Michael Dante (born Ralph Vitti, September 2, 1931) is an American actor and former professional minor league baseball player.
Early life
Dante was born Ralph Vitti in Stamford, Connecticut on September 2, 1931. Growing up, 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. and in 1972 he played a harried TV commercial director in My Three Sons. In 1974, he played Julio Tucelli in The Six Million Dollar Man episode, "Dr. Wells Is Missing". Dante had recurring roles on the television serials Days of Our Lives and General Hospital.
In the 1970s, Dante met John Wayne, whom he watched on screen as a child. Wayne had seen Dante in Winterhawk and asked him to co-host a charity event in Newport Beach, California. That started a friendship between the two actors, and they co-hosted other events until Wayne's death in 1979. An avid golfer, he once hosted the annual Michael Dante Celebrity Golf Tournament, a charitable fund-raiser held annually in Palm Springs, California, beginning in 1991.
In 2006, Dante told an interviewer that he had written a script for a sequel to Winterhawk and was trying to get funding for the projected movie.
- Wall of Fame Honoree – Stamford High School – Stamford, Connecticut
- Spirit of the West Award by Wild West Gazette/Bison Western Museum
- Palm Springs Film Festival Award for the Sammy Fuller classic film The Naked Kiss
- 1994 – Golden Palm Star on the Walk of Stars
- Apacheland Days, Apache Junction, Arizona – Guest of Honor – Western boot prints in cement – Superstition Mountain Museum
Filmography
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Film
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1956
| Somebody Up There Likes Me
| Shorty the Greek
| (uncredited)
|-
| 1957
| Jeanne Eagels
| Sgt. O'Hara in 'Rain'
| (uncredited)
|-
| 1958
| Fort Dobbs
| Billings
|
|-
| 1958
| Born Reckless
| Cowboy Dancing with Jackie
| (uncredited)
|-
| 1959
| Westbound
| Rod Miller
|
|-
| 1960
| Seven Thieves
| Louis Antonizz
|
|-
| 1962
| Kid Galahad
| Joie Shakes
|
|-
| 1963
| Operation Bikini
| Lt. William 'Bill' Fourtney
|
|-
| 1964
| The Naked Kiss
| Grant
|
|-
| 1964
| Apache Rifles
| Red Hawk
|
|-
| 1965
| Harlow
| Ed
|
|-
| 1965
| Arizona Raiders
| Brady
|
|-
| 1971
| Willard
| Brandt
|
|-
| 1973
| Thirty Dangerous Seconds
| Timothy Sills
|
|-
| 1975
| That's the Way of the World
| Mike Lemongello
|
|-
| 1975
| Winterhawk
| Winterhawk
|
|-
| 1977
| The Farmer
| Johnny O.
|
|-
| 1979
| Missile X: The Neutron Bomb Incident
| Konstanine Senyonov
|
|-
| 1980
| Beyond Evil
| Del Giorgio
|
|-
| 1983
| The Big Score
| Goldy
|
|-
| 1986
| The Messenger
| Emerson
|
|-
| 1989
| Return from the River Kwai
| Commander Davidson
|
|-
| 1989
| Cage
| Tony Baccola
|
|-
| 2020
| Unbelievable!!!!!
| Michael Dante
|
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Television
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1957-1958
| Sugarfoot
| Mike Wilson / Walt Lane / Ken Brazwell
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1957-1958
| Colt .45
| Ab Saunders / Davey Bryant
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1957-1958
| Cheyenne
| Billy Bob / Whitey / Lt. Dowd / ...
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1958
| Tales of the Texas Rangers
| Alfredo
| Episode: "Edge of Danger"
|-
| 1958
| Rescue 8
| Mickey
| Episode: "The Steel Mountain"
|-
| 1959
| Lawman
| Jack McCall
| Episode: "The Captives"
|-
| 1959
| The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
| Ramon Estrada
| Episode: "The Matador"
|-
| 1957-1959
| Maverick
| Joe / Turk Mason / Sam Harris
| 3 Episodes
|-
| 1959
| Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
| Angel
| Episode: "The Killer Instinct"
|-
| 1959
| The Texan
| Steve Chambers
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1960
| Bourbon Street Beat
| Gunner Doyle
| Episode: "Inside Man"
|-
| 1960
| General Electric Theater
| Holofernes
| Episode: "The Story of Judith"
|-
| 1961
| Checkmate
| Trumpet Player
| Episode: "Voyage Into Fear"
|-
| 1961
| The Detectives
| Joe Rano
| Episode: "The Champ"
|-
| 1961
| Cain's Hundred
| Danny Speckter
| Episode: "Final Judgment: Alexander Marish"
|-
| 1962
| 87th Precinct
| Larry Brooks
| Episode: "Idol in the Dust"
|-
| 1963
| Hawaiian Eye
| Harry Larcombe
| Episode: "Go Steady with Danger"
|-
| 1959-1965
| Perry Mason
| Douglas Kelland / Arthur Manning
| 2 Episodes
|-
| 1965
| Bonanza
| Miguel Ortega
| Episode: "The Brass Box"
|-
| 1965
| Days of Our Lives
| Barney Jannings
| (1984)
|-
| 1966
| Get Smart
| Savage
| Episode: "Kisses for KAOS"
|-
| 1967
| Star Trek: The Original Series
| Maab
| Episode: "Friday's Child"
|-
| 1967
| Custer
| Crazy Horse
| 16 Episodes
|-
| 1968
| The Big Valley
| Francisco
| Episode: "Deathtown"
|-
| 1959-1969
| Death Valley Days
| Clay Squires / Capt. Richard Rocha
| 2 Episodes
|-
| 1969
| Daniel Boone
| Akari
| Episode: "For a Few Rifles"
|-
| 1972
| My Three Sons
| Perry Perigrine
| Episode: "TV Triplets"
|-
| 1974
| The Six Million Dollar Man
| Julio Tucelli
| Episode: "Dr. Wells Is Missing"
|-
| 1980
| The Magical World of Disney
| Ross
| Episode: "The Kids Who Knew Too Much"
|-
| 1980
| The Kids Who Knew Too Much
| Ross
| TV movie
|-
| 1982
| Knots Landing
| Captain Alving
| Episode: "Night"
|-
| 1983-1984
| The Fall Guy
| Oscar Fields / Tommy
| 2 Episodes
|-
| 1986
| Simon & Simon
| Mr. Tobias
| Episode: "Tonsillitis"
|-
| 1987
| Cagney & Lacey
| Paul Bennet
| Episode: "Right to Remain Silent"
|-
| 2018
| Find Your Future Reality
| Michael Dante
|
|-
|}