Francis Vincent Vennera (March 27, 1947 – July 7, 2021) was an American actor, known for his role as Joe Mondragon for Robert Redford's The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), among other movies. Vennera voiced Pesto the pigeon for the animated show Animaniacs. He also often served as a voice double for actor Joe Pesci.
Acting Vennera served with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, first in the Signal Corps and later in the Special Services division."VENNERA, Chick 1952– (Francis Vennera, Chick Vennera) PERSONAL". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.Barnes, Mike (July 8, 2021). "Chick Vennera, Actor in 'Thank God It's Friday' and 'The Milagro Beanfield War,' Dies at 74". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 30, 2023.Garvey, Marianne (July 9, 2021). "Chick Vennera, 'Thank God It's Friday' and 'The Golden Girls' actor, dead at 74". CNN. Retrieved January 23, 2022.Peters, Fletcher (July 8, 2021). "Chick Vennera, 'The Golden Girls' and 'Milagro Beanfield War' Actor, Dead at 74". Decider. Retrieved January 23, 2022. Afterwards, he began a career as an actor and dancer. He was also a musician, playing several instruments. Vennera's first acting role of note was in the Broadway production of Grease, having toured with the musical for a year. He continued working as a performer, and appeared in the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday, where he performed a dance routine atop several cars. In 1979, Vennera appeared as Vietnam War veteran Mitch Costigian in three episodes of Vega$, along with Robert Urich. His acting career continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s, appearing in many films and television series, most notably for his role as Joe Mondragon for Robert Redford's The Milagro Beanfield War (1988). Perhaps most memorably, in 1989, he appeared in three episodes of The Golden Girls, two of them as the character Enrique Mas and the other as Kid Pepe.
Vennera also began doing voice acting during the 1980s, with roles on Hanna-Barbera programs. However, his most notable role was Pesto in Warner Bros. Animation/Amblin Entertainment's animated series Animaniacs. Prior to his death, Vennera also taught acting.
Personal life Vennera died from cancer at his home in Burbank, California, on July 7, 2021, at the age of 74.
Selected filmography
+Film Year Title Role Notes 1978 Thank God It's Friday Marvin "Marv" Gomez 1979 Yanks Sergeant Danny Ruffelo 1981 High Risk Tony 1985 A Bunny's Tale Frankie TV movie 1987 Kidnapped 1988 Last Rites Nuzo 1988 The Milagro Beanfield War Joe Mondragon 1991 The Terror Within II Kyle 1991 McBain Roberto Santos 1997 Time Under Fire Spitz 1999 Wakko's Wish Pesto Voice, direct-to-video A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. 1999 Final Voyage Dennis 2000 Intrepid Ellerson 2001 Air Rage Fishman 2005 Glass Trap Paolo
+Television Year Title Role Notes 1978–1980 Vega$ Mitch Costigian 3 episodes 1985 The Jetsons Additional Voices 1986–1987 Foofur Sam Voice, 16 episodes 1986 Diff'rent Strokes "Spider" 1989 The Golden Girls Pepe, Enrique 3 episodes 1992 Batman: The Animated Series Twitch Voice, episode: "Off Balance" 1993 Bonkers Chick Voice, 2 episodes 1993–1998 Animaniacs Pesto, Godpigeon, Joe Pesci Voice, 22 episodes 1996–1997 The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest Various Voices Voice, 9 episodes 1998 JAG Benny Turpin 2 episodes 1998 Cow and Chicken Salesman Voice, episode: "Free Inside!" 2000 That's Life Luciano 2000 Batman Beyond Chauffeur Voice, episode: "Ace in the Hole" 2002–2004 Static Shock Ferret Voice, 3 episodes
+Video games Year Title Voice role 1997 Zork: Grand Inquisitor Hades Beast, House Alarm 1998 Animaniacs: Ten Pin Alley Pesto, Godpigeon 2009 Bayonetta Enzo
References
External links