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Joseph Bologna, actor and screenwriter dead at 82

By Wade Sheridan
Joseph Bologna (L) and his wife Renee Taylor attend a pre-production photo op for "Dancin' on Edge" on Carnival Cruise line ship Imagination in Miami, Fla., on December 1, 2005. Bologna died Sunday at the age of 82. File Photo by Michael Bush/UPI
Joseph Bologna (L) and his wife Renee Taylor attend a pre-production photo op for "Dancin' on Edge" on Carnival Cruise line ship Imagination in Miami, Fla., on December 1, 2005. Bologna died Sunday at the age of 82. File Photo by Michael Bush/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Actor, playwright and oscar-nominated screenwriter Joseph Bologna died Sunday at the age of 82.

"He had a beautiful life and a beautiful death having fully and gratefully experienced three years since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at Cedars Sinai," Bologna's wife, actress and writer Renee Taylor said in a statement.

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"His team of doctors, who prolonged his life, were Dr. Roger Lerner and Dr. David Hoffman of Cedars Sinai, in Beverly Hills. For the last six months during the cancer's most aggressive stage, Dr. Vincent Chung and Dr. Stefanie Mooney of City of Hope gave him back a wonderful quality of life by creating a personalized treatment and palliative care plan, so that he could receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Night of 100 Stars on February 26, of this year, take a month-long trip to his favorite place, Italy, with his family in June, and attend the 35th Anniversary celebration of My Favorite Year, on July 27th," she continued.

Bologna, Taylor and David Zelag were nominated for an Oscar for adapted screenplay in 1970 for Lovers and Other Strangers. In 1973, Bologna and Taylor won an Emmy Award for writing television special Acts of Love and Other Comedies.

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The husband and wife duo also co-wrote and starred in Made for Each Other in 1971 and co-wrote and directed Love Is All There Is in 1996 starring a young Angelina Jolie. Together the couple wrote 22 plays together including It Had to Be You, Bermuda Avenue Triangle and If You Ever Leave Me I'm Going With You!

Bologna acted in other films such as My Favorite Year from producer Mel Brooks, Chapter Two, Blame it on Rio, The Woman in Red and Big Daddy. In television he appeared as a regular on Married With Children spinoff Top of the Heap and Rags to Riches.

Bologna's final work is an upcoming film he wrote and starred in titled Tango Shalom.

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