How did Frank Vallelonga Jr die? Body of ‘Green Book’ actor, 60, was tossed out of a car in the Bronx

How did Frank Vallelonga Jr die? Body of ‘Green Book’ actor, 60, was tossed out of a car in the Bronx
Police found the body of Frank Vallelonga Jr in the Bronx (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for AFI)

THE BRONX, NEW YORK CITY: The overdose victim whose body was abandoned in the Bronx has been identified as 'Green Book' actor Frank Vallelonga Jr, said a police report. After being thrown out of a car, the 60-year-old actor's body was found on the morning of November 28 at Hunts Point near a sheet metal production facility, said police.

Although the exact cause of his death is still unknown, early indications point to an overdose, according to law enforcement authorities who spoke to the New York Post. Police arrested Steven Smith, 35, and charged him with concealing a human corpse a day after the horrifying discovery. The actor was the namesake son of the Copacabana bouncer, also known as Tony Lip who was represented by Viggo Mortensen in the movie ‘Green Book.’ The movie is based on the true account of the elder Vallelonga's 1962 car trip through the segregated South with black musician Don Shirley. In the Academy Award-winning film, Vallelonga Jr also played his uncle Rudy Vallelonga. 

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