
Acting
Sal Viscuso
Born 1948-10-05 · Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
The dedication of Sal Viscuso to the craft of acting can be dated to a singular evening in 1967. A college freshman, he happened upon a teleplay of Ronald Ribman's CBS Playhouse: The Final War of Olly Winter (1967) and was so inspired by Ivan Dixon's Emmy-winning rendition of the title role that he entered the drama department the very next day, later explaining, "I felt that there I had found my family." He earned his BA from the University of California at Davis, then went on to study with Olympia Dukakis at NYU School of the Arts, from which he graduated with an MFA. Opportunities presented themselves rapidly, and Sal made his film debut in the classic The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974). An introduction to Burt Metcalfe, associate producer of the iconic series M*A*S*H (1972), led to his move to Los Angeles, and soon Sal was a regular on NBC's sitcom The Montefuscos (1975). He was an off-screen loudspeaker announcer (as well as various other characters) on M*A*S*H (1972); appeared in Gene Wilder's homage to 1920's Hollywood, The World's Greatest Lover (1977); improvised in Robert Altman's Three Women (1977); and played multiple parts on the beloved Barney Miller (1975) (one of which was written especially for him by the show's creator, Danny Arnold). He was also to feature in what TIME magazine has rated as one of the "Top 100 TV shows of all time," Susan Harris's Soap (1977). His vocationally challenged Father Timothy Flotsky (and the show's depiction of one of the first openly gay characters on network television), created instant controversy that attracted 19 million viewers to the series premiere. Shortly thereafter, Sal commenced his professional association with the Bancroft/Brooks combine of talent, first appearing in Anne Bancroft's Fatso (1980), and then in Mel Brooks' Spaceballs (1987), about which he has remarked, "I continue to get more attention from that project than from anything I've ever done!"
Acting credits
6.9When the nefarious Dark Helmet hatches a plan to snatch Princess Vespa and steal her planet's air, space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr and his clueless sidekick fly to the rescue. Along the way, they meet Yogurt, who puts Lone Starr wise to the power of "The Schwartz." Can he master it in time to save the day?
Spaceballs
1987
7.0When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son Josh struggles to adapt to his new school and new friends. All of that changes when he discovers Lyle — a singing crocodile who loves baths, caviar and great music — living in the attic of his new home. But when Lyle’s existence is threatened by evil neighbor Mr. Grumps, the Primms must band together to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
2022
5.5Dr. Alan Feinstone has everything: a beautiful wife and a successful career in dentistry. However, when he discovers his wife's affair, he realizes that behind every clean, white surface lies the stench of decay.
The Dentist
1996
7.5In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers while the authorities question about the method of their escape.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
1974
6.6An English teacher and struggling single mother has her life disrupted when the father who abandoned her as a child comes back into her life.
Max Dugan Returns
1983
4.5Defense attorney Jennifer Garrick acquires a Pinocchio puppet from a condemned serial killer. Her pre-teen daughter, Zoe, mistakes the puppet as a birthday present and grows attached to her new friend. Suddenly, accidents begin to happen to those who cross Zoe. Zoe claims it's her Pinocchio doll but her therapist thinks otherwise. Pinocchio promises he'll behave if Zoe will cut his strings...
Pinocchio's Revenge
1996
5.6When frustrated movie studio mogul Adolph Zitz announces a talent search for a romantic leading man to rival the great Rudolph Valentino, thousands of hopefuls decend upon Hollywood. Rudy Valentine, a neurotic baker from Milwaukee, knows little about romance or acting. But when his wife leaves him for the real Valentino, Rudy goes to outrageous lengths to win the role of a lifetime and win back the love of his life.
The World's Greatest Lover
1977
4.6Jake Speed (Wayne Crawford) is the lead character in some of the biggest page-turners of the 1940s. A chiseled, heroic action figure, Speed saves lives on paper, but when a young girl is kidnapped and her sister (Karen Kopins) begs the real-life Speed for help, he must find a way to be as gallant as the book hero whose creation he's inspired. Accompanied by the victim's sibling, Speed flies to Africa to see if he's up to the task.
Jake Speed
1986
6.2After college graduation, Grover's girlfriend Jane tells him she's moving to Prague to study writing. Grover declines to accompany her, deciding instead to move in with several friends, all of whom can't quite work up the inertia to escape their university's pull. Nobody wants to make any big decisions that would radically alter his life, yet none of them wants to end up like Chet, the professional student who tends bar and is in his tenth year of university studies.
Kicking and Screaming
1995
3.8A crazed killer stalks the cast of a television soap-opera.
Fantasies
1982
4.7Four sisters who disagree about everything... except what matters most. Family.
The Amati Girls
2001
5.6The historic 1973 tennis match between middle-aged champion Bobby Riggs and young feminist Billie Jean King.
When Billie Beat Bobby
2001
5.6Danny is hopelessly in love with his teacher Peggy Noble. Of course she doesn't even notice him while she plans to marry the obnoxious coach Roy "Jack-jaw" Kelton. When Danny's friend Lloyd invents a growth accelerator for fruit and vegetables to "solve world hunger", Danny uses it on himself and as an adult tries to show her Roy's real personality. However at his first appearance at school as an adult, he's mistaken for someone else...
14 Going on 30
1988
5.8Dominick DiNapoli is a man who loves food and is overweight as a result. After an obese cousin dies due to health problems, Dominick's sister Antoinette sets out to help him lose weight. Although he has a hard time trying to slim down, Dominick finds inspiration when he meets and falls for shop owner Lydia. Can he get up the courage to ask her out, or will he go back to the comfort of overeating?
Fatso
1980
NRAn adaptation of the play by Anton Chekhov.
Hollywood Seagull
2013
4.4The true story of Leonard Matlovich, a U.S. Air Force sergeant who, in 1975, publicly divulged his homosexuality and fought to remain in service.
Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force
1978
4.0A daytime soap opera star has to deal with his sexist ideas when he falls for his new co-star, a woman who seemingly follows his manly ideas about dating.
Confessions of a Sexist Pig
1998
7.4Attorney Bill McKenzie takes the case when his niece is framed for the murder of a popular and demanding sitcom star.
Perry Mason: The Case of the Jealous Jokester
1995
7.0A housewife starts a business hiring herself out as a "wife," to provide various domestic services.
This Wife for Hire
1985
Two fathers and a bachelor decide to share a big house to lower expenses and help relieve loneliness, but the children involved are less than happy about the arrangement as friction and humorous problems develop rapidly.
2 1/2 Dads
1986
9.0Sex, love and murder abound when two guys, two waitresses and a group of mobsters meet.
The Cure for Boredom
2001