Abe Vigoda Snubbed At Oscars By Vengeful Hollywood

Abe Vigoda passed last month at the age of 94 — but the family of the beloved actor has learned that Hollywood still holds a grudge! The beloved star had enjoyed his first success late in life with his turn in 1972's "The Godfather." His work as the wily mobster Sal Tessio quickly landed him a role on the "Barney Miller" sitcom as grumpy older police detective Phil Fish. But bitter showbiz insiders still blacklisted Abe from the 2016 Academy Awards "In Memoriam" tribute!

Outraged fans quickly went to social media to complain about Abe being forgotten by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "That was just plain idiocy," said one viewer. Added another: "Poor Abe Vigoda. For years, people thought he was dead. Now that he actually died, he gets snubbed during the 'In Memoriam' segment!"

But the Oscars snub was really just part of a continued Hollywood blacklisting — the same one that was successful enough to have the public once believing that Abe had died back in the 1980s. Shortly after his death, The National ENQUIRER revealed how Abe's career nearly came to an early end. The scandal began when the angry actor came to The ENQUIRER in 1978 with complaints after the failure of a "Barney Miller" spinoff series called "Fish."

"Lousy Writing Killed My Show!" read The ENQUIRER headline, and Abe was blunt about ABC letting his talent go to waste. After "Fish" had been canceled, a major showbiz agent told The ENQUIRER that Abe was on the outs for good! "He's got a horrible reputation in Hollywood," the agent said. "Onscreen, Americans fell in love with him, but behind the camera he caused all kinds of havoc — from costly delays in production time to his outrageous salary demands"

Another source said: "It's kind of tragic. Abe came from nowhere and returned to nowhere in just under five years. He was a producer's and a director's nightmare!" It became so difficult for Abe to get work that a 1982 issue of PEOPLE magazine mistakenly reported that the actor was dead!

Fortunately, The ENQUIRER was there to set the record straight in an exclusive interview! "It was funny at first, but it's not funny anymore," said Abe. "Even though the magazine printed a retraction, people really think I'm dead!" The exposure from the article turned things around for Abe. He played John Travolta's grandfather in the talking-baby comedy hit "Look Who's Talking" in 1989, and starred on the big screen with Tom Hanks in 1990's "Joe Versus the Volcano."

Sadly, it seems the star still had enemies in Hollywood. The "In Memoriam" tribute for the 2016 Oscars was careful to salute fellow character actor Alex Rocco, who played "Moe Greene" in "The Godfather" — but Abe was just as carefully forgotten. Now an embarrassed Academy is featuring Abe's photo prominently on their website's "In Memoriam" page. To Abe's fans, however, it's too little and far too late!