Don Novello: Movies & Box Office

Don Novello, born on January 1, 1943 in Ashtabula, Ohio, is an American comedian, actor, singer, writer, film director and producer best known for his satirical priest persona Father Guido Sarducci. He grew up in Lorain, Ohio, the son of a nurse, Eleanor Eileen Finnerty, and a physician, Augustine Joseph Novello, and is of Italian and Irish descent. After graduating from Lorain High School in 1961, he earned a degree from the University of Dayton and later a Bachelor of Foreign Trade from the American Graduate School of International Management (now Thunderbird School). In the late 1960s he worked as an advertising copywriter for Leo Burnett in Chicago, where his talent for parody began to emerge. Novello created the Father Guido Sarducci character in 1973 by repurposing a thrift‑store monsignor’s outfit, adding sunglasses, a broom moustache and a thick Italian accent; the character quickly became a staple of San Francisco nightclubs and caught the attention of television producers. Lorne Michaels hired him as a writer for Saturday Night Live in 1977, and he appeared on the show as Sarducci from 1978‑1980 and again in 1985‑1986, delivering dead‑pan commentary on religion and politics. Beyond SNL, Novello has acted in films such as Gilda Live (1980), Casper (1995) and The Godfather Part III (1990), and he voiced Vincenzo “Vinny” Santorini in Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire and its sequel. His off‑screen work includes the satirical “Lazlo Letters” books, a stint producing SCTV in 1982, and various musical releases performed as Father Guido Sarducci. He has continued to make occasional television appearances, including The Colbert Report in 2010 and a 2025 interview with Stephen Colbert, and remains active in comedy and writing to the present day.