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Tony Mordente Dies: ‘7th Heaven’ Director-Producer, Prolific Choreographer And ‘West Side Story’ Actor Was 88


Tony Mordente, who made his mark on Broadway as a dancer and choreographer, played the hot-headed Jet named Action in the 1961 film West Side Story and later segued into a long and busy career as a director of such TV series as Family Ties, Walker Texas Ranger and 7th Heaven, died June 12 in […]

Tony Mordente, who made his mark on Broadway as a dancer and choreographer, played the hot-headed Jet named Action in the 1961 film West Side Story and later segued into a long and busy career as a director of such TV series as Family Ties, Walker Texas Ranger and 7th Heaven, died June 12 in Henderson, Nevada, following a brief illness. The song also includes the line most associated with Mordente’s character: “Easy, Action!” Alice Cooper would take note, titling his band’s second album with the phrase. By the 1970s and 1980s he’d become a prolific TV director as well, with credits including Rhoda, MASH, Benson, Family Ties, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, Matlock, and, most extensively, Walker, Texas Ranger and 7th Heaven.

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