Jilly Rizzo

Jilly Rizzo
Born	Ermenigildo Rizzo (1917-05-06)May 6, 1917 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Car accident
Resting place	Desert Memorial Park
Nationality	American
Occupation	Restaurateur and entertainer
Children	3

Ermenigildo "Jilly" Rizzo (May 6, 1917 – May 6, 1992) was an American restaurateur and entertainer.

Career

As a young man, Rizzo worked with his father delivering Italian ice to cafes. Rizzo opened Jilly's Saloon, a lounge on West 49th Street, then moved to 256 West 52nd Street at the intersection with Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. Jilly's Saloon was a popular celebrity hangout in the 1960s. Rizzo's long-time friend Frank Sinatra frequented the lounge. Rizzo later became one of Sinatra's chief aides. Rizzo was also a frequent guest on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, where he would recite one liners in his monotone New York accent.

In 1990, Rizzo and five other men were convicted of fraud in relation to an $8 million loan scheme. He was given 1,000 hours of community service.

Death

On May 6, 1992, his 75th birthday, Rizzo was killed when his car was hit by a drunk driver in Rancho Mirage, California. He was survived by a daughter, two sons and two grandchildren. He is buried in Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes|-
1962	The Manchurian Candidate	Jilly	Uncredited
1967	Tony Rome	Card player	Uncredited
1968	The Detective	Bartender	Uncredited
1984	Cannonball Run II	Jilly
1985	Year of the Dragon	Schiro
1987	The Pick-up Artist	Casino Floor Manager
1990	Eternity	Jilly

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970–1971	Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In	Himself	8 episodes
1977	The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Frank Sinatra	Himself	Television special
1974–1978	Kojak	Various roles	2 episodes

See also

• The Night We Called It a Day

External links

• Jilly Rizzo at the Internet Movie Database
• "Jilly! Sinatra's Right-Hand Man Biography written by Scott Allen Nollen"