[2][3][4] Colasanto attended Bryant University (now located in Smithfield, Rhode Island[5]) and was a decorated veteran of World War II, during which he served as a coxswain in the United States Navy.

[8] Inspired by Henry Fonda's performance in the Broadway play Mister Roberts, Colasanto applied for American Academy of Dramatic Arts but was rejected, so he joined a small theater company instead in Phoenix, Arizona.

His early acting career included a theatrical play A Hatful of Rain (1956), starring Ben Gazzarra, and another role that earned him an Obie Award nomination in 1962.

[7] He also directed episodes of many television series, including Hawaii Five-O,[9] Starsky & Hutch,[10] The Streets of San Francisco, Bonanza,[11] Columbo,[12] and CHiPs.

[23] In addition, over 300 mourners, including castmate John Ratzenberger, attended the February 16 funeral Mass at Holy Cross Church in Providence.

Near the end of the final episode of Cheers in 1993, eight years after Colasanto's death, bar owner Sam Malone (Ted Danson) walks over to the picture and straightens it.