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Don Novello

Known to fans of classic "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ) as Father Guido Sarducci, comedian Don Novello played that irreverent Catholic priest on and off in different mediums for the better part of four decades, cleverly commenting on all manner of political and religious events from various eras. He also proved to be a wicked satirist in the form of Lazlo Toth, the fictitious letter writer eager to offer his two cents on everything politicians and other American powerbrokers were doing and how he felt they could be doing it better. While not all of Novello's projects came to fruition - most notably, "Noble Rot," a movie he was co-writing with his "SNL" co-star John Belushi right before the troubled comedian's fatal drug overdose in 1982 - he orchestrated some unique endeavors, including a high school year book featuring nothing but sheep and a complex children's musical that took months to plan, involved hundreds of children, and was only performed once. While Guido Sarducci remained Novello's best known character, he also landed occasional work as an actor, including parts in several films by director Francis Ford Coppola, and displayed considerable flair as a humorist with a unique sensibility.