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Lou Antonio

Actor and director Lou Antonio got his start in the movie business with roles in Elia Kazan's "America, America" in 1963 and as Koko in the 1967 Paul Newman classic "Cool Hand Luke." Throughout the '60s and '70s he appeared on a string of television series. He served as a utility actor, playing a number of different characters, on the TV western "Gunsmoke" and did a stint as Joseph Manucci on the sitcom "Makin' It," which was inspired by the disco craze. Antonio's other career, directing, started in 1967 with an episode of "Heroic Mission." Afterwards he directed multiple episodes of "The Partridge Family," "McCloud," "McMillan & Wife," and "The Rockford Files." Around 1977 he started working almost exclusively on made-for-TV movies, at times cranking out three a year. He was nominated for an Emmy for his 1978 work "Something for Joey" and again in 1979 for "Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story." Antonio also received a nod from the Directors Guild of America for his work on the quirkly, early '90s drama series "Picket Fences." By the turn of the century the Oklahoma-born director was back to series work, mostly on heavy dramas like "The West Wing" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." Antonio played himself in the 2003 comedy "Frankie and Johnny Are Married."