“Michael Pasquale Villella has left this world. May he rest in peace and God will welcome him with open arms and take him to heaven,” we read on the actor’s Facebook page. In turn, his daughter Chloe posted a photo commemorating her father on her profile. According to “TMZ”, Villella died after more than a month of hospitalization.
He made his debut in 1982 in the slasher film “Murder at a Boring Party”. He played Russ Thorn, who reduces the number of cheerleaders in a town in Los Angeles using a huge drill. The film was intended as a parody of horror films, but ultimately turned out to be another representative of the then popular trend. Despite mediocre reviews, it was a financial success and spawned two sequels, a remake and several spin-offs.
Thorn turned out to be the most recognizable role in Villella’s career. The actor appeared in a cameo in one of the spin-offs and himself in the documentary “Sleepless Nights: Revisiting the Slumber Party Massacres”.
Villella also appeared in two parts of “Wild Orchid” and several television productions. After 1991, he retired from acting. He interrupted it for a while in 2007-2011, when he appeared in several short films.