caption birth_place name birth_date spouse yearsactive image article_title birth_name occupation alma_mater
dante in '' winterhawk '' stamford , connecticut , us michael dante 2 september 1931 mary jane -lrb- ? - present -rrb- 1956-present dante lobby card.jpg michael dante
 ralph vitti actor stamford high school university of miami
michael dante

michael dante -lrb- born ralph vitti ; september 2 , 1931 in stamford , connecticut -rrb- is an american award-winning actor of television , films and stage and a former professional minor league baseball player .
as a boy growing up on the west side neighborhood of stamford , he would sneak into a local movie theater with his friends to watch westerns .
`` i grew up wanting to be the sidekick of the lone ranger and wanting to follow my heroes , '' dante told a reporter in 2006 .
he was a shortstop on the stamford high school baseball team , then played for `` the advocate all-stars '' team which won a 1949 new england baseball championship .
after graduating from high school , dante signed a bonus contract with the boston braves .
he used his $ 6,000 bonus to buy his family a four-door buick with whitewalls .
