Alex Rocco was an Emmy Award-winning American actor who played the role of Quinn in Herbie Goes Bananas, Larry in Pepper Ann, Jerry in Rock 'n' Roll Mom, and Rip Holland in The Country Bears. In 1998, he provided the voice of Thorny in Disney/Pixar's A Bug's Life. He was considered to voice Sir Hiss in Robin Hood.
Born Alessandro Federico Petricone, Jr., in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1936, he was raised in nearby Somerville. He served in the National Guard during the Korean War and later in 1960 arrested and prison for multiple charges related to gang activity. After his release, he decided to pursue acting. He changed his name to "Alex Rocco" and gain speech lessons from Leonard Nimoy to eliminate his heavy Boston accent.
Rocco appeared in various films that have ranged from comedy to "Mafia" films, such as Motorpsycho, The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, The Boston Strangler, The Godfather, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Cannonball Run II, Gotcha!, Lady in White, Boris and Natasha: The Movie, Get Shorty, Dudley Do-Right, and The Wedding Planner. His television credits included Batman, Mission: Impossible, Cannon, Kojak, Barnaby Jones, The Rockford Files, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Facts of Life, CHiPs, Murder, She Wrote, The Golden Girls, The Famous Teddy Z, Sibs, The George Carlin Show, Home Improvement, Walker, Texas Ranger, The Division, and Magic City. He also voiced Roger Meyers Jr. in "The Simpsons".
Rocco died on July 18, 2015, from pancreatic cancer in his Studio City home.
