Robert Loggia, known for Iconic Role in 'Scarface,' Dies at 85

LOS ANGELES - Actor Robert Loggia, who was known for gravelly voiced gangsters from "Scarface" to "The Sopranos" but who was most endearing as Tom Hanks' toy-company boss in "Big," has died. He was 85.

Loggia's wife Aubrey Loggia said he died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after a five year battle with Alzheimer's. "His poor body gave up," she said. "He loved being an actor and he loved his life."

In a Twitter post today, Tom Hanks wrote: "A great actor in heart and soul," Hanks wrote. "A sad day."

With his rugged looks and gravelly voice, Loggia was well suited for gangster movies, such as his portrayal Miami drug lord Frank Lopez in "Scarface," which starred Al Pacino and an Italian mobster in "Prizzi's Honor," with Jack Nicholson.. He again played gangsters in David Lynch's "Lost Highway," the comedies "Innocent Blood" and "Armed and Dangerous," most memorably on David Chase's "The Sopranos," as the veteran mobster Michele "Feech" La Manna.

Ironically, his only Academy Award nomination came as supporting actor in 1985's "Jagged Edge." He played private detective Sam Ransom, who was investigating the a murder involving Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges.

The veteran actor was also recognized for his comedic performance in the1988 comed "Big," when he and Tom Hanks danced on a giant piano keyboard.

Loggia received an Emmy Award in 1989 for his work on the television series “Mancuso FBI,” in which he played the title role, an F.B.I. agent. In 2000, he was nominated for an Emmy for a guest role on Fox's “Malcolm in the Middle.”

Loggia is survived by his wife Audry and by four children: Tracy, John and Kristina, from a previous marriage, to Della Marjorie Sloan, and Cynthia Loggia Armstrong, as well as by six grandchildren.