| abstract
| - Colasanto began his entertainment career at the age of 28, getting interested after seeing Henry Fonda act on Broadway. He joined a theatre company in Phoenix, then moved to New York. He acted in off-Broadway productions, such as "A Hatful of Rain" and "Across the Board Tomorrow Morning" - the latter earning him a Tony nomination. He also appeared in television commercials. He moved to Hollywood in 1965, and became known as a director. He directed several episodes of television shows, including "Starsky and Hutch", "Bonanza", "Columbo", "Hawaii-Five-o", and "S.W.A.T.". Though better known as a director, he also had some notable acting roles. He appeared in the films "Fat City" and "Raging Bull". Colasanto was cast as the befuddled ex-coach and bartender Ernie Pantusso. His character was explained to be a former minor league manager and major-league coach of Sam Malone's, and an ex-ballplayer that had been beaned several times, explaining his deteriorated mental status. Colasanto accepted the role after Robert Prosky - who later returned to play Rebecca Howe's father in the final season - turned it down. His role on Cheers won him three Emmy nominations, one for each season.
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