Biography
Tony Mordente was born in New York City in 1933. Trained as an actor, dancer, and singer, his first major credit was in the role of Action in
West Side Story, on which he also served as an assistant choreographer. He also had a short-lived recording career around 1960, on Roulette Records, which was hoping to capitalize on the success of
West Side Story. Mordente concentrated primarily on stage roles during the early '60s, a period in which he was based in New York, and his only screen role, apart from
West Side Story, came in 1963 with a small part in
Love With the Proper Stranger. His early television appearances included two episodes of
Combat during the series' first season, but it was his role as Genaro Planetta in
The Outer Limits episode "
The Invisibles" -- one of the most chilling in the series' output -- that showed him at the peak of his powers as an actor. Portraying Planetta, the fidgety, neurotic recruit into a secret society run by alien invaders, Mordente almost managed to steal the show from its star,
Don Gordon, and a supporting cast that included such veterans as
George Macready and
Neil Hamilton, in what should have been an Emmy-nominated performance. Mordente turned to directing after the mid-'60s, and has proved equally adept at handling comedy, drama, or action subjects. He has helmed installments of M*A*S*H,
Rhoda, Busting Loose,
The Greatest American Hero,
Family Ties, Quincy, M.E.,
The A-Team,
Hunter,
Matlock, and
7th Heaven, and was responsible for directing 37 episodes of Walker Texas Ranger during the series' first five seasons -- the latter credit puts him in the same league with his fellow
West Side Story alumnus
Gus Trikonis as a top small-screen action-adventure directorial hand. Mordente has been married to Broadway star
Chita Rivera since the 1960s, and their daughter is the actress Lisa Mordente. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide