Dom DeLuise, 75, a comic ham who could cook

LOS ANGELES - Dom DeLuise, 75, the portly actor-comedian whose affable nature made him a popular character actor for decades with movie and TV audiences as well as directors and fellow actors, has died.

Mr. DeLuise died Monday night, his son Michael told radio station KNX yesterday. The comedian died in his sleep after a long illness.

The actor, who loved to cook and eat almost as much as he enjoyed acting, also carved out a second career later in life as a chef of fine cuisine.

He appeared in scores of movies and TV shows, in Broadway plays, and voicing characters for numerous cartoon shows.

Writer-director-actor Mel Brooks particularly admired Mr. DeLuise's talent for offbeat comedy and cast him in several of his films, including Blazing Saddles.

The actor appeared frequently in films opposite his friend Burt Reynolds, including The End.

Reynolds recalled Mr. DeLuise in a statement issued by his publicist: "Dom always made you feel better when he was around and there will never be another like him."

Another actor-friend, Dean Martin, admired his comic abilities so much that he cast Mr. DeLuise as a regular on his 1960s comedy-variety show. In 1973, Mr. DeLuise starred in a situation comedy, Lotsa Luck, but it proved to be short-lived.

On Broadway, Mr. DeLuise appeared in Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers and other plays.

The actor battled obesity throughout much of his life, his weight reaching as much as 325 pounds at one point. On the positive side, his love of food resulted in two successful cookbooks: Eat This - It Will Make You Feel Better! (1988) and Eat This Too! It'll Also Make You Feel Good (1997).

Mr. DeLuise was appearing on Broadway in Here's Love in the early 1960s when Garry Moore saw him and hired him to play the magician "Dominick the Great" on The Garry Moore Show.

His appearances on the hit comedy-variety program brought offers from Hollywood, and Mr. DeLuise first came to the attention of moviegoers in Fail Safe, a drama starring Henry Fonda. He followed with a comedy, The Glass Bottom Boat, starring Doris Day, and from then on he alternated between films and television.

He was born Dominick DeLuise in New York City on Aug. 1, 1933, to Italian immigrants. His father, who spoke only Italian, was a garbage collector.

His introduction to acting came at age 8 when he played the title role of Peter Rabbit in a school play. He went on to graduate from the famed School of Performing Arts in Manhattan.

While working in summer stock in Provincetown, Mass., he met a young actress, Carol Arthur, and they were soon married.

The couple's three sons, Peter, Michael, and David, all became actors and all appeared with their father in the 1990s TV series SeaQuestDSV.