Biography
James Emil Coco was born on Mar. 21, 1930 in New York City. Upon graduating high school, Coco set out to launch an acting career, beginning to pick up supporting roles on the screen and stage in his early 20s. Coco made his television debut on an episode of "Guiding Light" (CBS 1952-2009) in 1952 and his Broadway debut in "Hotel Paradisio" in 1957, which was followed by a breakout performance in the 1961 Off-Broadway production of "The Moon in the Yellow River." Escalating recognition for his stage work helped Coco kick off a career on the big screen, on which he made his debut in the form of "Ensign Pulver" in 1964. Still, Coco found much of his success on the stage, thanks in large part to longstanding relationships with playwrights like Terrence McNally and Neil Simon, who worked with Coco on productions like "Next" and "The Last of the Red Hot Lovers," both in 1969. Back on the big screen, Coco's role in "Man of La Mancha" (1972) opposite Peter O'Toole earned him his first Golden Globe Award nomination. That said, Coco was less successful in jumpstarting a television career, headlining two comedy series-"Calucci's Department" (CBS 1973) and "The Dumplings" (NBC 1976)-that never made it past their inceptive seasons. All that said, Coco's relationship with Simon extended him some favor on the big screen, where the two would collaborate on films like "Murder by Death" (1976) and "Only When I Laugh" (1981), which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. The remainder of the 1980s afforded Coco cameos on television series like "St. Elsewhere" (NBC 1982-88), which landed him an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor, and in films like "Muppets Take Manhattan" (1984) and "Johnny Dangerously" (1984). Coco died on Feb. 25, 1987 following a battle with AIDS.
