Anthony Guidera, a character actor whose face became familiar to audiences through roles in some of Hollywood's biggest films of the 1990s—including "The Godfather Part III," "The Rock" and "Armageddon"—has died. He was 65.
Guidera died Saturday, June 6, at a hospital in Southern California, according to his wife, Valarie, who shared news of his passing with
TMZ. He had spent the final three weeks of his life on life support after collapsing at the couple's Southern California home on May 11. Doctors were unable to determine what caused his heart to stop, Valarie told the outlet. He was removed from life support in accordance with a prior directive.
His wife broke her silence on social media Monday, commenting on a friend's Instagram
post that was already mourning his loss. "Tina and Brad — the passing of the man that holds my heart and shares my soul is devastating," she wrote. "Thank you for walking through life's happier times with us, for the unforgettable celebrations, endless smiles and for being a meaningful part of our too short story."
Guidera built his screen career across roughly 30 film and television projects between 1990 and 2005. His first on-screen role came in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather Part III" in 1990, in which he played a bodyguard. The part was one he had auditioned for while living in New York, according to his IMDb
biography, and he spent five months working on the production.
From there, he went on to appear in a string of high-profile Hollywood productions, including "Species," "Undercover Heat," "The Postman," "The Annihilation of Fish," and Michael Bay's 1998 blockbuster "Armageddon." On the small screen, he made guest appearances on "Baywatch," "ER," and "The Good News," among other series. His final acting credit was the 2005 film "L.A. Dicks."
His path to Hollywood was anything but conventional. Guidera completed college in California in 1983, then returned to San Francisco, where he met an agent who offered him a one-way ticket to Paris. He took it. For nearly a decade, he lived and worked abroad, shooting commercials across Europe, Brazil, Uruguay, New Zealand, South Africa, the Caribbean, Morocco and Turkey, working alongside some of Europe's top commercial directors.
While in Paris, he connected with Robert Cordier, the director of the Théâtre Marie Stuart, and began studying and performing plays in both French and English at the intimate 120-seat venue in the city's 2nd arrondissement. He also traveled between New York and Paris to pursue further theatrical training, eventually auditioning for and being accepted into the master class of Robert Lewis, one of the original founders of the Actors Studio.
In the years that followed his acting career, Guidera devoted himself to spiritual and holistic work. He served as a volunteer with Astara, a spiritual organization based in Palos Verdes Estates, and was a certified Pranic Healing instructor who, according to the group's
website, personally studied with HMCKS beginning in 1996. As an Arhatic yogi, he also taught meditation, breathing techniques, and Pranic Healing at his office in Los Angeles.
Astara
announced his death on Instagram, describing him as "Reverend Anthony" and calling the news devastating. "Please hold his eternal light in your hearts and his family in your prayers," the organization wrote. The group announced plans for a special blessing and prayer during its weekly Sunday Sacred Space gathering.
One parishioner responded to the post with a tribute. "Our sweet guiding light, thank you for your friendship, for your ardent devotion to spreading the teachings and the ascending lifetimes it offers us," the commenter wrote. "May the Infinite Clear light of Christ and of all the great ones enfold you. I AM Eternally grateful, thank you Reverend Anthony."
No funeral arrangements were announced publicly as of Tuesday.
