Actor and producer Zack Norman has just died at the age of 83 from natural causes, confirmed by son-in-law Jeff Briller. According to The New York Post, Norman’s daughter, Lori Zucker Briller, made a tribute to her father on her Facebook page, telling Norman, “Go do your thing. Cheers to you always! I love you forever.”
According to Deadline, Norman had been a part of the film industry since the late 1960s, but he got his start in entertainment from stand-up comedy, performing in places like Playboy Clubs and the Flamingo.
One of his crowning achievements in comedy was being able to perform on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson. He soon turned his focus onto films and worked as a producer on multiple films throughout the 1970s.
When acting, he became more well-known throughout the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. Some of his biggest roles that he got were Robert Zemeckis’ Romancing the Stone (1984) which starred actors Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny Devito, Chief Zabu (1988) where he co-directed and acted in the film, and Cadillac Man (1990) where was able to work with legendary comedian Robin Williams.
Work wouldn’t just start and end with films, as Norman was able to make appearances in memorable TV shows of that same era. One such role was an uncle to the main character Fran, played by actress Fran Drescher, in three episodes of The Nanny. Another show he played in was the military action show The A-Team, acting in the two-part season four premiere episodes as Gino Scarlatti, one of the antagonists of the episodes.
Norman would continue in the industry, with his final film being a short titled Weekend Retreat in 2020.