Caesar Cordova, an actor who appeared with Al Pacino in Scarface and Carlito’s Way, died on Wednesday from natural causes. His son, actor Panchito Gomez, told Variety his father died in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Cordova was 84.
Cordova appeared in Scarface as a taco cook at the El Paraiso lunch stand. He played a barber in Carlito’s Way. Both films were directed by Brian De Palma and were not Cordova’s only collaborations with Pacino. Cordova was a member of the Actors Studio and starred on Broadway in Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?.
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Cordova can also be spotted in Where the Buffalo Roam with Peter Boyle an Bill Murray, Nighthawks with Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams and Sharks’ Treasure, a monster movie written by, directed by and starring Cornel Wilde. His other credits include episodes of Toma, Kojack, The A-Team, Switch, Kagney & Lacey. Cordova produced the independent movie Paco, which starred Jose Ferrer and Panchito Gomez.
Cordova was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and raised in New York City. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He is survived by wife Gladys Gomez and their sons Panchito Gomez and Luis Gomez and daughters Ana Sanchez Gomez and Elana Gomez Martinez. He is also survived by his two children from his first marriage, Damarys Cordova, Abigail Cordova and Jesse Cordova. Panchito is also an actor, having appeared in Selena, Hill Street Blues and Sesame Street notes The Hollywood Reporter.
De Palma’s 1983 Scarface was a remake of the 1932 film of the same name and featured Pacino as Tony Montana. When the film hit theaters, it was a big hit, overcoming negative reviews due to its violence and drug use. Universal has made several plans over the years to remake the movie, although none have come to fruition. In May, Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino was hired to direct the new Scarface, Variety reported. The most recent script was written by Joel and Ethan Coen, following drafts by aul Attanasio, Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, and Jonathan Herman. Dylan Clark is producing with Scott Stuber, Marco Morabito, and Dylan Clark Productions’ Brian Williams as executive producers. The new movie will transplant the story of an immigrant becoming a crime boss to Los Angeles.
A decade after Pacino and De Palma made Scarface, they reunited for another crime saga, Carlito’s Way. The movie was based on two novels by Edwin Torres and co-starred Sean Penn and Penelope Ann Miller. The movie received a mixed response from critics and at the box office. Although not as successful as Scarface, there was a 2005 direct-to-video prequel starring future Magnum P.I. star Jay Hernandez.
