Eddie Carideo, Actor, 72, Dies

Eddie Carideo, who portrayed a series of tough little men in films ranging from “Rocky III” to “Brute Force,” has died in Los Angeles. He was 72 and had suffered a heart attack.

A former bantamweight boxing champion at the University of Alabama, the 5-foot, 4-inch Carideo was the referee in the last “Rocky” and before that played a series of convicts, priests, oil workers and businessmen in such films as “Quest,” “I Ought to Be in Pictures” and “Vigilante Force.”

He also had character roles in “Raging Bull,” the 1981 remake of “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” “Champ” and “Main Event.” His TV credits included two ABC movies of the week, “Looking to Get Out” and “Streetcar Named Desire.”

His survivors include two cousins, a niece and a nephew.

He died Jan. 17.