Johnny Seven(1926-2010)
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Prolific American character actor Johnny Seven was born John Anthony
Fetto in the Italian section of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, to Marie
and John Fetto. He was the only boy in a family of six children, with
sisters Lillian, Terry, Connie, Dolores, and Jean. Considering that much
of his future acting work consisted of playing tough gangsters and
criminals, it may come as a surprise to discover that, until the age of
14, he was a boy soprano. He served 2-1/2 years in the US Army, with
the 187th Field Artillery Battalion, and was bitten by the acting bug when he
appeared in several USO shows during his military hitch. He married
Edith Piselli on October 8, 1949, and they had two children, John
Jr. and Laura. Seven worked in the New York theater community and did
much live television until he was brought to Hollywood in 1958 by
Universal Pictures to work in their many television series. He has
since appeared in more than 600 TV shows, over 25 films, and numerous
Broadway and off-Broadway productions. In addition to acting, he has
also written and directed for the stage (his first play, "Salvage", was
written in 1958), television and movies (he produced, directed and
starred in a 1964 western, Navajo Run (1964), and has directed several TV shows
and shorts since then). He enjoys gardening, golf and all kinds of
fishing, ocean, lake and especially fly fishing.