John Cassisi
John Cassisi (born September 5, 1962) is an American former child actor who starred in the 1976 movie Bugsy Malone as "Fat Sam" and subsequently starred in the television series Fish.
Career
Cassisi was "discovered" by Bugsy Malone director Alan Parker, when Parker visited a Brooklyn classroom and asked students to nominate the "naughtiest" boy in class.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1982, he played the role of Herschel in the Broadway on Showtime<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> film of Gemini<ref name=ibdb>Template:Cite web</ref> alongside former Bugsy Malone star Scott Baio.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Bribery
After retiring from acting in 1982, Cassisi ran a construction company.<ref name="independent/florrie">Template:Cite news</ref> From 2012 to 2014, he served as the "Director of Global Construction for Citi Realty Services"<ref name="Adelhardt-Citicorp">
</ref> for Citigroup. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to a bribery scheme and was sentenced to two to six years in prison plus a $500,000 forfeiture.<ref name=nyt>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="constructiondive/410177">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="silive/2015/12/da">Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal life
Cassisi is married, and lived in East Northport, Long Island.<ref name=nyt/> He has three children; his eldest son, Robert, died after suffering from a pulmonary embolism at the age of 26.<ref name=nyt />
Partial filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Bugsy Malone | Fat Sam Staccetto | |
| 1977 | Barney Miller | Victor Kreutzer | 2 episodes, backdoor pilot for Fish |
| 1977-1978 | Fish | Victor Kreutzer | Series regular |
| 1982 | Gemini<ref name=ibdb/> | Herschel |