Green Book actor Frank Vallelonga Jr.'s body found dumped in the Bronx
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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Will regulators put a stop to Grok’s deepfake porn images of real people?Today’s Big Question Users command AI chatbot to undress pictures of women and children
-
‘All of these elements push survivors into silence’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
A running list of US interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean after World War IIin depth Nicolás Maduro isn’t the first regional leader to be toppled directly or indirectly by the US
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
