American actor Tony Cacciotti started his journey in the entertainment industry in the early 1970s and found immense fame from his career. He was first recognized as a talented actor and has also made a name for himself from his time as a producer and a writer.
Not only his career but the actor-cum-producer is also recognized as the late actress Valerie Harper's husband. While many know about the talented actress, her husband has been private about his life. So, today let's go through Tony Cacciotti's biography and learn more about his personal and professional details.
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Early Life, Family, And Education
Tony Cacciotti was born in New York, on August 12, 1939, as Anthony Cacciotti. He grew up in the city and but very little is known about his childhood. Since he is very secretive about his life, Cacciotti's parent's identity is also a mystery yet to be solved.
Just like his life before fame, Tony Cacciotti has also not revealed much about his time as a student. He must have completed his formal education in his hometown before pursuing a career in the film industry.
Tony Cacciotti Net Worth And Career
While Valerie Harper's husband has been secretive about his personal life, his professional achievements have been documented throughout the years. He has been working in the movie business for decades, and Tony Cacciotti's net worth comprises of his earnings as an actor and producer.
Income From Acting
Tony Cacciotti started acting in the early 1970s, and his first television work was in the series Search as a male nurse. He then appeared in the game show, The New Treasure Hunt, where he played various characters. Cacciotti was hired by the show's executive producer Chuck Barris and was the only regular cast member who wasn't one of Barris' staff.
The New York native then had brief stints in shows like Police Story and Chico and the Man before starring as Bernard in the series Mannix. He continued to appear in several television shows in the 1970s. Tony then took a break from his acting career but starred in an episode of Due South in 1994. This is his last acting credit to date as he began to focus on his career behind the scene.
Along with television, Tony also starred in few movies. His debut film was The Longest Yard in 1974, followed by appearances in The Great Smokey Roadblock, Thank God It's Friday, Son of Hitler, and Hero at Large. Given below is the box-office collection of a few of the abovementioned films as per IMDb.
| Movies | Worldwide Collection |
| The Longest Yard | $43,008,075 |
| Hero at Large | $15,934,737 |
Few of the movies which starred the American actor did well at the box office. As a result, he must have been paid handsomely for his works. Also, while his time as an actor was short, Tony Cacciotti's net worth definitely increased due to his acting jobs.
Income As A Producer
Tony Cacciotti turned to production duties in 1982 when he became the executive producer of the television movie Farrell for the People. The film starred his wife, Valerie, and popular actors, Ed O'Neill, Gregory Sierra, and Judith Chapman. He then executive produced the television series Valerie and also worked as a supervising producer in one of the episodes.
Tony Cacciotti worked with numerous Hollywood stars including his wife, Valerie Harper. Image Source: Valerie Harper Facebook.
Cacciotti was then involved in the CBS sitcom City, with Harper as the main lead. The show was a big hit in its earlier episodes, but the audiences diminished in the later episodes. It was not renewed for the second season, but the premature success must have helped Tony earn a considerable sum.
Not only television series, but Tony also produced the movie Golda Balcony, the short film My mom and the Girl, and the documentary, Banner on the Moon. He has played a significant role in the development of these projects and was undoubtedly paid a large amount for his work. Therefore, Tony Cacciotti's net worth probably increased at the time. And as for his wife, Valerie Harper had an estimated net worth of $1 million at the time of her death.
Married Life And Wife's Cancer Battle
As mentioned above, the Hero at Large was a married man till his wife's death. Tony Cacciotti's wife, Valerie Harper, was a popular actress who died on August 30, 2019, after a long battle with cancer. The pair had been married since 1987 and shared more than three decades together, age husband and wife. However, the last decade of their marital life was plagued with Harper's declining health.
Cacciotti's wife Valerie was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009, which she beat after lengthy treatment. However, in 2013 she was diagnosed with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis and was given only three months to live. The disease was considered incurable, but she went through chemotherapy to slow its progress. She continued to battle cancer, but six years after her initial diagnosis, Harper died on August 30, 2019.
Throughout Valerie Harper's cancer treatments, her husband was by her side. Tony even refused to move her to hospice care and took care of her by himself. Valerie left behind her widowed husband, Tony, and their daughter, Cristina Cacciotti.
Is A Father Of One
In their three decades of marriage, Tony and Valerie welcomed one child into their family. They adopted Cristina, who was reportedly born in 1983, according to IMDb. The pair did not have any biological children but loved their little girl like their own. Cristina has grown up to be a beautiful woman and is enjoying a career as an artist.
Tony Cacciotti and his wife, Valerie Harper adopted their daughter, Cristina Cacciotti. Image Source: Cristina Cacciotti Twitter.
Valerie Harper and Tony Cacciotti's daughter, Christina, was the one who revealed about Valerie's death. She was by her father's side when he lost his wife of thirty-two years. Today, Tony and Christina are honoring the talented actress's legacy and keeping her memory alive.
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Trivia
- Tony Cacciotti was a pizza delivery guy before Chuck Barris hired him.
- Deanna, a Harper-Cacciotti family friend, set up a GoFundMe page so that they could pay the medical bills not covered by insurance. More than $66K was raised before the page was shut down after people from the industry came forward to help with the expense.
- Cacciotti's wife, Valerie, was laid to rest at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in LA.
