| 45th | Top Saturday Night Live writers |
| Don Novello | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 January 1943 Lorain, Ohio |
| Years active | 1963–present |
Don Novello (born January 1, 1943) is an American writer, film director, producer, actor, singer, and comedian. Novello is best known for his work on NBC's Saturday Night Live, from 1977 until 1980, and then 1985 until 1986, often as the character "Father Guido Sarducci". Novello has appeared as "Sarducci" on many television shows since then, including Married... with Children, Blossom, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Unhappily Ever After and Square Pegs.
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Novello was born in Lorain, Ohio, the son of Eleanor (née Finnerty) and Augustine J. Novello, who was a physician.[1] He is of Italian and Irish descent.[2] After graduating from the University of Dayton, Novello started his career as a performer on The Smothers Brothers Show in 1965.
In the late 1960s, Novello worked as an advertising copywriter for Leo Burnett in Chicago.[3][4]
Don Novello first created Father Guido Sarducci in 1973 after finding a monsignor's outfit for $7.50 at a St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop. Adding sunglasses, a broom mustache, cigarette and a thick Italian accent, Sarducci became popular in a San Francisco nightclub. Sarducci guested on San Francisco Channel 20's Chicken Little Comedy Show, and comic David Steinberg was watching. Steinberg hired Novello as a writer for a TV show that never aired, but he also introduced Novello to Tommy and Dick Smothers, and they hired Novello, too. Novello performed on The Smothers Brothers Show in 1975, appearing as Sarducci.
The Lazlo Letters, Novello's first book of stilted letters to celebrities, caught the attention of Lorne Michaels's, producer of Saturday Night Live. Novello was hired as a writer and appeared numerous times on the show. In the 1970s, Novello started to write letters to famous people under the pen name of Lazlo Toth (name taken from that of Laszlo Toth, a deranged man who vandalized Michelangelo's Pietà in Rome). The letters, designed to tweak the noses of politicians and corporations, were full of deliberate misstatements of fact and inside jokes. Many of these letters received serious responses; Novello sometimes continued the charade correspondence at length, with humorous results. The letters and responses were published in the books The Lazlo Letters (ISBN 1-56305-285-7), Citizen Lazlo! (ISBN 1-56305-182-6), and From Bush to Bush: The Lazlo Toth Letters (ISBN 0-7432-5108-3).
In 1980, under the name of Father Guido Sarducci, he sang lead vocals on the Warner Bros. Records release, "I Won't Be Twisting This Christmas"/"Parco MacArthur" (WBS49627). Novello co-wrote the first tune with M. Davich, and the second tune is an Italian language cover of "MacArthur Park", the Jimmy Webb song, in an arrangement similar to that recorded by Richard Harris.
Novello made newspapers around the world when he visited the Vatican in 1981 wearing the Father Guido Sarducci costume and, while taking photographs for a magazine article in an area where photography was prohibited, was arrested by the Swiss Guards along with his photographer (Paul Solomon), and eventually charged with "impersonating a priest". The charges were later dropped, and Solomon managed to protect the film from confiscation.
In the early 1980s, Novello produced SCTV, a Toronto-based comedy show, which starred Martin Short, Joe Flaherty, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, and Catherine O'Hara. In 1984 Novello wrote The Blade, a high school yearbook parody in which the students are represented by sheep. Novello co-wrote the unfilmed script for "Noble Rot", with John Belushi. He also narrated Faerie Tale Theatre's Third Season episode Pinocchio with Paul Reubens as the titular puppet.
In 1990, Novello portrayed "Dominic Abbandando" in the film, Godfather: Part III. Abbandando appears with speaking lines in the first scene as public relations and media coordinator for Don Michael Corleone. Most notable is when he slaps down a news reporter with the challenge: "You think you know better than the Pope?" Novello appears in many others scenes as well shadowing George Hamilton and is included in the climatic scene on the steps of the Rome Opera House.
In 2001, he lent his voice to the character Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini in the Disney animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and subsequently in the direct to video sequel Atlantis: Milo's Return. In 2003, he filed papers to enter the 2003 California recall election, but failed to collect enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
In 2005, after the death of Pope John Paul II, Novello, as Father Guido Sarducci, reprised his former SNL role as "Special Vatican Reporter" for Air America Radio host (and fellow Saturday Night Live alumnus) Al Franken. He continued this role until the election of Pope Benedict XVI. In 2006, he portrayed the role of Galileo on the podcast The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd.
He portrayed Pope Pius XII in the 2009 short film, All in the Bunker.
Novello resides in San Anselmo, California, which is in Marin County.[5] His sister-in-law Antonia Novello was Surgeon General of the U.S. from 1990 to 1993.
  | Noble Rot - NOBLE ROT - JOHN BELUSHI'S LOST SCREENPLAY |
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