Editing Rick Aviles

{{Short description|American stand-up comedian and actor (1952–1995)}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{Infobox person
| name                    = Rick Aviles
| image                   = File:Rick Aviles.jpg
| caption                 = Aviles as Willie Lopez in ''Ghost'' (1990)
| image_upright           = 1.15
| birth_name              = Richard Anthony Aviles
| birth_date              = October 14, 1952
| birth_place             = [[Manhattan]], New York, U.S.
| death_date              = {{death date and age|1995|03|17|1952|10|14}}
| death_place             = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| occupation              = {{hlist|Actor|stand-up comedian}}
| yearsactive             = 1980–1995
}}
'''Rick Aviles''' (October 14, 1952 – March 17, 1995) was an American [[stand-up comedian]] and actor of [[Puerto Rican people|Puerto Rican]] descent, best remembered for his role as Willie Lopez in the film ''[[Ghost (1990 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.<!-- 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"/>

==Death==
On April 17, 1995, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reported that Aviles had died of heart failure on March 17.<ref name="Variety">{{cite magazine|title=Obituaries: Rick Aviles |magazine=Variety |volume=358 |issue=11 |date=April 17, 1995 |page=40}}</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>{{cite magazine |first=Hannah |last=Tucker |title=25 years of AIDS in Hollywood -- We remember the lost stars of movies, TV and art |date=2006-06-09 |url=https://ew.com/article/2006/06/09/25-years-aids-hollywood/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |pages=2 |accessdate=2006-07-29}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
!style="background:#ddddee;" colspan="4"|Film
|-
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1981
| ''[[The Cannonball Run]]''
| Mad Dog
|
|-
| 1984
| ''Billions for Boris''
| Hector
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1987
| ''[[Street Smart (film)|Street Smart]]''
| Solo
|
|-
| ''[[The Secret of My Success (1987 film)|The Secret of My Success]]''
| Maintenance man
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1988
| ''[[Mondo New York]]''
| Comic in park
|
|-
| ''[[Spike of Bensonhurst]]''
| Bandana
| Alternative titles: ''The Mafia Kid'' or ''Throwback!''
|-
| rowspan=2|1989
| ''[[Mystery Train (film)|Mystery Train]]''
| Will Robinson
| Segment: "Lost in Space"
|-
| ''[[Identity Crisis (film)|Identity Crisis]]''
| El Toro
|
|-
| rowspan=3|1990
| ''[[Ghost (1990 film)|Ghost]]''
| Willie Lopez
|
|-
| ''[[The Godfather Part III]]''
| Mask #1
|
|-
| ''[[Green Card (film)|Green Card]]''
| Vincent
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1993
| ''[[The Saint of Fort Washington]]''
| Rosario
|
|-
| ''[[Carlito's Way]]''
| Quisqueya
|
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Waterworld]]''
| Atoll Gatesman
|
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Joe's Apartment]]''
| Cockroach
| Voice only
|-
!style="background:#ddddee;" colspan="4"|Television
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| rowspan=2|1980
| ''Mr. and Mrs. Dracula''
| Mario
| Unknown episodes
|-
| ''The Day the Women Got Even''
| Pancho Diaz
|
|-
| 1987
| ''[[The Equalizer (1985 TV series)|The Equalizer]]''
| Scam
| Episode: "[[The Equalizer (1985 TV series) season 2#ep40|A Place to Stay]]"
|-
| 1989
| ''[[No Place Like Home (1989 film)|No Place Like Home]]''
| J.J.
|
|-
| rowspan=3|1991
| ''[[Monsters (American TV series)|Monsters]]''
| Mr. Vega
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[Law & Order]]''
| Hector (uncredited)
| Episode: "[[Law & Order season 1#ep18|The Secret Sharers]]"
|-
| ''[[The Carol Burnett Show#Continuations and revivals|The Carol Burnett Show]]''
| Skit characters
| Unknown episodes
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Moon Over Miami (TV series)|Moon Over Miami]]''
| Frankie the Rat
| 1 episode
|-
| 1994
| ''[[The Stand (1994 miniseries)|The Stand]]''
| Rat man
| Miniseries
|-
!style="background:#ddddee;" colspan="4"|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]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0043173|name=Rick Aviles}}

{{Portal bar|Puerto Rico|Biography|film|comedy}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aviles, Rick}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:AIDS-related deaths in California]]
[[Category:Male actors from Manhattan]]
[[Category:American actors of Puerto Rican descent]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]