Editing Rick Aviles (section)

==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.<!-- Via Proquest. -->{{Full citation needed|date=April 2025|reason=Lacks URL}}</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 (film)|Street Smart]]'' and ''[[The Secret of My Success (1987 film)|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">[https://web.archive.org/web/20091003124903/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/2969/Rick-Aviles 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. <!-- Via Proquest. --> {{Full citation needed|date=April 2025|reason=Lacks URL}}</ref>

In 1990, Aviles landed his most memorable role: the hired killer Willie Lopez in ''[[Ghost (1990 film)|Ghost]]'', a smash hit at the box office that received multiple [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nominations. He also appeared in [[Jim Jarmusch]]'s ''[[Mystery Train (film)|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#Continuations and revivals|The Carol Burnett Show]]'' (1991) and [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Stand (1994 miniseries)|The Stand]]'' (1994).<ref name="Variety"/>