus, Special to Peoria (2013-06-13). "Ron Nix film to show at Jerome film festival". Peoriatimes.com. Retrieved 2024-06-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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