by J. R. de Szigethy
It is the ultimate compliment a member of America’s law enforcement community can bestow upon a colleague: “He – or She – is a Cop’s Cop!” It is a term that is not bandied about often, nor lightly. What it means is that this person, through their lifelong service to law enforcement, so embodies and symbolizes those characteristics and values of Police Officers that fellow Officers themselves identify them as the “Alpha Male” or “Alpha Female” of their collective team.
Brooklyn-born Tony Lo Bianco has achieved such a distinction, all the more remarkable given that he has never worked as a Police Officer. As a youth during the 1960s, Tony learned to fight with a bat in his hand as a baseball star, as well as gloves on his hands as a Golden Gloves boxer. As an adult, Lo Bianco excelled in fighting with his body, his face, and his mouth in a profession that was somewhat different; that of an Actor.
Tony Lo Bianco has worked with some of the greatest figures in the entertainment industry; Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Richard Gere, George C. Scott, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Anthony Hopkins, Sylvester Stallone, Lawrence Olivier, Anthony Quinn, Madeline Khan, Gina Lollabrigida, Lee Strasberg, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, and Paul Sorvino. Tony has appeared in such memorable productions as the off-Broadway baseball play “Yanks-3, Detroit-0,” for which he won the Obie Award, Arthur Miller’s Broadway production of “A View from the Bridge,” for which he was nominated for the Tony Award, “Hizzoner!: The Life of Fiorello La Guardia,” for which he received an Emmy Award, the acclaimed classic cop film “The French Connection,” the buddy-cop film “City Heat,” the Mafia classic “Kill the Irishman,” from the book by Ohio Police Chief Rick Porrello, two television productions in which Lo Bianco portrayed boxing great Rocky Marciano, the Television mini-series “Marco Polo” and “Jesus of Nazareth,” and the television series Murder – She Wrote, Law and Order, The Streets of San Francisco, Today’s FBI, and Police Story, episodes of which Lo Bianco starred in and Directed as well.
Tony Lo Bianco is currently touring in his one-man play “The Little Flower: The Life and Time of New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.”
With his attainment of celebrity, Tony Lo Bianco utilized his stature to pay tribute to those in America’s law enforcement community who fight to keep America safe. For his lifelong service, Tony has been given the “Man of the Year Award” by the New Jersey State Senate; the Ellis Island Medal of Honor; the “Man of the Year” award from the Italian-American Police Society of New Jersey; recognition as the National Spokesperson for the Order Sons of Italy in America, and recognition from the organizers of New York’s annual Columbus Day Parade.
On October 12, 2016, Tony Lo Bianca will receive the “Man of the Year Award” at the Police Foundation’s State Trooper’s Coalition Annual Awards Dinner. Tickets are still available for this charity dinner at $125.00 each, $25.00 of which will be donated to the “Operation: Kids” Program which provides life-saving surgery for critically-ill children. No tickets will be sold at the door, so order now by calling our toll-free number 877-325-KIDS, or by using the PayPal link below.
If you are unable to attend, you can show your support by advertising in our journal.