MORDENTE, Tony 1933(?)–
(Oliver Cool, Marc Douglas, Larry Ellis, Larry Foray)

PERSONAL

Born c. 1933, in New York, NY; married Chita Rivera (an actress), December 1, 1957; children: Lisa Mordente (an actress and choreographer).

Career: Director, producer, choreographer, and actor. Sometimes credited as Larry Ellis (for acting roles) or Larry Foray.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Action, West Side Story, United Artists, 1961.

(Uncredited) Fat, Love with the Proper Stranger, Paramount, 1963.

(In archive footage) That's Dancing!, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1985.

Himself, West Side Memories, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists Entertainment, 2003.

Film Work:

Dance assistant, West Side Story, United Artists, 1961.

Director, Just Tell Me You Love Me (also known as Hawaii Heat and Maui ), 1980.

Director, Tell Me That You Love Me (also known as Miri ), Vestron Video, 1983.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Walker: Behind the Scenes with TV's Toughest Hero, CBS, 1996.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Morello, "Lost Sheep, Lost Shepard," Combat!, ABC, 1962.

Sergeant Kurawicz, "The Celebrity," Combat!, ABC, 1962.

Genero Planetta, "The Invisibles," The Outer Limits, ABC, 1964.

Drayman #2, "Tomorrow's Tide," Planet of the Apes, 1974.

"The Man Who Couldn't Forget," Cannon, 1974.

M. C., "Fausta: The Nazi Wonder Woman," Wonder Woman, 1976.

Waiter, "The Birthday Party," Dynasty, 1981.

TV show director, "If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em," Riptide, NBC, 1986.

Jake Hutton, "Little Man with a Big Reputation," Hunter, NBC, 1991.

Lou Massucci, "El Coyote: Part 2," Walker, Texas Ranger, CBS, 1996.

VH1 The Greatest, VH1, 2003.

Also appeared (as Marc Douglas) in All My Children, ABC, and other soap operas.

Television Work; Series:

Choreography, That's Life, ABC, 1968.

Choreography, The Melba Moore–Clifton Davis Show, CBS, 1972.

Producer, 7th Heaven (also known as 7th Heaven: Beginnings and Seventh Heaven ), The WB, 2003.

Television Director; Movies:

Love in the Present Tense, 1982.

Television Work; Pilots:

Director, Cousins, ABC, 1976.

Director, The New Lorenzo Music Show, ABC, 1976.

Executive producer, Legs, ABC, 1978.

Director, That Second Thing on ABC, ABC, 1978.

Director, The Rita Moreno Show, CBS, 1978.

Director, Who's On Call?, ABC, 1979.

Director, The Steve Landesberg Television Show, NBC, 1983.

Director, Young Hearts, NBC, 1984.

Director, Coming of Age, 1988.

Also directed "The Great American Heroine," The Greatest American Hero.

Television Work; Specials:

Producer, Don't Call Me Mama Anymore, CBS, 1973.

Television Director; Episodic:

Rhoda, CBS, 1975–1978.

"None Like It Hot," M*A*S*H, CBS, 1978.

"Preventive Medicine," M*A*S*H, CBS, 1979.

"The Check Up," Angie, ABC, 1979.

"Mirror Image," Brothers and Sisters, 1979.

"Save the Monkey," Brothers and Sisters, 1979.

"The Littlest Fungo," Flatbush, CBS, 1979.

"Aftermath," Quincy, M.E. (also known as Quincy ),

NBC, 1979.

"Semper–Fidelis," Quincy, M.E. (also known as Quincy ),

NBC, 1979. "Statutory Theft," Turnabout, NBC, 1979.

The Associates, ABC, 1979–1980.

Benson, ABC, 1979–1980.

"The President's Coming, the President's Coming," Angie, ABC, 1980.

"Not With My Sister, You Don't," Flo, CBS, 1981.

Love, Sidney, NBC, 1981–1982.

Family Ties, NBC, 1982–1983.

Hardcastle & McCormick, ABC, 1983–1986.

"Father's Day," Riptide, NBC, 1984.

"Peter Pan Is Alive and Well," Riptide, NBC, 1984.

"In Plane Sight," The A–Team, NBC, 1984.

"Fire," The A–Team, NBC, 1984.

"Hot Styles," The A–Team, NBC, 1984.

"Incident at Crystal Lake," The A–Team, NBC, 1985.

"The Heart of Rock n' Roll," The A–Team, NBC, 1985.

"Members Only," The A–Team, NBC, 1986.

"Cowboy George," The A–Team, NBC, 1986.

"Dishpan Man: Part 1," The A–Team, NBC, 1986.

"How Green Was My Murder," Shadow Chasers, ABC, 1986.

Hunter, NBC, 1986–1991.

"A Night to Remember," The Hogan Family (also known as Valerie and Valerie's Family ), NBC, 1987.

Matlock, NBC, 1987–1990.

"The Sopwith Pup," Coming of Age, CBS, 1988.

"Hale to the Chief," Coming of Age, CBS, 1988.

"Father Knows Best," Day by Day, NBC, 1989.

"Dear John," Baker's Dozen, CBS, 1982.

"You Were Polo, I Was Racetrack," Baker's Dozen, CBS, 1982.

"The Beast," True Blue, 1990.

Walker, Texas Ranger, CBS, 1993–1998.

7th Heaven (also known as 7th Heaven: Beginnings and Seventh Heaven ), The WB, 1997–2003.

"Remember?," The Love Boat: The Next Wave, UPN, 1998.

"Captains Courageous," The Love Boat: The Next Wave, UPN, 1998.

"Love Floats: The St. Valentine's Day Massacre," The Love Boat: The Next Wave, UPN, 1999.

"Trances of a Lifetime," The Love Boat: The Next Wave, UPN, 1999.

Also directed "You Gotta Have Hart," Nobody's Perfect, ABC; "Ahead of Time," an unaired episode of Shadows Chasers, ABC; "Martin Swallows His Heart" and "Brenda Runs Away," both unaired episodes of Rhoda, CBS; "A Date with Johnny," an unaired episode of The Associates, ABC; episodes of The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine, CBS; The Practice, ABC; Busting Loose, CBS; Goodtime Girls, ABC; The Brady Brides, NBC; Private Benjamin, CBS; Easy Street, NBC; Burke's Law, CBS; Keep on Truckin', ABC; Hot L Baltimore, ABC; The Tony Randall Show, ABC; We've Got Each Other, CBS; Three Girls Three, NBC; I'm a Big Girl Now, ABC; Romance Theater, syndicated; Safe Harbor, The WB.

Stage Appearances:

Lonesome polecat and dancer, Li'l Abner, St. James Theatre, New York City, 1956–1958.

A–Rab (a Jet), West Side Story, Winter Garden Theatre, New York City, 1957−1959, then Broadway Theatre, New York City, 1959.

TV stage manager, Bye Bye Birdie, Martin Beck Theatre, 1960, then 54th St. Theatre, 1960–1961, later Shubert Theatre, all New York City, 1961.

Lonesome Polecat, Li'l Abner, St. James Theatre, 1969.

Stage Work:

Assistant to Mr. Kidd, Ben Franklin in Paris, Lunt–Fontanne Theatre, New York City, 1964.

Assistant choreographer, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Majestic Theatre, New York City, 1966.

Choreographer, Here's Where I Belong, Billy Rose Theatre, New York City, 1968.

Assistant to Mr. Chapman, Bye Bye Birdie, Martin Beck Theatre, 1960, then 54th St. Theatre, 1960–1961, then Shubert Theatre, all New York City, 1961.

RECORDINGS

Songs:

(As Oliver Cool) "Oliver Cool," Roulette Records, 1960.