Tributes have poured in for Jon Polito following his death aged 65.
The character actor had been suffering from cancer and was taken on life support at City of Hope hospital in Duarte, California, on Thursday (01.09.16).
Polito – who was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010 – starred in more than 220 productions over his career, including five movies by the Coen Brothers.
Among these were ‘Miller’s Crossing’, ‘Barton Fink’ and classic film ‘The Big Lebowski’, in which he starred as a private detective.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson wrote on Twitter: "RIP Jon Polito. He was the best of the best and I learned a lot from him. A true comic genius and a great guy. He will be missed. (sic)"
Marcia Gay Harden paid tribute to her ‘Miller’s Crossing’ co-star by referencing a line from the movie, tweeting: "Tipping the High Hat to my dear friend Jon Polito, who taught me all abt ETHICS & loyalty on #MillersCrossing RIP. (sic)"
Seth Meyers wrote: "’Whatsa matter? Somebody hit you?’ RIP Jon Polito."
Eric Stonestreet, who starred alongside the actor in ‘Modern Family," tweeted, "Very sad to hear of the passing of great actor and very funny and sweet man. Jon Polito. Google him. You loved him. RIP."
He first joined forces with the Coen Brothers in 1990’s ‘Miller’s Crossing’ after they spotted him in a New York stage adaptation of ‘Death of a Salesman’ in 1986.
The star also appeared in 1994 fantasy epic ‘The Crow’ as well as ‘Gangster Squad’, ‘The Rocketeer’ and as a flirty salesman in 2001’s ‘The Man Who Wasn’t There’ alongside Billy Bob Thornton and Scarlett Johansson.
Polito’s final film role saw him star as Enrico Banducci in 2014’s ‘Big Eyes’, but he also went on to play Earl Chambers in a handful of ‘Modern Family’ episodes on the small screen.
He also starred in TV series ‘Major Crimes’ and ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ earlier this year.
Polito was known for playing characters on both sides of the law but previously insisted he didn’t worry about being typecast.
Speaking in 2005, he said: "I don’t have a problem – first of all, my theory is there are only gangsters and cops. There are also fathers, but they are really boring unless some tragedy happens to the father. … I don’t mind typecasting, but I will not do the same thing over again."
He is survived by his husband Darryl Armbuster.
Tributes pour in to Jon Polito
