John Capodice

John Capodice (December 25, 1941 – December 30, 2024) was an American character actor born in Chicago, Illinois, who built a career across theater, film, and television spanning several decades. He lived at various points in Los Angeles, California, and Blauvelt, New York, and died on December 30, 2024, at the age of 83.

Capodice's screen career began in the late 1970s with a recurring role on the ABC daytime soap opera Ryan's Hope, where he played Lloyd Lord across six episodes. He subsequently accumulated guest appearances on a wide range of television series, among them Spenser: For Hire, Kate & Allie, Murder She Wrote, Knots Landing, Hunter, Murphy Brown, and Law & Order. In 1989 he appeared on Moonlighting, and he later guest-starred in episode 1.21 of NBC's Will & Grace as a repairman who suffers a heart attack. His television work continued into the 2000s with appearances on The West Wing, Six Feet Under, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He also appeared in a 1980s commercial for Polly-O String Cheese as Fred, a pizzeria owner, and in an advertisement for Dimetapp Cold Medicine as a trucker dispensing medical advice.

His film credits include the role of Doyle in the 1982 film Q and Tommy in the 1989 film Family Business. That same year he appeared as a bookmaker in the comedy See No Evil, Hear No Evil. He had a role in Oliver Stone's 1991 film The Doors, and went on to appear in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994), Speed (1994), Independence Day (1996), and Enemy of the State (1998). In 2010 he provided the voice of Sidney Pen in the video game Mafia II.

On stage, Capodice worked primarily in Off-Broadway productions before his 1985 Broadway credit. He portrayed a prison guard in Getting Out, performing the production at the Marymount Manhattan Theatre in October and November of 1978 and subsequently at the Lucille Lortel Theatre from May 1979 through December 1980. The play received two Outer Critics Circle Awards in 1979. His Broadway appearance came in Requiem for a Heavyweight, in which he performed alongside John Lithgow, George Segal, and John C. McGinley.