Sal Mineo, real name Salvatore Mineo, Jr., was an American actor best known for his roles as John “Plato” Crawford in “Rebel Without a Cause” and Dov Landau in “Exodus.” Additionally, he was well-known for his roles in numerous other movies, such as “Crime in the Streets,” “A Private’s Affair,” “The Young Don’t Cry,” “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” and “80 Steps to Jonah.” The actor appeared as a guest on numerous TV programs throughout his career, including Big Town, The Alcoa Hour, Look Up and Live, The Ed Sullivan Show, Pursuit, Dr. Kildare, The Patty Duke Show, Run for Your Life, The Mention of the Game, and Police Story, to name a few. In terms of Mineo’s honors and achievements, the movie “Exodus” earned him the “Golden Globe Award” for “Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.” He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his work in the movie. Personal note: Mineo was bisexual and dated a lot of male entertainers. Sadly, the gifted actor passed away in a horrible way. He was killed by a pizza deliveryman in 1976.
The career of Sal Mineo
Sal Mineo made his on-stage debut in the 1951 production of “The Rose Tattoo.” Then he made an appearance on “Jukebox Jury,” a game program. He made his film debut in 1955 with the release of the movie “Six Bridges to Cross.” He received critical acclaim for his performance as John “Plato” Crawford in the film “Rebel Without a Cause” that same year.
Then, between 1956 and 1959, the actor worked on a variety of TV shows and motion pictures, including “Crime in the Streets,” “Giant,” “Dino,” “The Young Don’t Cry,” “A Private’s Affair,” “The Gene Krupa Story,” “Big Town,” “Look Up and Live,” “Lux Video Theatre,” “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “Kraft Suspense Theatre,” “The DuPont Show of the Month,” and “The Following this, Mineo was hired to play Dov Landau in the 1960 movie “Exodus.” He produced “Escape from Zahrain” and “The Longest Day” two years later. He then made appearances in “Cheyenne Autumn,” “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” and the TV programs “The Greatest Show on Earth,” “The Patty Duke Show,” and “Combat” between 1963 and 1966. The American actor soon played George Blaylock in the television movie “Stranger on the Run.” He then worked on the film “80 Steps to Jonah.”
Mineo was chosen to play Angel de Angelo in the 1970 television movie “The Challengers.” He appeared in the shows “My Three Sons,” “The Immortal,” and “Dan August” the following year. He then had multiple TV appearances between 1973 and 1976 on programs like “Harry O,” “Griff,” “Tenafly,” “Columbo,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Police Story,” “Ellery Queen,” and “Joe Forrester.” He was a member of the cast of the play “P.S. Your Cat Is Dead” at the time of his unexpected demise.
Individual Life of Sal Mineo
Sal Mineo, the son of Josephine and Salvatore Mineo, Sr., was born Salvatore Mineo, Jr. on January 10, 1939, in the Bronx, New York, USA. He was the brother of Michael and Victor Mineo, as well as the actors Sarina Mineo and Michael. He was a student at Quintano’s Young Professionals School.
In terms of the actor’s romantic history, he had an on-and-off relationship with Jill Haworth for a number of years, and the two even got engaged at one point. Unfortunately, Haworth ended her connection with Mineo when she learned that he had a relationship with Bobby Sherman as well. Mineo revealed his bisexuality in a 1972 interview. He had been living with Courtney Burr III for a while and they had a long-standing relationship.
Murder of Sal Mineo
Sal Mineo was killed on February 12 by Lionel Ray Williams, a pizza delivery driver. After practice, the actor was on his way home when Lionel assaulted and killed him. Robbery was the attack’s primary motivation. Later, the murderer was given a 57-year prison term. Mineo was laid to rest in New York’s Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
Sal Mineo’s Net Worth
Sal is one of the wealthiest and most well-known actors in the film. Our research of Sal Mineo’s net worth from sources like Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider indicates that it is about $1.5 million.