Rick Aviles - wikipedia Rick Aviles Rick Aviles Aviles as Willie Lopez in Ghost ( 1990 ) Richard Anthony Aviles October 14, 1952 New York, New York, U.S. March 17, 1995 ( 1995 - 03 - 17 ) ( aged 42 ) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Cause of death Complications of AIDS Occupation Actor, Stand - up comedian Years active 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 portraying the villainous Willie Lopez in the film Ghost. Contents 1 Career 2 Death 3 Filmography 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Career In the 1970s and 1980s, Aviles worked as a stand - up comedian on the Greenwich Village night - club circuit in New York. In 1981, he landed the role of Mad Dog in the film The Cannonball Run. He went on to act in fourteen more film productions. In 1987, Aviles landed a small part as the maintenance man in the film The Secret of My Success, starring Michael J. Fox. That same year he became the host of It 's Showtime at the Apollo, and continued as host until 1991. In 1990, Aviles landed his most memorable role : Willie Lopez, killer of Patrick Swayze 's Sam Wheat, in the film Ghost. The film was a smash hit at the box office and received multiple Oscar nominations. Along with Swayze, Aviles shared the screen with Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg and Tony Goldwyn. 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 Having contracted HIV through heroin use, Aviles died on March 17, 1995 in Los Angeles, California, from complications of AIDS. Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 1981 The Cannonball Run Mad Dog 1984 Billions for Boris Hector Street Smart Solo The Secret of My Success Maintenance man Mondo New York Comic in park Spike of Bensonhurst Bandana Alternative titles : The Mafia Kid or Throwback ! 1989 Mystery Train Will Robinson Segment : `` Lost in Space '' Identity Crisis El Toro Ghost Willie Lopez The Godfather Part III Mask # 1 Green Card Vincent 1993 The Saint of Fort Washington Rosario Carlito 's Way Quisqueya 1995 Waterworld Gatesman Joe 's Apartment Cockroach Voice only Television Year Title Role Notes 1980 Mr. and Mrs. Dracula Mario Unknown episodes The Day the Women Got Even Pancho Diaz 1989 No Place Like Home J.J. 1991 Monsters 1 episode The Carol Burnett Show Skit characters Unknown episodes 1993 Moon Over Miami Frankie the Rat 1 episode The Stand Rat man Miniseries See also Puerto Rico portal Biography portal film portal comedy portal List of Puerto Ricans List of Puerto Ricans of African descent African immigration to Puerto Rico References ^ Jump up to : New York Times ; Movies and T.V. Jump up ^ Tucker, Hannah ( 2006 - 06 - 09 ). `` 25 years of AIDS in Hollywood -- We remember the lost stars of movies, TV and art ''. Entertainment Weekly. p. 2. Retrieved 2006 - 07 - 29. Jump up ^ http://www.inbaseline.com/person.aspx?person_id=140929 External links Rick Aviles on IMDb Rick Aviles at NNDB.com BNF : cb141515894 ( data ) ISNI : 0000 0000 4127 6071 LCCN : no2002033273 VIAF : 46969886 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rick_Aviles&oldid=841738159 '' Categories : 1952 births 1995 deaths Male actors from New York City AIDS - related deaths in California People from Manhattan American people of Puerto Rican descent 20th - century American male actors Hidden categories : Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages Pages to import images to Wikidata Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Deutsch Español Français Հայերեն Italiano Kiswahili Magyar Plattdüütsch Português Русский 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 17 May 2018, at 18 : 44 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who played willie lopez in the movie ghost
Answer: Rick Aviles