Art Metrano

Arthur "Art" Metrano (born September 22, 1936) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his role as Lt./Capt./Cmdt. Mauser in Police Academy 2 and Police Academy 3.

Art Metrano
Born
Arthur Metrano

(1936-09-22) September 22, 1936
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
OccupationActor, comedian
Years active1961–2001, 2008

Career

Metrano's first film role was as a truck driver in the 1961 Cold War thriller Rocket Attack U.S.A.. Among Metrano's TV appearances were a 1968 episode of Ironside, a 1968 episode of Bewitched, a 1976 episode of The Practice, and The Streets of San Francisco. In 1977, he was a regular in the cast of the short-lived CBS situation comedy Loves Me, Loves Me Not. He also made frequent appearances on talk and variety shows in the early 1970s, especially The Tonight Show, as a "magician" performing absurd tricks, such as making his fingers "jump" from one hand to another, while constantly humming an inane theme song – "Fine and Dandy", an early 1930s composition by Kay Swift. Art worked with Dick Towers, a singer and entertainer, as his straight man early in his career.

Metranos' perhaps best remembered role came in 1985 as Lt./Capt./Cmdt. Mauser in Police Academy 2 and its 1986 sequel Police Academy 3.

After his 1989 fall accident, Metranos' on-screen appearances became limited during his rehabilitation. He did, however, return to television a year later and continued making guest appearances and small roles until his retirement from acting in 2001. Between 1993 and 2001, Metrano infrequently toured a one-man show titled "Jews Don't Belong on Ladders...An Accidental Comedy", which has raised more than $75,000 for Project Support for Spinal Cord Injury, to help buy crutches, wheelchairs, and supplies for disabled people.[1] After a final limited set of shows in 2008, Metrano retired.

In December 2007, Metrano filed a lawsuit against Seth MacFarlane, the producers and studio behind the television show Family Guy, asserting copyright infringement, and asking for damages in excess of two million dollars. The suit was over a "cutaway" segment from the 2005 animated movie Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, where Stewie alludes to the miracles of Jesus Christ being "exaggerated a bit." The cutaway shows Jesus performing to a group of awed onlookers while doing Metrano's act: making his fingers jump between hands while humming "Fine and Dandy".[2][3] The case was settled out of court in 2010 with undisclosed terms.[4][5]

Personal life

Metrano is originally from Brooklyn, New York City, but currently lives in Hollywood, Florida with his wife Jamie Metrano. He has four children. Since his retirement from acting, Metrano has also owned a yogurt shop.[6]

In September 1989, Metrano broke his neck and seriously injured his spinal cord after falling off a ladder while working on his house. While he was initially a quadriplegic,[7][8] he has since regained the use of his arms and legs, and is able to walk short distances with the help of crutches, although he regularly uses a motorized wheelchair.[9][10]

Filmography

References
Notes
  1. "Overview for Art Metrano". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  2. Arthur Metrano, vs. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Seth MacFarlane, Steve Callaghan and Alex Borstein, United States District Court, Central District of California December 5, 2007
  3. "Magician Claims "Family Guy" Stole His Act". Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  4. "SEPARATING THE SHEEP FROM THE GOATS: CELEBRITY SATIRE AS FAIR USE" (PDF). p. 802. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-01.
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.artmetrano.com:80/fox
  6. WLRN Interview on YouTube
  7. https://www.gilbertpodcast.com/art-metrano/
  8. Burstein, Patricia (November 30, 1992). "After the Fall". People. 38 (22).
  9. Variety, 2000
  10. WLRN Interview on YouTube
Bibliography
  • Pfefferman, Naomi.""Shining Solo Turns"". Archived from the original on 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2008-03-27.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), The Jewish Journal, 7 April 2000 (at archive.org)
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