Dom DeLuise

A larger-than-life funnyman with an infectious giggle and a gift for making others laugh -- especially his co-stars -- Dom DeLuise was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Aug. 1, 1933.

The portly actor was best known for his zany character roles in Mel Brooks comedies such as Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs (voicing the gluttonous Pizza the Hutt) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, as well as for his longtime association with fellow actor Burt Reynolds. The pair appeared in a number of films together in the 1980s, including The Cannonball Run and Smokey and the Bandit II.

During his long career, DeLuise earned a Golden Globe nomination for the sitcom "Lotsa Luck," a Daytime Emmy nod for "All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series" and a Razzie for playing a woman in Gene Wilder's 1986 comedy bomb Haunted Honeymoon. DeLuise passed away May 4, 2009, at age 75.

Filmography