‘Green Book’ Actor Frank Vallelonga Jr. Found Dead Outside Factory in Bronx, Arrest Made

Frank Vallelonga Jr., actor and son of the real-life Tony Lip in the 2018 film Green Book, was found dead in New York City earlier this week. He was 60. 

According to Entertainment Weekly, the New York Police Department received a call early Monday morning about an unconscious and unresponsive body outside a sheet metal manufacturing factory in the Bronx. Authorities identified the individual as Vallelonga, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation into the cause of death is already underway. Officials said there were “no obvious signs of trauma” to his body.

Suspect Steven Smith has been arrested and charged with concealment of a human corpse in connection to Vallelonga’s death. 

Vallelonga most notably portrayed his actual uncle Rudy in Green Book, the Oscar-winning film that drew plenty of criticism for its disputed portrayal of the relationship between Donald Shirley and Tony “Lip” Vallelonga. Frank’s brother Nick, who is credited as a co-writer of the screenplay, claimed in an interview with Time that Shirley allowed him to write a script based on his experiences with Vallelonga in the late 1980s, as long as he waited to start the screenplay “until after I’m gone.”

Shirley and Vallelonga died five months apart from one another in 2013. Shirley’s nephew Edwin disputed Nick’s account, saying, “It was maybe 35 years ago when he approached Uncle Donald the first time. He refused to give his permission then. What happened after that, I don’t know.” 

Green Book won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Original Screenplay. 

“Frank was a great guy, father, brother, actor, and friend,” his manager Melissa Prophet said in a statement. “He will be missed by many.”