Jay Novello (born Mike Romano on August 22, 1904 – September 2, 1982) was an American character actor in radio, film, and television.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, from an Italian background, Novello began his career as a radio actor, playing Jack Packard on the Hollywood version of I Love a Mystery for a brief period, circa 1944. However, he usually put his suave, cultured voice and dexterity at accents to use in supporting roles, usually ethnic, on a variety of series. He was heard regularly on Rocky Jordan, (as Cairo police captain Lt. Sam Sabaaya), the radio version of The Lone Wolf (as Jamison the butler), and the long- running serial One Man's Family (as Judge Glenn Hunter). He was also heard on Escape, Crime Classics, Lux Radio Theater, Suspense, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar,among others.
In film, Novello alternated between pompous or fussy professionals and assorted ethnic roles, often as Italian or Hispanic characters. One of his earliest and more familiar film appearances is in the 1945 Laurel and Hardy comedy The Bullfighters, in which Novello plays a Latin restaurateur. Though prolific in the movies, Novello was limited mostly to bits in minor films, one of his more noteworthy assignments being the officious Spanish consul in Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles.
Besides several appearances on I Love Lucy, Novello guest starred on NBC's Northwest Passage series, based on the work of Major Robert Rogers in the French and Indian War. He appeared in 1956 on NBC's western anthology series Frontier in the episode "The Texicans". About this time, he also guest starred in Brian Keith's first series, Crusader, a Cold War drama. In 1957, he guest starred in Frank Lovejoy's NBC detective series, Meet McGraw.[1]
He also co-starred with DeForest Kelley in an episode of Rod Cameron's syndicated COronado 9 crime drama. He appeared too in another syndicated crime drama, Johnny Midnight starring Edmond O'Brien. Novello appeared twice on The Andy Griffith Show (as the main character in the episode entitled "Guest of Honor," and as an opportunist lawyer in "Otis Sues the County"), and an early guest spot on the television incarnation of Gangbusters (as famed bank robber Willie Sutton), he was a regular on McHale's Navy as Mayor Lugatto of Italy. He also appeared in the episode of Climax!, Escape From Fear, and had a recurring role on Zorro as Juan Greco. He is buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery.
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