Antonio Sabáto Sr., an Italian-American actor known for his roles in “Grand Prix” and “Escape From the Bronx”, died this week due to complications from COVID-19. He was 77 years old.
The news of Sabáto’s death was confirmed in a tweet from his son, actor and model Antonio Sabáto Jr., who also posted an old family photo. He shared the news on January 6, with a message saying “Always and forever”.
Always and forever ❤️❤️❤️❤️
In the name of Jesus https://t.co/gGtzbsSxT0 pic.twitter.com/sJjGAer5Bx– Antonio Sabáto Jr 🇺🇸 (@AntonioSabatoJr) January 6, 2021
His son said on Jan. 4 that Sabbat was hospitalized in California for the coronavirus, posting a brief prayer for his father with the tweet. “My daddy / daddy is in intensive care with Covid in California,” he said. “Lord, keep him surrounded by angels and the love and strength of pure God within him.” The young Sabáto has openly criticized on social networks the use of masks to control the spread of the coronavirus.
The old Sabáto started in the entertainment industry in 1966, when he appeared in the Italian film “Lo scandalo”. In the same year, he starred in “Grand Prix”, an American film with an international cast of actors leading the project. The film won three Academy Awards.
Over the next two decades, the actor continued to star in a series of Italian films, from western spaghetti “One Dollar Too Many” to sci-fi projects like “War of the Robots” – and virtually any intermediate genre.
In the mid-1980s, Sabáto immigrated to the United States with his family, continuing his career in films such as “High Voltage”, 1997. His last credit as an actor came on the television series “The Bold and the Beautiful”, in which appeared in seven episodes in 2006.
In addition to his son, Sabáto leaves a daughter, Simonne.