Rick Aviles

Template:Short description Template:Pp-semi-indef Template:Infobox person Rick Aviles (October 14, 1952 – March 17, 1995) was an American stand-up comedian and actor of Puerto Rican descent, best remembered for his role as Willie Lopez in the film Ghost.

Career

Born in Manhattan, Aviles worked as a street performer and stand-up comedian on the Greenwich Village night-club circuit in New York in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Variety"/> In 1978, a Variety reviewer called him "a comic with a future".<ref>Kirb. "New Acts: Rick Aviles". Variety. Los Angeles. Vol. 290, Iss. 3, (Feb 22, 1978): 90.Template:Full citation needed</ref> He was frequently seen in the NYC subways, doing his act for the riders. He made his film debut as Mad Dog in 1981's The Cannonball Run.<ref name="Variety"/> He went on to work in several other films, including minor parts in Street Smart and The Secret of My Success, both released in 1987. That same year he became the host of It's Showtime at the Apollo, which he continued as host until 1991.<ref name="NYT">New York Times; Movies and T.V.</ref>

A Variety review of his stand-up act in 1990 noted, "Utilizing masterful ethnic impersonations and a remarkably rubbery face, Puerto Rican comic Rick Aviles comes off as one of the brightest and most consistently clever stand-ups working the circuit today".<ref>Kezi. "Live: Reviews − Rick Aviles". Variety. Los Angeles. Vol. 340, Iss. 13, (Oct 8, 1990): 72. Template:Full citation needed</ref>

In 1990, Aviles landed his most memorable role: the hired killer Willie Lopez in Ghost, a smash hit at the box office that received multiple Oscar nominations. He also appeared in Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train (1989) as Will Robinson; Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part III (1990) as Mask #1; Brian De Palma's Carlito's Way (1993) as Quisqueya; in Waterworld (1995) as the Gatesman, and in Joe's Apartment (1996) as the voice of a cockroach.<ref name="NYT"/>

Among the television series in which he appeared are Mr. & Mrs. Dracula (1980), The Day Women Got Even (1980), The Carol Burnett Show (1991) and Stephen King's The Stand (1994).<ref name="Variety"/>

Death

On April 17, 1995, Variety reported that Aviles had died of heart failure on March 17.<ref name="Variety">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Eleven years later, a 2006 article in Entertainment Weekly listed him as among the celebrities who had contracted HIV and died from complications of AIDS.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1981	The Cannonball Run	Mad Dog
1984	Billions for Boris	Hector
1987	Street Smart	Solo
	The Secret of My Success	Maintenance man
1988	Mondo New York	Comic in park
	Spike of Bensonhurst	Bandana	Alternative titles: The Mafia Kid or Throwback!
1989	Mystery Train	Will Robinson	Segment: "Lost in Space"
	Identity Crisis	El Toro
1990	Ghost	Willie Lopez
	The Godfather Part III	Mask #1
	Green Card	Vincent
1993	The Saint of Fort Washington	Rosario
	Carlito's Way	Quisqueya
1995	Waterworld	Atoll Gatesman
1996	Joe's Apartment	Cockroach	Voice only
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Mr. and Mrs. Dracula	Mario	Unknown episodes
	The Day the Women Got Even	Pancho Diaz
1987	The Equalizer	Scam	Episode: "A Place to Stay"
1989	No Place Like Home	J.J.
1991	Monsters	Mr. Vega	1 episode
	Law & Order	Hector (uncredited)	Episode: "The Secret Sharers"
	The Carol Burnett Show	Skit characters	Unknown episodes
1993	Moon Over Miami	Frankie the Rat	1 episode
1994	The Stand	Rat man	Miniseries
Video Games
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Waterworld: The Quest For Dry Land	Atoll Gatesman

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Puerto Ricans of African descent
• African immigration to Puerto Rico

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0043173

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