# Robert Pastorelli

Robert Joseph Pastorelli (June 21, 1954 – March 8, 2004) was an American actor.
After he acquired a reputation as a skilled character actor in the 1980s and 1990s, Pastorelli's career went into decline after the death of his girlfriend under mysterious circumstances at his home in 1999. He died of a narcotic overdose in 2004. He was best known as Eldin in Murphy Brown (1988–1994), Johnny C. in Eraser (1996), and Hughey in Michael (1996).

## Early life

Pastorelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the son of Ledo ("Tally") Pastorelli, an insurance salesman and Dorothy ("Dottie"), an artist. His sister, Gwen Pastorelli, is an opera singer and a real estate agent.
He spent his childhood years in Edison, New Jersey, graduating from Edison High School in 1972. He initially intended a career as a professional boxer, but had to abandon the sport due to injuries sustained in a near-fatal high-speed car crash at the age of 19 (he later claimed that he had a "near death" incident at this time, and that he had experienced himself looking down from above upon his body in the hospital bed with his father at the bedside overcome with grief). He acquired a narcotic habit in his early twenties prior to his acting career that he overcame, but he would relapse throughout his later life.

## Theater career

He entered the acting profession via New York City theater in the late 1970s after studying at the New York Academy of Theatrical Arts and the Actors Studio, financially maintaining himself by working as a bartender and a male exotic dancer. In 1977 he made his stage debut in a production of Rebel Without a Cause. He also performed in productions of The Rainmaker, and Death of a Salesman. Later in his career he performed at London's South Bank theater in A Streetcar Named Desire in 2002.

## Hollywood

In 1982 Pastorelli headed west to Los Angeles seeking opportunities in Hollywood. Spending the early 1980s employed in television bit-part appearances, he found a niche playing streetwise characters, appearing also in supporting roles in the cinema films Outrageous Fortune (1987) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). His first substantial cinematic role came with Dances with Wolves (1990). His big break in television came with the role of the gruff but lovable house painter Eldin Bernecky on the series Murphy Brown, which was a ratings hit, and he stayed with the show for seven seasons from 1988 to 1994. Murphy Brown producer Diane English was sufficiently impressed with his abilities that she worked with him to produce his first starring vehicle, the television sitcom Double Rush which lasted one season in 1995. Two years later, he starred in the American adaptation of the British detective series Cracker (1997–1999).
As his television career gained momentum Pastorelli's opportunities in cinema roles increased: Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993); a career defining performance playing a demented serial killer in the 1993 murder mystery thriller Striking Distance; Eraser (1996), Michael (1996), and Modern Vampires (1998).

## Charemon Jonovich shooting

On the evening of March 15, 1999, during an incident at his Hollywood home, Pastorelli's 25-year-old girlfriend, Charemon Jonovich, was killed by a gunshot to the head. During the authorities' investigation that followed, Pastorelli testified that in the midst of an argument between the two of them, she suddenly produced a handgun and killed herself. The incident was investigated as an accident or suicide, and the Los Angeles Department of Coroner declared the cause of death undetermined.

## Final years

Pastorelli was exonerated of responsibility for Charemon Jonovich's death and received public expressions of sympathy within Hollywood and from the Los Angeles media, but his career went into noticeable decline afterwards. He appeared in two more cinema productions in small roles in the early 2000s as well as some minor supporting roles in television productions. He developed a friendship with Glenn Close towards the end of his career, and appeared alongside her in the television films The Ballad of Lucy Whipple, and in South Pacific in 2001. In 2002 he again appeared alongside her at London's Royal National Theatre in a performance of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. In 2002 he co-founded the Garden State Film Festival. His posthumous final screen appearance was in the film Be Cool (2005).

## Death

Pastorelli was found dead at the age of 49 at his home in the Hollywood Hills on March 8, 2004, from a narcotics overdose. The Coroner's Office reported Pastorelli died of a "fatal blood concentration of morphine". Pastorelli's body was interred in the mausoleum at Saint Catharine's Cemetery in Sea Girt, New Jersey.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | Outrageous Fortune | Dealer #2 | |
| 1987 | Beverly Hills Cop II | Vinnie | |
| 1988 | Memories of Me | Al "Broccoli" | |
| 1990 | Dances with Wolves | Timmons | |
| 1992 | FernGully: The Last Rainforest | Tony | Voice |
| 1992 | The Paint Job | Willie | |
| 1992 | Folks! | Fred | |
| 1993 | Striking Distance | Jimmy Detillo | |
| 1993 | Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit | Joey Bustamente | |
| 1996 | Eraser | Johnny C | |
| 1996 | Michael | Huey Driscoll | |
| 1997 | A Simple Wish | Oliver | |
| 1998 | Scotch and Milk | The Skipper | |
| 1998 | Heist | T-Bone | |
| 2000 | Bait | Jaster | |
| 2005 | Be Cool | Joe Loop | Posthumous release |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Barney Miller | Edward Guthrie | Episode: "Altercation" |
| 1982–1983 | Cagney & Lacey | Rosen / Cop #2 | 2 episodes |
| 1983 | St. Elsewhere | Danny Christiano | Episode: "Graveyard" |
| 1983 | Tucker's Witch | Stanley | Episode: "Murder Is the Key" |
| 1983 | Diner | Turko | Television film |
| 1983 | Hardcastle and McCormick | Adler | Episode: "The Black Widow" |
| 1983 | Knight Rider | Leroy | Episode: "Custom K.I.T.T." |
| 1983–1985 | Hill Street Blues | Bobby Stellin / Jimmy Frumento | 2 episodes |
| 1983–1985 | Newhart | Biker / Prisoner | 2 episodes |
| 1984 | I Married a Centerfold | Guard | Television film |
| 1984 | T.J. Hooker | 2nd Rapist – Dancer | Episode: "The Confession" |
| 1985 | Simon & Simon | Ken | Episode: "Almost Foolproof" |
| 1985 | Hunter | Willie Wakefield | "The Avenging Angel" |
| 1985 | Berrenger's | Bernie | Episode: "Hidden Agenda" |
| 1985 | California Girls | Mechanic | Television film |
| 1985 | Braker | Forensic Specialist | Television film |
| 1985 | Santa Barbara | Cabbie | Episode: "#1.238" |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zone | Man | Episode: "Dead Woman's Shoes" |
| 1985 | The A-Team | Juarez's Hechman | Episode: "There Goes the Neighborhood" |
| 1985–1986 | Mary | Mr. Yummy | 2 episodes |
| 1985–1986 | Remington Steele | Weasel | 2 episodes |
| 1986 | Too Close for Comfort | Vic Paradies | Episode: "Monroe's Critical Condition" |
| 1986 | Throb | The Host | Episode: "Bus of Dreams" |
| 1987 | Miami Vice | Vespa | Episode: "Down for the Count" |
| 1987 | MacGyver | Arnie | Episode: "Out in the Cold" |
| 1987 | Hands of a Stranger | Handyman | Television film |
| 1987 | The Spirit | Uncredited | Television film |
| 1987 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Vinnie Vingo | Episode: "Sons of Gunz" |
| 1987 | Private Eye | Villanova | Episode: "Blue Movie" |
| 1987 | The Law and Harry McGraw | Louie The Lip Birdsall | Episode: "Rappaport's Back in Town" |
| 1987 | Night Court | Lorenzo Amador | Episode: "Let It Snow" |
| 1987–1988 | Beauty and the Beast | Vick Ramos / Tony Perotta | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Lady Mobster | Matteo Villani | Television film |
| 1988 | My Sister Sam | Robert Celli | Episode: "It's My Party and I'll Kill If I Want To" |
| 1988–1998 | Murphy Brown | Eldin Bernecky | Series regular (158 episodes) Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (1995) |
| 1991 | An Evening at the Improv | Himself (Host) | Episode: "#8.4" |
| 1993 | Basic Values: Sex, Shock & Censorship in the 90's | Jesus (segment "The Last Supper") | Television film |
| 1993 | Harmful Intent | Devil O'Shea | Television film |
| 1994 | The Yarn Princess | Jake Thomas | Television film |
| 1994 | Batman: The Animated Series | Manny | Voice, episode: "Riddler's Reform" |
| 1995 | The West Side Waltz | Sookie Cerullo | Television film |
| 1995 | Double Rush | Johnny Verona | Series regular (13 episodes) |
| 1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Sergeant Louie | Voice, episode: ""Mother Goose: A Rappin' and Rhymin' Special" |
| 1997–1999 | Cracker: Mind Over Murder | Gerry "Fitz" Fitzgerald | Recurring role (16 episodes) |
| 1998 | Modern Vampires | The Count | Television film |
| 2001 | The Ballad of Lucy Whipple | Clyde Claymore | Television film |
| 2001 | South Pacific | Luther Billis | Television film |
| 2002 | Women vs. Men | Nick | Television film |
| 2002 | Touched by an Angel | Joe Collette | Episode: "A Rock and a Hard Place" |
| 2003 | Partners in Crime | Unknown Role | Television film |
| 2003 | Hack | Lewis Bernard | Episode: "Blind Faith" |