Actor and Guild Official Dean Santoro, 49, Dies

Actor Dean Santoro, who served as campaign manager for Ed Asner’s successful bid to become president of the Screen Actors Guild and held high posts in the nation’s two top actors’ unions, has died after a lengthy illness. He was 49.

Santoro died Wednesday at Sherman Oaks Community Hospital. The nature of his illness was not disclosed.

Santoro was serving his second term as third national vice president of the guild when he died. He also was a national board member of the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists.

A native of Johnstown, Pa., Santoro graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1959, then moved to New York City, where he lived for 15 years.

He was seen off-Broadway in “Hadrian VII” and “Borstal Boy” and was in the cast of the daily soap opera “As the World Turns,” for four years and appeared in more than 50 regional theater productions.

Santoro moved to Los Angeles in 1975 and found roles in such shows as “Dallas,” “Lou Grant” and “House Calls,” and guest star appearances on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Barney Miller,” “The Rockford Files” and “Scarecrow and Mrs. King.”

He also appeared in the made-for-television movies, “RFK: His Life and Times,” “Concrete Beat” and others.

Santoro was first elected to the guild’s board of directors in 1981, and was Asner’s campaign manager in Asner’s successful bid for the guild presidency.

When Asner was reelected in 1983, Santoro was voted third vice president. Santoro was reelected to that post when Patty Duke was voted president in 1985.

Santoro is survived by his mother and several brothers and sisters. A memorial service is pending.