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Vincent Schiavelli, the character actor who played Mr. Vargas, the coffee-challenged science teacher in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, died Monday at age 57. (Come to think of it, he played a teacher at least twice in the 80s -- he was the math teacher in Better Off Dead too). To me, he'll always be Mr. Vargas. "I just switched to Sanka, so ... have a heart."
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Yes, his characters played pivotal roles in at least two classic movies: As Mr. Vargas in "Fast Times," his field trip to the morgue made Stacy dial Earl, which, in turn, gave Rat the opening he needed to close the deal. Sort of.And as the surly sandwich delivery guy in "Night Shift," his character finally pushed mild-mannered Henry Winkler over the edge and forced him to stand up for himself.(I also remember him slapping Patrick Swayze around a little bit in "Ghost," but that wasn't even one of his best roles.)Johnny B. Goode
Posted by: Anonymous | December 27, 2005 at 12:41 PM
I liked him as John O'Connor in "Buckaroo Banzai"....but that's just me.
Posted by: Anonymous | December 27, 2005 at 08:38 PM
A classic character actor...I remember him as Lazarus from the Disney kids movies "Mr. Boogety."
Posted by: Wendy O | December 30, 2005 at 08:24 AM