Wally Campo
Wally Campo | |
|---|---|
Los Angeles, California , U.S. | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1956–2011 (film and television) |
| Spouse | Geraldine Matthews |
| Children | 1 |
Wallace Joseph Campodonico (April 23, 1923 – January 14, 2023), better known as Wally Campo, was an American actor. He was known for his appearances in Roger Corman and Burt Topper films, as well as for narrating The Little Shop of Horrors (1960).[1][2]
Life and career
Wallace Campodonico was born in Stockton, California on April 23, 1923.[3] He attended Stockton High School, and played the title role in the 1941 senior class production of Tom Cobb or, Fortune's Toy.[4] During World War II, Campodonico served in the U.S. Army,[5] enlisting in June 1942.[6] After the war, he worked as a stage actor. He appeared in a 1948 production of Ah, Wilderness! as part of The Stockton Community Players.[7]
Campo's best known appearance on screen was playing Joe Fink in The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), a detective who visits the shop after catching wind of recent disappearances. The character's persona has been described as a parody of the type of detectives featured in Dragnet. Campo also narrated the film.[8]
In 1969, Campo, then working as an acting coach, made his debut as a director on the film Mark of the Gun, starring Ross Hagen.[9]
Campo and his wife, Geraldine Matthews, had one son, Tony Campodonico, a musician who appeared as a child actor on
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Inside Detroit | Recreation Hall Manager | [11] |
| 1958 | Machine-Gun Kelly | Maize | [12] |
| 1958 | Hell Squad | Private Russo | [13] |
| 1959 | Tank Commando | Pvt. Sonny Lazzotti | [14] |
| 1959 | Warlock | Barber | [15] |
| 1959 | Beast from Haunted Cave | Byron Smith | [16] |
| 1960 | Ski Troop Attack | Pvt. Ed Ciccola | [17] |
| 1960 | The Little Shop of Horrors | Sgt. Joe Fink / Narrator | [18] |
| 1961 | Master of the World | First Mate Turner | [19] |
| 1961 | War Is Hell | Laney | [20] |
| 1962 | Tales of Terror | Barman Wilkins | [21] |
| 1963 | Shock Corridor | [22] | |
| 1964 | The Strangler | Eggerton | [23] |
| 1967 | Devil's Angels | Grog | [24] |
References
- ISBN 9780786416578. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9780786458318. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "Wallace Joseph Campodonico". Neptune Society. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Seniors Will Give Romantic Farce". Stockton, California: Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. June 10, 1941. p. 10. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ "Men in Service". Stockton, California: Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. January 14, 1943. p. 9. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "Wallace Joseph Campodonico". U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ "'Ah Wilderness' Staff Kept Busy". Stockton, California: Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. December 3, 1948. p. 35. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ Pandolfi, Chris (September 6, 2015). "The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)". Gone with the Twins. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ISBN 9780786482504. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ a b Barnes, Mike (January 26, 2023). "Wally Campo, Actor in 'Little Shop of Horrors' and Other Roger Corman Films, Dies at 99". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- ISBN 9780786470143. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ISBN 9781476610351. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9781476635224. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9780810866843. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9781329613119. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9780786481880. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9781617031670. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9781442269897. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9781476610351. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9780313303166. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9780813123608. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9780826429773. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9780786482177. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ISBN 9781476601168. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
External links
- Wally Campo at IMDb