"I'm kind of surprised that so many of those other books were almost exactly like mine. They even follow the form. There were some books that even copied the stamp. It shows so little imagination." -- Don Novello
Don Novello (born January 1, 1943) is an American writer, film director, producer, actor, singer, and comedian. Novello is best known for his work on NBC's Saturday Night Live, from 1977 until 1980, and then 1985 until 1986, often as the character "Father Guido Sarducci". Novello has appeared as "Sarducci" on many television shows since then, including Married... with Children, Blossom, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Unhappily Ever After, Square Pegs and The Colbert Report.
"I have like 250 letters that I have to whittle it down to 150. Only then do you have the whole overview of a book. When it was finally edited, at least my take was, everybody's lying. You know?""I never thought I'd be a writer. I never thought I'd be able to read a book, let alone write one. So if books like this inspire kids to write, or even read a whole book, I think it's good.""I wrote that letter, and the one to Nixon. And I wrote more letters, and I thought it might be a magazine article. At that time I sent it to Esquire and Playboy, but anyway, I kept writing, and all of sudden I had enough and thought, well maybe it is a book.""I've done it 30 years. I don't know what there is to gain by doing it 40. But I think there is something about doing it over that length of time that says something. That's seven U.S. presidents and five presidents of McDonald's."
Novello was born in Lorain, Ohio, the son of Eleanor (née Finnerty) and Augustine J. Novello, who was a physician. Don Novello Biography (1943-) He is of Italian and Irish descent. He graduated from the University of Dayton.
In the late 1960s, Novello worked as an advertising copywriter for Leo Burnett in Chicago.
Don Novello created the Father Guido Sarducci character in 1973 after finding a monsignor's outfit for $7.50 at a St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop. Adding sunglasses, a broom mustache, cigarette and a thick Italian accent, Sarducci became popular in a San Francisco nightclub. Sarducci appeared on San Francisco Channel 20's Chicken Little Comedy Show, and comic David Steinberg was watching. Steinberg hired Novello as a writer for a TV show that never aired, but he also introduced Novello to Tommy and Dick Smothers, and they hired Novello, too. Novello performed on The Smothers Brothers Show in 1975, appearing as Sarducci.
In the 1970s, Novello started to write letters to famous people under the pen name of Lazlo Toth (name taken from that of Laszlo Toth, a deranged man who vandalized Michelangelo's Pietà in Rome). The letters, designed to tweak the noses of politicians and corporations, were full of deliberate misstatements of fact and inside jokes. Many of these letters received serious responses; Novello sometimes continued the charade correspondence at length, with humorous results. The letters and responses were published in the books The Lazlo Letters, Citizen Lazlo!, and From Bush to Bush: The Lazlo Toth Letters.
The Lazlo Letters, Novello's first book of stilted letters to celebrities, caught the attention of Lorne Michaels, producer of Saturday Night Live. Novello was hired as a writer for the show's third season in 1977-1978 where he remained through the fifth season, and returned as a writer in the eleventh season. He also appeared numerous times on the show in the Father Guido Sarducci character.
In 1980, under the name of Father Guido Sarducci, he sang lead vocals on the Warner Bros. Records release, "I Won't Be Twisting This Christmas"/"Parco MacArthur" (WBS49627). Novello co-wrote the first tune with M. Davich, and the second tune is an Italian language cover of "MacArthur Park", the Jimmy Webb song, in an arrangement similar to that recorded by Richard Harris.
Novello made newspapers around the world when he visited the Vatican in 1981 wearing the Father Guido Sarducci costume and, while taking photographs for a magazine article in an area where photography was prohibited, was arrested by the Swiss Guards along with his photographer (Paul Solomon), and eventually charged with "impersonating a priest". The charges were later dropped, and Solomon managed to protect the film from confiscation.
In the early 1980s, Novello produced SCTV, a Toronto-based comedy show, which starred Martin Short, Joe Flaherty, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, Andrea Martin, and Catherine O'Hara. In 1984 Novello wrote The Blade, a high school yearbook parody in which the students are represented by sheep. Novello co-wrote the unfilmed script for Noble Rot, with John Belushi. He also narrated Faerie Tale Theatre's third season episode Pinocchio with Paul Reubens as the titular puppet.
In 1990, Novello portrayed "Dominic Abbandando" in the film, Part III. Abbandando appears with speaking lines in the first scene as public relations and media coordinator for Don Michael Corleone. Most notable is when he slaps down a news reporter with the challenge: "You think you know better than the Pope?" Novello appears in many other scenes as well shadowing George Hamilton and is included in the climactic scene on the steps of the Palermo Opera House.
In 2001, he lent his voice to the character Vincenzo "Vinny" Santorini in the Disney animated film The Lost Empire, and subsequently in the direct to video sequel Milo's Return. In 2003, he filed papers to enter the 2003 California recall election, but failed to collect enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
In 2005, after the death of Pope John Paul II, Novello, as Father Guido Sarducci, reprised his former SNL role as "Special Vatican Reporter" for Air America Radio host (and fellow Saturday Night Live alumnus) Al Franken. He continued this role until the election of Pope Benedict XVI. In 2006, he portrayed the role of Galileo on the podcast "The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd".
He portrayed Pope Pius XII in the 2009 short film, All in the Bunker.
On June 23, 2010, he appeared on The Colbert Report portraying Father Guido Sarducci.
Novello resides in San Anselmo, California, which is in Marin County. His sister-in-law Antonia Novello was Surgeon General of the United States from 1990 to 1993.
Father Guido Sarducci Live at St. Douglas Convent (lp) (WEA XBS-3440) (1980)
Breakfast In Heaven (lp) (WEA 1-25472) (1986)
Everybody's Free to Wear Camouflage (cd single) (1995)
One Hundred Bulbs on the Christmas Tree Party (cd) (2006)
He appeared on the compilations "Holidays In Dementia" (1995) and "A Classic Rock Christmas" (2002).He made guest appearances on the Handsome Boy Modelling School albums So... How's Your Girl? (1999) and White People (2004).
