NEW YORK (AP) — A man found dead on a Bronx sidewalk this week was identified as Frank Vallelonga Jr. — an actor who appeared in the movie “Green Book” and the son of the real-life person who was played by Viggo Mortensen in that movie.
A 911 call reported the body before sunrise Monday outside a factory in the Hunts Point neighborhood. Police said surveillance video and witnesses indicated the body was dumped by somebody in a car with New Jersey plates.
On Tuesday, police arrested a 35-year-old man who is suspected of driving the car. He faces charges including concealment of a human corpse, possession of a stolen vehicle and grand larceny.
The suspect told police that Vallelonga had died of a drug overdose.
The official cause of death has not been determined; police said there were no signs of trauma.
Vallelonga, 60, was the son of Frank Vallelonga Sr., known as Tony Lip. The elder Vallelonga had been a Copacabana bouncer who late in life became an actor, with credits including “Goodfellas,” “Donnie Brasco” and the role of Carmine Lupertazzi on “The Sopranos.” He died in 2013 at the age of 82.
“Green Book” — co-written by another son, Nick Vallelonga — was based on Tony Lip’s time as a driver and bodyguard for Black pianist Don Shirley during a 1962 tour of the South.
Frank Vallelonga Jr. had a small part in the 2018 movie — playing his own uncle, Rudy Vallelonga — as well as credits in several other movies and TV shows. He owned an Italian restaurant in New Jersey called Tony Lip’s.
The car from which Vallelonga was dumped belonged to his brother Nick, the New York Daily News reported.
Nick Vallelonga took home two Oscars for “Green Book” — for Best Picture (he was a producer) and as one of the three writers of the screenplay.
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