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Rick Aviles
Aviles as Wille Lopez in Ghost (1990)
Born	Richard Anthony Aviles October 14, 1952 New York, New York, U.S.
Died	March 17, 1995 (aged 42) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, Stand-up Comedian

Rick Aviles (October 14, 1952 – March 17, 1995) was an American stand-up comedian and actor who is best remembered for the role of Willie Lopez in the movie Ghost.

Early years

Aviles (birth name: Richard Anthony Aviles) was born in New York City. His grandmother moved from Puerto Rico to the United States in the mid 1900s looking for a better way of life. Aviles' parents were both born in New York City. His father Mariano Aviles was the only son of Puerto Rican parents and his mother Carmen Reyes Aviles was of Venezuelan descent. His mother was an educated woman who made sure that her children were educated in culture as well as academically. He was the second eldest sibling and was very close with his family .They lived in Manhattan, New York City, in a tough neighborhood and at times got himself into trouble. One of his assets was that he had a comical side to him. Aviles' siblings Angel Aviles (actress and media producer) and Rod Reyes(comedian and chef) are also in the arts and entertainment fields.^[1]

Career

In the 1970s and 1980s, Aviles worked as a stand-up comedian on the Greenwich Village night-club circuit in New York. In 1981, he landed the role of Mad Dog in the movie Cannonball Run. He went on to act in fourteen more film productions. In 1987, Aviles landed a small part as the maintenance man in the movie The Secret of My Success, starring Michael J. Fox. That same year he became the host of It's Showtime at the Apollo, and continued as host until 1991.^[2]

In 1990, Aviles landed his most memorable role. He was cast as Willie Lopez, Sam Wheat's killer, in the movie Ghost. The movie was a smash hit at the box office and received multiple Oscar nominations. Besides Aviles, Ghost also starred Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg. He also acted in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part III (1990) as Mask #1; Brian DePalma's Carlito's Way (1993) as "Quisqueya", starring Al Pacino; in Waterworld (1995) as the Gatesman, starring Kevin Costner and in Joe's Apartment (1996) as the voice of a cockroach.^[2]

Among the television series in which he appeared are Mr. & Mrs. Dracula (1980), The Day Women Got Even (1980), The Carol Burnett Show (1991) and Stephen King's The Stand (1994).

Death

Having contracted HIV through heroin abuse, Aviles died on March 17, 1995 in Los Angeles, California, from complications of AIDS.^[3]

Filmography

See also

Puerto Rico portal

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

References

External links

• Rick Aviles at the Internet Movie Database
• Rick Aviles at NNDB.com