Veteran character actor Al Ruscio has died, aged 89.

The Tv and movie star, who appeared in Showgirls, The Godfather: Part Iii, Seinfeld and Bonanza, passed away on Tuesday (12Nov13), according to his daughter.

During his five-decade career, Ruscio played varied characters, but he will perhaps be best remembered as the defiant restaurant manager at Monk's in Seinfeld, and as crime boss Leo Cuneo in The Godfather sequel.

He also appeared on Tv in Peter Gunn, The Untouchables, MCCloud, Lou Grant, Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue, and on the big screen in films like Any Which Way You Can and Jagged Edge.

A lifelong student of the craft of acting, he also created the drama department at the Midwestern College in Denison, Iowa and served as a professor of acting at the University of Windsor in Canada.

He also penned So Therefore... A Practical Guide for Actors, which was published in 2012.