Actor Dom DeLuise, star of Smokey and the Bandit II Cannonball Run I and II, three films every auto-lover needs in their DVD collection, died yesterday at age 75.
DeLuise first came to fame in the 1960s as "Dominick the Great" on The Dean Martin Show, but he is perhaps best remembered today (by us, anyway) for his role as split-personality oddball Victor Prinzim (aka Captain Chaos) in Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II, two movies near and dear to our hearts. Earlier, he had also appeared alongside Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit II, another movie with significance to any gearhead worth his salt.
DeLuise went on to act in a series of increasingly forgettable films in the 1980s and 1990s (A Troll In Central Park, anyone?) and spent several years memorably shilling for Ziploc bags. But we choose to remember him at his peak, racing across the country dressed in a garish superhero outfit yelling "dun dun DUNNNN!!!" Rest in peace, Dom.