NEW YORK — An overdose victim whose corpse was dumped on a Bronx sidewalk was identified Thursday as the son of a onetime Copacabana bouncer played by Viggo Mortensen in the Oscar-winning movie “Green Book.”
Frank Vallelonga Jr., 60, was the son of the late Frank Vallelonga Sr., known as “Tony Lip,” who famously accompanied Black pianist Don Shirley as a bodyguard during a tour through the deep South in the early 1960s before an unlikely transformation from doorman to actor — and a recurring role on “The Sopranos.”
The suspect arrested for allegedly leaving the lifeless body behind apparently loaded the body into a vehicle belonging to the victim’s Academy Award-winning brother for the Nov. 29 ride to his final resting place, a criminal complaint alleged.
“That dude was dead already,” driver Steven Smith told police, according to the criminal complaint. “He overdosed. I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
The body of Frank Jr. was discovered at 3:51 a.m. Monday after a 911 call reporting a body outside a Hunts Point factory, and police said video surveillance and witnesses confirmed the car with New Jersey plates stopped before the corpse was pulled outside and left behind.
Vallelonga’s cause of death remains officially unconfirmed.
“I loved the guy. He was a great guy,” “Sopranos” star Vincent Pastore told the Daily News. “The last time I saw Frankie he came to one of my acting classes in the city, about six months ago.”
The corpse was found without any identification, initially leaving the victim’s name as a mystery. Vallelonga Jr. was the owner of Tony Lip’s Italian Restaurant, named after his famous father, in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.
Vallelonga Jr.’s own stab at an acting career included credits for “Green Book” and an appearance on “The Sopranos.”
An Instagram photo from 2019, when “Green Book” won the Best Picture Oscar, shows a tuxedo-clad Frank Jr. hugging Lady Gaga.
Smith, 35, was arrested one day after the body was discovered on eight charges including concealment of a human corpse, possession of a stolen vehicle and grand larceny. He was released without bail after his Bronx Criminal Court arraignment.
Smith lives in a Bronx homeless shelter, according to cops. While he was charged with dumping the body, he was not involved in Vallelonga’s death, police sources said.
According to Smith, a woman named Pam told him somebody overdosed in a car. Smith allegedly admitted to driving off in the vehicle and leaving the body behind.
“I got the body out by pulling him out of the car on the floor,” Smith allegedly told cops. “I don’t know the guy at all.”
The car carrying Vallelonga, a gray 2021 Hyundai Elantra, belongs to his younger brother Nick, according to court papers. Nick Vallelonga wrote the screenplay for “Green Book” and captured a pair of Oscars. He went on to become a successful movie producer.
“Mr. Smith was not involved in the decedent’s unfortunate passing, as noted in the complaint and the charges brought by the District Attorney’s office,” a Legal Aid spokesperson told The News. “We’ve just received initial discovery from prosecutors, and we’ll have more to say about this case after a thorough review and investigation.”
The Vallelonga brothers’ dad is perhaps best known as an actor for his role as New York mob boss Carmine Lupertazzi in “The Sopranos” along with small roles in classic organized crime movies like “Goodfellas,” “Donnie Brasco” and “The Godfather.”
The family patriarch landed his job with the musician during a renovation at the Copa, and spent 18 month on the road with Shirley. The musician, who died in 2013, requested no movie be made until after his death and the story remained known only among the Vallelonga family.
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