Radio Man
{{short description|American actor}}
{{about|the actor|other uses|Radio man (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Radio Man
| image = Radioman-byPhilipRomano.png
| alt =
| caption = Radio Man in 2024
| birth_name = Craig Castaldo
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1950}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| other_names = Craig Schwartz
| citizenship = {{Hlist|United States}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor}}
| years_active = 1989–present
}}
Craig Castaldo, known as Radio Man (or Radioman) (born 1950){{cite news | url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/north-america-travel/us-travel/new-york-city/the-homeless-man-whos-now-a-film-star-radioman-6lj53xs9xmf | title=The homeless man who's now a film star: Radioman | last1=Teeman | first1=Tim }} is an American background actor known from making over 300 cameo appearances in films and TV shows. He is known for wearing a radio around his neck.{{Cite news |last=Schwartz |first=Drew |date=2023-03-17 |title=Meet Radio Man: Autograph King, Friend of George Clooney, 'Bum' |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/nyregion/radio-man-autograph-hunters.html |access-date=2023-03-22 |issn=0362-4331}}
He has made cameos in the TV series 30 Rock and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and in the films The Departed, Shutter Island, Just My Luck, Romance & Cigarettes, Elf, Two Weeks Notice, Glitter, Keeping the Faith, Godzilla, Ransom, Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Other Woman, The Bourne Trilogy, and other films and television shows.
He is famous in New York City{{Cite news|last=Teeman|first=Tim|url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/north-america-travel/us-travel/new-york-city/the-homeless-man-whos-now-a-film-star-radioman-6lj53xs9xmf |title=The homeless man who's now a film star: Radioman |newspaper=The Sunday Times |access-date=2020-04-03 |language=en |issn=0140-0460 |date=October 9, 2012 |df=mdy-all}} and has been written about in The New York Times{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/25/nyregion/the-selfmade-extra-radio-man.html |title=The Self-Made Extra: Radio Man |last=Botton |first=Sari |date=August 25, 1996 |website=The New York Times |access-date=February 24, 2022 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/07/nyregion/about-new-york-playing-a-new-york-oddball-wait-is-he-playing.html |title=About New York; Playing a New York Oddball (Wait, Is He Playing?) |last=Barry |first=Dan |date=April 7, 2004 |website=The New York Times |access-date=February 24, 2022 }} and the New York Daily News.{{cite web |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/russell-crowe-homeless-celebrity-follower-radio-man-winter-coat-article-1.432344 |title=Russell Crowe gives homeless celebrity follower 'Radio Man' his winter coat |date=December 28, 2009 |website=New York Daily News |access-date=February 24, 2022 }} Whoopi Goldberg took him to the Oscars as her guest one of the years she hosted.{{Cite book|last=Rush|first=George|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wFuCDwAAQBAJ&q=radio+man+whoopi+goldberg&pg=PT67|title=Scandal: A Manual|date=2013-10-15|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-62873-533-8|language=en |df=mdy-all}}
Biography
Castaldo grew up in Brooklyn. He once worked for the U.S. Postal Service. Castaldo served in the Vietnam War. He was homeless for almost two years, staying at Penn Station. He found a job at a newsstand in Manhattan and acquired subsidized housing in Brooklyn.
His first cameo occurred when he was asked to move so that a shot could be filmed at his newsstand. When he refused, he ended up in the scene. At the time, Castaldo was homeless and suffered from alcoholism. He would often heckle actors who passed by his newsstand. He began visiting movie sets in 1989, starting with The Fisher King, in which he met Robin Williams. He was able to locate film sets with the help of Teamsters or by finding "No Parking" signs that indicate an upcoming shoot. In the 1990s when he was drinking he was arrested and had a 6-month evaluation at a psychiatric hospital, but he continued to visit film sets after his release. He gave up alcohol and has not had a drink since. As of 2004, he lived in Brooklyn and earned money from selling autographs{{Cite news |last=Schwartz |first=Drew |date=2023-03-17 |title=Meet Radio Man: Autograph King, Friend of George Clooney, 'Bum' |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/nyregion/radio-man-autograph-hunters.html |access-date=2023-07-18 |issn=0362-4331}} as well as from his film appearances.
According to The New York Times, he is a life member of the Screen Actors Guild and "knows the whos, whens and wheres of just about every film production in New York." As an actor, he typically plays homeless or disheveled-looking characters.
Documentary
A documentary film about Radio Man entitled Radioman{{Cite news|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/oct/11/radioman-review|title=Radioman – review|date=2012-10-11|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-04-03|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077 |df=mdy-all}}{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/11/robin-williams-poses-with-homeless-lookalike|title=Robin Williams Poses With Radioman, His Once Homeless Lookalike|last=Abbey|first=Jennifer|website=ABC News|language=en|date=November 9, 2012|access-date=April 3, 2020}} was released in April 2012, premiering at Toronto's Hot Docs documentary film festival. Directed by Mary Kerr, the film won the Grand Jury Prize at Doc NYC. {{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2012/04/30/hot_docs_meet_radioman_star_of_more_than_100_movies_and_now_his_own.html |title=Hot Docs: Meet Radioman, star of more than 100 movies, and now his own |last=Barnard |first=Linda|date=April 30, 2012|website=Toronto Star|language=en|access-date=April 3, 2020}} It features such stars as Tom Hanks, Robin Williams, Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Josh Brolin, Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Ricky Gervais, James Gandolfini, Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Whoopi Goldberg, Helen Mirren, Tilda Swinton, Alfred Molina, Ron Howard, Shia LaBeouf, and Tina Fey talking to and about Radio Man. He was present at screenings of the film and participated in the Q&A sessions. He reportedly stated that Robin Williams was his favorite celebrity and that Martin Scorsese is his favorite director to work with.
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
| Year
! Title ! Role !Notes | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Fisher King | Himself
| |
| 1996 | Ransom | Himself
| |
| 1997 | Donnie Brasco | Himself
| |
| rowspan="2" | 1998 | Godzilla | Himself
| |
| The Siege | N/A (stunts)
| | |
| rowspan="3" | 2000 | Keeping the Faith | Himself
| |
| Little Nicky | Bum in Alley
|Scenes deleted | |
| Miss Congeniality | Himself
| | |
| rowspan="2" | 2001 | Glitter | Himself
| |
| Zoolander | Himself
| | |
| rowspan="3" | 2002 | Spider-Man | Man with Bike in Front of Moondance Diner
|Uncredited |
| Mr. Deeds | Himself
| | |
| Two Weeks Notice | Himself
|Uncredited | |
| rowspan="3" | 2003 | Elf | Himself
|Uncredited |
| How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days | Himself
|Uncredited | |
| Uptown Girls | Himself
| | |
| rowspan="2" | 2004 | Jersey Girl | Himself
| |
| The Bourne Supremacy | Himself
| | |
| rowspan="2" | 2005 | Romance & Cigarettes | Slick Haired Man
|Uncredited |
| Game 6 | Himself
|Uncredited | |
| rowspan="2" | 2006 | Just My Luck | Bicycle Driver
|Uncredited |
| The Departed | Crack House Denizen
| | |
| rowspan="2" | 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | Himself
|Uncredited |
| Enchanted | Homeless Man
|Uncredited | |
| rowspan="2" | 2010 | Shutter Island | Himself
| |
| Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps | Himself
| | |
| 2011 | Tower Heist | Himself
| |
| rowspan="2" | 2012 | Rhymes With Banana | Himself
| |
| Radioman | Himself
|Documentary | |
| rowspan="2" | 2013 | Blood Ties | Park Goer
| |
| The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | News Stand Guy
| | |
| rowspan="2" |2014
|Himself |Uncredited | ||
| The Other Woman | Himself
| | |
| 2015 | Ovum | Audition creeper
| |
| rowspan="2" | 2016 | The Comedian | Soup Kitchen Patron #1
| |
| No Pay, Nudity
|Kiosk Bike Man | | ||
| rowspan="3" | 2019 | Nighthawks | Homeless Man
| |
| The Irishman | Man in Wheelchair
| | |
| Being
|Earnest | | ||
| 2022
|Domani |Mr. Domani |Short film | ||
| 2023 | Killers of the Flower Moon | Himself
|Uncredited |
| 2024
|IF |Himself |Uncredited | ||
| 2024
|Himself |Uncredited | ||
| 2024
|Himself |Uncredited |
= Television =
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year !Title !Role !Notes |
| 2001
|Radioman |Episode: "Waking Up Is Hard to Do" |
| 2007; 2010
|Various characters including "Moon Vest" - a homeless man who wears a vest with moons on it - as a pun on Les Moonves, former CEO of CBS Corporation. |4 episodes: S1.E11 - "The Head and the Hair" (2007), S2.E7 - "Cougars" (2007), S4.E22 - "I Do Do" (2010), S5.E2 - "When It Rains, It Pours" (2010) |
| 2014
|Radio Man |Episode: "The Island" |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://radiomanllc.com/ Radio Man's website]
- {{IMDb name|144425|Craig Castaldo}}
- {{Vimeo|191631223|Radioman documentary}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radio Man}}
Category:American male television actors