Broadway & Film Actor Willy Switkes Dies at 83

ABC News reports that Willy Switkes, a Broadway actor best known for his roles in the films "Tootsie" and "Taxi Driver" has died at age 83. According to Switkes' niece, the actor was battling colon cancer and passed away last Thursday at a hospice in Rockville, Md.

Born in Washington, D.C., the actor spent the majority of his life as a resident of New York City. He appeared in such Broadway productions as "The Cherry Orchard" and "A Thousand Clowns" and served as an understudy for Buster Keaton during a 1960 tour of "Once Upon a Mattress." His other filmwork includes "The French Connection" and "Bananas."

Best known as a character actor, his roles were often unidentified, such as his "man at cab" credit for "Tootsie," in which Dustin Hoffman's title character throws him from a New York City taxi in a rush to reach his destination.

Publicity photo provided by the Switkes Family