Who was Pat DiCicco? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Pasquale Pat DiCicco

Died At Age: 69

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Gloria Vanderbilt (m. 1941 - div. 1945), Mary Jo Tarola (m. 1953 - div. 1960), Thelma Todd (m. 1932 - div. 1934)

Actors Gangsters

Died on: October 24, 1978

place of death: New York, New York, United States

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Childhood

DiCicco was born on February 14, 1909, in Queens, New York, to Pasquale and Luigina DiCicco. He is also known as “Astoria Broccoli King’s son.” Albert R Broccoli, the film producer known for ‘James Bond’ movies, was his first cousin. DiCicco was the one to give him the nickname “Cubby.”

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Life in Hollywood

DiCicco worked as an actor’s agent and film producer in Hollywood. However, he was also allegedly a bootlegger working for the infamous New York gangster Charles “Lucky” Luciano. DiCicco also worked as a producer for Howard Hughes, while some references state that he was a secretary of Hughes.

During his work as an agent, he came to know actor Thelma Todd, who was a well-known comedian of the time. In July 1932, DiCicco eloped with Todd to Prescott, Arizona, and the two got married in a civil ceremony. Later, they had a religious wedding in Hollywood. However, their marriage was unstable and the two were often involved in drunken fights. DiCicco suffered a broken nose, and Todd had to be taken for an emergency appendectomy after one such fight.

In March 1934, Todd divorced DiCicco, citing cruelty and incompatibility as the reasons for divorce. In December 1935, she was found dead in her car at her home in the Pacific Palisades. The death was certified as suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. The true circumstances of her death remained unresolved. Allegedly, the gangsters whom she had come into contact with through DiCicco were after her popular restaurant, ‘Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Café,’ and she had refused to give it to them. However, nothing was proved.

In December 1937, DiCicco was one of the three persons involved when comedian-actor Ted Healy died in coma. Reportedly, Wallace Beery, Albert Broccoli, and DiCicco had had a fight with Healy outside a nightclub in Sunset Strip. The three had beaten him up, and those injuries had led to his coma and then death. However, there were some discrepancies in the accounts and the cause of death was not established properly. Thus the case was closed.

DiCicco then met Gloria Vanderbilt, a 17-year-old rich socialite and designer who wanted to escape her authoritative aunt. In December 1941, DiCicco and Vanderbilt got married at the ‘Santa Barbara Mission,’ California. However, the marriage turned abusive and she divorced him in April 1945 in Reno, Nevada, citing “extreme cruelty” as the reason. She reported that DiCicco would bang her head against the wall and call her rude names, such as “Fatsy Roo.”

In 1942, he had a loud argument with Harry Cohn, the chief of ‘Columbia Pictures’. DiCicco was known for his bad temper and abusive behavior.

DiCicco married actor Mary Jo Tarola, better known as “Linda Douglas,” in 1953. They were married for 7 years and got divorced in 1960.

On October 24, 1978, DiCicco died of cancer in New York City. He was 69.

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