Ron Carey

Ron Carey, born Ronald Joseph Cicenia on December 11, 1935, in Newark, New Jersey, was an American actor who worked across stage, film, and television. The son of Fanny Nesto Cicenia and John Cicenia, he was raised in an Italian American Catholic family and attended Barringer High School, where he served as class president during his senior year. He earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Seton Hall University in 1956 before pursuing a career in comedy.

Standing 5 feet 4 inches tall, Carey built his early stand-up act around his Catholic upbringing and his experience growing up as the smallest but sharpest kid in his neighborhood. His profile rose in 1966 with an appearance on The Merv Griffin Show, and the following year he released a comedy album titled The Slightly Irreverent Comedy of Ron Carey. His stage work brought him to Broadway in 1968, where he appeared in Lovers and Other Strangers.

Carey became a recognizable presence in film through his association with director Mel Brooks, whose productions drew on a consistent group of performers. Carey appeared in Silent Movie, High Anxiety, and History of the World: Part I. He also took a supporting role in Fatso, directed by Brooks's wife Anne Bancroft, a film that featured several actors from the same circle.

His most sustained television role came on the ABC series Barney Miller, where he played Officer Carl Levitt, an ambitious NYPD officer whose drive was frequently undercut by his position in the precinct hierarchy. Carey joined the cast in season two, first appearing as a criminal named Angelo Molinari, and went on to play Levitt as a recurring character for the final six of the show's eight seasons, from 1976 to 1982. The physical contrast between Carey and his castmates — Hal Linden, Max Gail, Abe Vigoda, Ron Glass, and Steve Landesberg, all of whom stood at least six feet tall — was a consistent visual element of his appearances. Beyond his film and television work, Carey appeared in numerous commercials, including advertisements for Hanes, Nabisco's Better Cheddars, and Post Honeycomb cereal.

Carey died of a stroke at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on January 16, 2007. He was survived by his wife of 38 years, Sharon, and his brother, James Cicenia. He had no children.