‘Mean Streets’ actor Richard Romanus dead at 80

Richard Romanus, who played a tough-guy Little Italy loan shark in the 1973 film “Mean Streets,” died Dec. 23. He was 80.

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Romanus died in a private hospital in Volos, Greece, his son, Robert Romanus, told The Hollywood Reporter.

In “Mean Streets,” Romanus played Michael Longo, a loan shark who gets into a memorable confrontation with Johnny Civello, played by Robert De Niro, People reported.

Romanus graduated from Xavier University in 1964 and then enrolled in law school before dropping out and taking drama classes at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasburg, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Richard Romanus, 80, was an arresting screen presence who played Michael Longo in "Mean Streets," was Dr. Melfi's estranged husband Richard on "The Sopranos" and guest-starred on TV detective shows such as "Mod Squad," "Kojak," "Hunter" and "Rockford Files." Rest well good sir. pic.twitter.com/pZ554qU9Zj
— Richard Roeper (@RichardERoeper) December 30, 2023

He made his film debut in the 1968 horror film The Ghastly Ones, according to the entertainment news website.

Romanus later did voice roles for the 1977 film “Wizards” and in the 1982 movie “Hey Good Lookin’,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. He also played a cab driver in the 1981 animated film, “Heavy Metal.”

Romanus also appeared in three episodes of “The Sopranos,” as the estranged husband of Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Tony Soprano’s psychiatrist, from 1999 to 2002, according to IMDb.com.

On television, Romanus appeared in “Charlie’s Angels,” “Mission: Impossible,” “MacGyver,” “The A-Team,” “Hawaii Five-0″ and “Strike Force,” according to People.

His final role came in the 2003 movie, “The Young Black Stallion.”

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