Before leaving Hollywood behind, Anthony Guidera picked up an MTV Best Kiss award for Species.
Anthony Guidera, the actor who appeared in The Godfather Part III, Species and Armageddon, has died at the age of 65.
His wife, Valarie Anderson, confirmed that Guidera passed away on June 6 after spending several weeks on life support following a sudden cardiac arrest at the couple’s Southern California home.
According to Anderson, the actor collapsed in their living room on May 11 and was rushed to hospital. Despite extensive testing, doctors were unable to determine what caused his heart to stop.
After three weeks on life support, Guidera was brought home in accordance with his wishes, where he passed away peacefully surrounded by family.
While he may not have been a leading man, Guidera was one of those faces audiences instantly recognised throughout the 1990s. His screen career began in 1990 with The Godfather Part III, where he played a bodyguard named Anthony in Francis Ford Coppola’s final chapter of the iconic crime saga.
He later starred alongside Natasha Henstridge in the sci-fi thriller Species. The film would earn Guidera one of the more unexpected accolades of his career, with the pair taking home the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss in 1996.
Guidera went on to appear in a string of major Hollywood releases including The Rock, The Postman and Armageddon, becoming a dependable supporting actor often cast in hard-edged and action-oriented roles.
On television, he made guest appearances across a range of popular series including ER, Baywatch, Angel and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. His final screen credit came in the 2005 comedy L.A. Dicks.
Before Hollywood, Guidera spent nearly a decade working as an international model. After graduating from college in California in 1983, he lived in Paris, travelled extensively and studied theatre before eventually transitioning into acting.
In later years, he largely stepped away from the entertainment industry and dedicated his time to teaching meditation and breathing techniques in Los Angeles.
He and Anderson were also deeply involved with the spiritual organisation Astara in Palos Verdes Estates, where community members knew him as “Reverend Anthony.”
Guidera is survived by his wife of 20 years, Valarie Anderson, and their son, Nick.
