Before They Were Stars: Alex Rocco on “Batman”

Character actor Alex Rocco passed away this past weekend at the age of 79 after a 50-year career in which he amassed a filmography of over 160 credits. Rocco is probably best known for his portrayal of Moe Greene in The Godfather and voicing “Itchy & Scratchy” producer Roger Myers, Jr. on numerous episodes of The Simpsons, but he’s actually got quite an interesting backstory. Rocco spent his youth in organized crime as a member of Boston’s Winter Hill Gang, but turned his life around and became an actor in the 1960s after being mentored by none other than the late Leonard Nimoy. One of Rocco’s earliest acting gigs was playing a henchman on two episodes of the Batman TV series. These episodes are notable for featuring a crossover with The Green Hornet and Kato, which means that Batman and Bruce Lee once participated in a fight sequence together! You can Rocco in the background of this scene, looking on in wide-eyed awe.