Sonny Grosso
Biography
Sonny Grosso was an American film and television producer and an NYPD detective who worked the narcotics case that the book and film The French Connection (1971) made famous. Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1930, he and fellow detective Eddie Egan helped shut down an organized crime operation in 1961, in which 112 pounds of heroin were seized, then a record. Grosso and Egan served as technical advisers on the movie and had small roles, and Grosso also appeared in The Godfather and The Seven-Ups (1973). After leaving the NYPD in 1976, he turned to producing, with credits on 1970s cop shows including Kojak and Baretta, and he produced the series Night Heat from 1985 to 1989. In 2007 he produced a stage production of Richard Vetere's Be My Love: The Mario Lanza Story.
89years old at death
- Born Düsseldorf
- Died Manhattan
- Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22
- Also credited as Salvatore Anthony Grosso
Movie Career
- Films
- 4
- Career span
- 9 years1971 to 1980
Every film, newest first
- 1980CruisingIMDb rating 6.5
- 1975Report to the CommissionerIMDb rating 6.7
- 1973The Seven-UpsIMDb rating 6.8
- 1971The French ConnectionIMDb rating 7.6
Genres
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About the name
As a detective, Grosso went by the nickname Cloudy. He got it because of his pessimism and because Cloudy is the opposite of Sonny.
Early training
While still with the NYPD, Grosso learned filmmaking as a technical adviser from Oscar winners Philip D'Antoni, William Friedkin and Francis Ford Coppola.
A change of course
After retiring from the NYPD in 1976, Grosso became a movie and TV producer and worked on the 1970s cop shows Kojak and Baretta.
Behind the camera
In the 1980s, Grosso and producer Larry Jacobson started Grosso-Jacobson Productions. In 1987, the company made a deal with Coca-Cola Telecommunications to create four telemovies for syndication.
Sonny Grosso movies on Netflix
Most often with
William Friedkin directed two of these films. Six actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Roy Scheider's page
Joe Spinell's page
Tony Lo Bianco's page
Bill Hickman's page
Randy Jurgensen's page
Benny Marino2 films together, 1971 to 1973
Benny Marino's page
All films by William Friedkin
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.