Frank Vallelonga Jr., whose father was portrayed by Viggo Mortensen in the Oscar-winning film Green Book, has been found dead in the Bronx. He was 60.
Police confirmed that Vallelonga's body was found dumped outside of a sheet-metal shop on Oak Point Avenue in New York, and a man, 35-year-old Steven Smith, has been charged with concealing a human corpse, The New York Times reports.
The New York Police Department said officers responded to a 911 call about an unconscious man early Monday, and "upon arrival, police observed an unidentified adult male, unconscious and unresponsive, on the ground at the location," per Deadline. He had no "obvious signs of trauma" and was pronounced dead at the scene, the NYPD added. An investigation is ongoing, and the cause of death hasn't yet been determined.
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Mortensen starred as Frank Vallelonga Sr., a.k.a. "Tony Lip," in the Best Picture-winning film Green Book, which depicts his friendship with musician Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali). Frank Vallelonga Jr. also appeared in the film playing his uncle, Rudy Vallelonga. His brother, Nick Vallelonga, co-wrote the film and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
According to the Times, surveillance video showed Smith get out of his car, pull a body out of the passenger's side of the vehicle, drop it onto the sidewalk, and drive away. The suspect reportedly told police, "That dude was dead already. He overdosed. I didn't have anything to do with that."
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