René Santoni, born Reinaldo Santoni on April 21, 1938, in New York City, was an American actor of French and Spanish heritage. He began his career as a comedy writer, later transitioning to acting in the early 1960s. Santoni's breakthrough role came when director Carl Reiner cast him in the semi-autobiographical film Enter Laughing (1967),as aspiring actor David Kolowitz.
Although the film did not catapult Santoni to stardom, he continued to work in the industry, often in supporting roles. He appeared alongside notable actors such as Clint Eastwood, Steve Martin, Sean Penn, Richard Pryor, Sylvester Stallone, and Gene Hackman in films like Dirty Harry (1971),Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982),Bad Boys (1983),Brewster's Millions (1985),Cobra (1986),and The Package (1989).
Santoni's voiceover work included providing characterizations for Eddie Murphy's Doctor Dolittle (1998) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001). On television, he had recurring roles in series such as Manimal (1983),Sanchez of Bel Air (1986),and Murder One (1995). He also made guest appearances on popular shows like Scarecrow & Mrs. King, 227, Hill Street Blues, Moonlighting, Miami Vice, Equal Justice, Murder, She Wrote, and Quantum Leap.
In the 2000s, Santoni continued to work in television, appearing on shows like According to Jim, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, and Raising the Bar. His final acting credit was an episode of Franklin & Bash in 2012. René Santoni passed away on August 1, 2020, due to cancer.
