Italo Valentino Bisoglio, better known as Val Bisoglio, was an American character actor born on May 7, 1926, in New York City to emigrant parents from Piedmont, Italy.
Growing up, Val studied acting under the guidance of renowned drama coach Jeff Corey, and made his stage debut in 1964 on the New York stage.
He later transitioned to Broadway, making his debut as Sergeant Carlino in Frederick Knott's thriller Wait until Dark in 1966, opposite Lee Remick and Robert Duvall.
By the late 1960s, Val had established himself as a television actor, often cast as tough, Bronx-accented cops or minor gangland figures.
He is perhaps best remembered for his roles as the sympathetic restaurateur Danny Tovo on Quincy, M.E. (1976),and as the blissfully insouciant cook Sgt. Sal Pernelli on M*A*S*H (1972).
Val's film appearances were less frequent, but notable, including iconic roles as John Travolta's brash father in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and as the wry Indian chief Gray Cloud in The Frisco Kid (1979).
In addition to his acting career, Val was involved in the Kennedy Administration's Mobilization for Youth Program, launched in 1961 on the Lower East Side in New York to fight poverty and juvenile delinquency.
The program aimed to aid disadvantaged youths through counseling, education, and job training, with Val being an integral part of the initiative.
Val Bisoglio retired from screen acting after his final role as the elderly capo Murf Lupo in three episodes of The Sopranos (1999).
