Don Calfa

Don Calfa was an American actor born Donald George Calfa on December 3, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York. He was raised in Ozone Park, Queens, and later in West Hempstead, Long Island. According to his official biography, Calfa's initial ambition was a career in the fine arts, but his interest shifted to acting after seeing Rebel Without a Cause. He left high school to join a theater workshop, later completing his degree through night school, and went on to become a member of both the Actors' Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild.

Before establishing himself in film and television, Calfa built his foundation in theater, participating in numerous Off-Off-Broadway productions. His Broadway career ran from 1965 to 1971, with credits including Mating Dance in 1965 and Lenny in 1971. He subsequently transitioned to screen work, accumulating credits in both film and television across more than four decades, appearing alongside figures such as Warren Beatty, Michael Douglas, Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg.

Calfa became particularly recognized for his work in cult films, most notably his portrayal of Ernie Kaltenbrunner, an eccentric, bleached-blonde, gun-toting mortician, in the 1985 horror-comedy The Return of the Living Dead. The role represented a rare leading part for Calfa and remained his most prominent screen credit. He later auditioned for the role of Doc Mandel in the 1988 sequel Return of the Living Dead Part II, though the part went to Philip Bruns. Calfa was also cast as Colonel Peck in Return of the Living Dead III in 1993 but withdrew from production for personal reasons. He maintained close ties with the cast and crew of the original film, appearing with them at horror conventions and screenings throughout the United States, and was interviewed for the 2012 documentary More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead.

Among his other notable film performances, Calfa played the bumbling hitman Paulie in the 1989 comedy Weekend at Bernie's, as well as Scarface in Foul Play, Harold Grand in Treasure of the Moon Goddess, and mad scientist Ralph Willum in Chopper Chicks in Zombietown. His television work was equally extensive, encompassing appearances on Kojak, Baretta, The Streets of San Francisco, The Bionic Woman, Benson, Night Court, Simon and Simon, Hill Street Blues, Matlock, Twin Peaks, Doogie Howser M.D., Murder She Wrote, and Beverly Hills 90210, among others. He portrayed seven different characters across seven episodes of Barney Miller.

Calfa was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He maintained a close personal and professional friendship with actor Richard Lynch dating to the 1960s, and the two appeared together in H.P. Lovecraft's: Necronomicon, Toughguy, Corpses Are Forever, and Lewisburg. Calfa was married to Trixie Flynn from September 10, 1977, until their divorce on August 26, 1981. He died on December 1, 2016, at his home in Yucca Valley, California, two days before what would have been his 77th birthday.