George DiCenzo

George Ralph DiCenzo was an American actor born on April 21, 1940, in New Haven, Connecticut. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he worked across film, television, stage, and commercials. He died of sepsis on August 9, 2010, at the age of 70, and was buried in the North and Southampton Churchyard at Churchville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

DiCenzo accumulated credits in more than 30 feature films. Among his screen appearances were Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Choirboys (1977), The Frisco Kid (1979), The Ninth Configuration (1980), Back to the Future (1985), About Last Night (1986), Walk Like a Man (1987), The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988), 18 Again! (1988), Sing (1989), and The Exorcist III (1990). In Back to the Future he portrayed Sam Baines, the grandfather of Marty McFly. He also appeared in the films Hotel, directed by Mike Figgis, and Tempted, directed by Bill Bennett.

His television work was equally extensive. In 1976 he portrayed prosecuting attorney Vincent Bugliosi in the CBS television film Helter Skelter. He appeared in the 1977 miniseries Aspen and the 1980 television film The Night the City Screamed. During the 1981–82 season he was a series regular on McClain's Law alongside James Arness and Marshall Colt, a role he first took on in the television film that served as the series pilot. He played baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti in the television film Hustle, which centered on Pete Rose. DiCenzo made recurring appearances on Murder, She Wrote, Law & Order, and NYPD Blue, and guest-starred in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Semi-Professional." He also starred in the series Equal Justice and Joe's Life during the early and mid-1990s.

In the early 1990s DiCenzo appeared on Broadway alongside Nathan Lane in On Borrowed Time. Earlier in his career he had served as an associate producer of Dark Shadows.

Voice work formed another significant part of his career. He voiced the title character in the animated series BlackStar (1981), Hordak in She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985–1986), and Captain America in Spider-Man (1981) and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981–1983). His voice also appeared in commercials and audiobooks. In video games, he played Ennio Salieri in the 2002 title Mafia and provided the voice of Earnest Kelly in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. DiCenzo trained under mentor Milton Katselas at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and later taught acting in New York City and Philadelphia.