Michael DeLano — the seasoned character actor whose presence lit up classic television, action favorites, and major Hollywood productions — has passed away at the age of 84.
His family shared that DeLano died on October 20 in Las Vegas. His wife of 28 years, Jean DeLano, told The Hollywood Reporter that he suffered a heart attack.
A New York Beginning and the First Steps Toward Stardom
Born in Manhattan in 1940, DeLano spent his early years drawn to excitement and performance. When his family moved to Harlem at age ten, he joined a local singing group, sparking a lifelong passion for the stage. By fourteen, confident and determined, he ran away to California dreaming of becoming an actor.
Hollywood wasn’t immediate, so he shifted to music, traveling around the country and performing wherever he could find an eager audience.
Eventually, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Even in uniform, DeLano continued entertaining — acting in military revues, singing for troops, and serving as a paratrooper. The discipline of service and the thrill of performing shaped him into an artist with both grit and grace.
The “Key Larson” Chapter
In 1960, when he was just 20 years old, DeLano signed with Swan Records and briefly reinvented himself as “Key Larson.” The name came with the recording contract. Though he released several songs and even appeared on American Bandstand, the stage identity felt forced. The persona didn’t match the man.
By the early 1970s, he returned to his real name and refocused on acting full-time — a turning point that would define the rest of his life.
Finding His Place in Television and Film
DeLano’s early acting credits included appearances on Adam-12, Barnaby Jones, and Banyon, along with film roles in Catlow (1971) and The New Centurions (1972).
His first major television break came in 1974 when he joined ABC’s Firehouse as Sonny Caputo — the wisecracking firehouse cook with an unforgettable personality. The show lasted only 13 episodes, but it opened the door to a steady stream of opportunities.
From the mid-1970s onward, DeLano became a familiar face on some of television’s biggest hits, with appearances in:
Kojak
Starsky and Hutch
The Rockford Files
Charlie’s Angels
Wonder Woman
The Jeffersons
Magnum, P.I.
The A-Team
One of his standout roles of the era was Johnny Venture, the charismatic lounge singer who appeared in 11 episodes of Rhoda, acting opposite Valerie Harper.
Action Roles and a Memorable Spot in the Ocean’s Trilogy
Alongside television, DeLano built an impressive career in film.
He played a motorcycle officer in the beloved comedy 9 to 5 (1980) and later portrayed Forrestal — the former comrade-turned-adversary of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s John Matrix — in the 1985 action classic Commando.
His filmography throughout the 1990s included work in:
Another Stakeout
Father Hood
Zero Tolerance
Lion Strike
Private Wars
Fists of Iron
In 2001, DeLano reached his widest modern audience when Steven Soderbergh cast him as the Las Vegas casino manager under Andy García’s Terry Benedict in Ocean’s Eleven. He returned to the role in Ocean’s Twelve (2004).
DeLano continued acting into the 2000s, appearing in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Wong Kar-wai’s My Blueberry Nights (2007), and making his final on-screen appearance in Royal Pains in 2012.
A Life Remembered
Michael DeLano is survived by:
His wife, Jean
His daughter, Bree
And his three grandchildren: Michael, Lincoln, and Jaxon
Actor. Singer. Paratrooper. Performer. His career, which stretched across more than fifty years, left behind a body of work filled with charm, grit, humor, and unforgettable moments.
Rest in peace, Michael DeLano.