Nicholas Georgiade, actor of The Untouchables and alumnus of Syracuse University, dies at 88

Nicholas Nick Georgiade, the last surviving regular actor of The Untouchables, has died aged 88.

Georgiade died Sunday, Dec. 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to his nephew and namesake Nick Georgiade, who lives in Baldwinsville, NY A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

He lived 88 long years and had a good life, the daughter of actor Nicholas Georgiades, Anastazia, wrote on Facebook on Sunday. He was also a wonderful father to me. I was blessed to have him die in my arms tonight. Thank you in advance for all your kind words and prayers.

Georgiade was best known for playing Agent Enrico Rossi, the handsome sidekick of Elliot Ness (played by Robert Stack) in the original TV series The Untouchables. He appeared in 113 of 119 episodes aired from 1959 to 1963, according to IMDb.

I play myself, said Georgiade to the Chicago Tribune in 1960. Sometimes the actors have to be doctors of human behavior and the more they like their work, the better they do it. I observed police officers and I was interested in their reactions. My brother George is a detective and like most cops he has the same emotions, flaws, frustrations and joys as all human beings.

George Georgiade, who died in 2015, spent 22 years in the Syracuse Police Department until his retirement as a lieutenant in 1982. In 1976, he was the sleuth responsible for the return of League football legend Ernie Davis , stole the Heisman trophy, according to his obituary.

Nicholas Georgiade was born on March 25, 1933 in New York City. He was a boxer who joined the United States Army during the Korean War, winning the European Heavyweight Title for the Army in 1952. After his military service, he received an athletics scholarship at the University of Syracuse, where he specialized in sociology, psychology and drama; he graduated in 1957.

According to Syracuse UniversityGeorgiade continued to box in college and intended to become a teacher after graduation, but first tried acting. He was eventually discovered by I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball when he appeared in a small stage production in California. According to the Tribune, he became an early member of his Desilu Workshop theater and starred in a theatrical production of The Untouchables, which saw him land the role of Rossi in the television adaptation of Desilu Productions of The Untouchables.

Georgiades’ acting credits also included the 1963 film It’s A Mad Mad Mad World, Indecent Proposition from the 1993s, and appearances on TV shows like Batman, Mission: Impossible, The Rockford Files, Hawaii Five. -0, Hondo, Mannix, Get Smart, The Equalizer, TJ Hooker and Kojak. He has been credited as both Nick Georgiade and Nicholas Georgiade throughout his career.

His last role was in the 2007 film Three Days to Vegas, playing a casino boss opposite George Segal, Rip Torn, Bill Cobbs, and League alumnus Peter Falk.

The Untouchables was based on the real-life of Ness, a US Treasury agent who sought to bring down gangster Al Capone in Prohibition-era Chicago. A 1987 film adaptation, directed by Brian De Palma, starring Kevin Costner, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro and Sean Connery; Connery won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Nick Georgiade, who lived with his uncle Nicholas in Las Vegas in the ’80s and’ 90s, said Nicholas was an inspiration for his own acting career, which includes TV commercials in the Syracuse area.

He meant a lot to me, Nick told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. Some people said he was my idol.

He meant a lot, added close family friend Mike Distefano of Las Vegas. He was larger than life and his character was very powerful and magnetic, he was extremely generous. He was a star and a superstar.

Nick and Mike also credited Nick’s uncle with encouraging them to go back to college and graduate like he did.

He was like a father to me, Mike says. He was like a father to many people.

Georgiade died before his wife of 40 years, Alicia Razaf, in 2017. According to IMDb, he was previously married to Anita Khanzadian, another SU student later known as Anita Raffi; and Davee Decker. He was also predeceased by his brother, former Syracuse Police Lieutenant George Georgiade; his sister Fotina (Flo) from Minoa; and his nephew, Michael DeFelix.

Survivors include Georgiades’ daughter, Anastazia Juliet Georgiade; sister Marie; nephews, Nick, George and Rick; niece Linda DeFelix; and many family and friends including Mike Distefano.