Ron Palillo

Ron Palillo was an American actor and teacher who became known for playing Arnold Horshack in Welcome Back, Kotter, the ABC sitcom that ran from 1975 to 1979. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and raised in nearby Cheshire. After Kotter, he appeared in leading and supporting roles on television and in films. His voice work included the title character in Rubik, the Amazing Cube, along with parts on Darkwing Duck and Laverne & Shirley in the Army. In 1996 he played himself on Ellen, spent a year on One Life to Live, and acted in Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986). On stage he took roles such as Mozart in Amadeus and Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls. He also directed musicals, wrote the play The Lost Boy, and taught drama. He died in 2012.