Rick Aviles

{{Short description|American stand-up comedian and actor (1952–1995)}}

{{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 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. In 1978, a Variety reviewer called him "a comic with a future".Kirb. "New Acts: Rick Aviles". Variety. Los Angeles. Vol. 290, Iss. 3, (Feb 22, 1978): 90.{{Full citation needed|date=April 2025|reason=Lacks URL}} 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. 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.[https://web.archive.org/web/20091003124903/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/2969/Rick-Aviles New York Times; Movies and T.V.]

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".Kezi. "Live: Reviews − Rick Aviles". Variety. Los Angeles. Vol. 340, Iss. 13, (Oct 8, 1990): 72. {{Full citation needed|date=April 2025|reason=Lacks URL}}

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.

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).

Death

On April 17, 1995, Variety reported that Aviles had died of heart failure on March 17.{{cite magazine|title=Obituaries: Rick Aviles |magazine=Variety |volume=358 |issue=11 |date=April 17, 1995 |page=40}} 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.{{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}}

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 \| Solo \|
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 \| Will Robinson \| Segment: "Lost in Space"
Identity Crisis \| El Toro \|
rowspan=3\|1990 \| Ghost \| Willie Lopez \|
The Godfather Part III \| Mask #1 \|
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 \| Scam \| Episode: "A Place to Stay"
1989 \| No Place Like Home \| J.J. \|
rowspan=3\|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
style="background:#ddddee;" colspan="4"\|Video Games
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
1997 \| Waterworld: The Quest For Dry Land \| Atoll Gatesman \|

class="wikitable"

!style="background:#ddddee;" colspan="4"|Film

Year

! Film

! Role

! Notes

1981

| The Cannonball Run

| Mad Dog

1984

| Billions for Boris

| Hector