Ron Carey, the talented comic actor who played Officer Carl "Little" Levitt on the comedy series Barney Miller, and who was well used by Mel Brooks for a string of the director's hit comedies, died on January 16 of a stroke in Los Angeles. He was 71.

Born Ronald Joseph Cicenia on December 11, 1935, in Newark, New Jersey, he earned a bachelor's degree in communication studies from Seton Hall University in South Orange in 1956 before he began paying his dues on the comedy circuit in New York. By the mid '60s, he made national appearances on The Merv Griffin Show, and followed that up with The Tonight Show, The Mike Douglas Show and the Ed Sullivan Show.

Leavitt made the move to motion pictures when he played a Boston cabbie in the Jack Lemmon comedy The Out of Towners (1970). In the interim, he was in many commercials before Mel Brooks tapped him for Silent Movie (1976) and High Anxiety (1977). Around that same time, he took a small part in the ABC sitcom Barney Miller as "Little Levitt," the short, spunky police officer who longed to be accepted by his peers in the squad room. Nobody could play the part like he could, and after some initial appearances, he became a regular for a six season run (1976-1982).

Elsewhere, Carey continued his run in theatrical comedies in Anne Bancroft's Fatso (1980); as Swiftus, Brooks' agent in Roman times for History of the World: Part I (1981); and Michael Keaton's '30s retro comedy Johnny Dangerously (1984). For the curious, you might want to check out a clever film short he starred in - Food For Thought (1999) - that was screened at Cannes. It lurks on many cable channels and film websites, and the persuasive charm of his acting just might surprise you. Carey is survived by his wife, Sharon; and his brother, Jimmy.

by Michael T. Toole