Eddie Mekka
About
Biography
Biography
Born in Massachusetts to parents with Armenian roots, Eddie Mekka is a veteran character actor. During the 1970s, Mekka worked in theater, running a local opera company in his hometown of Worcester, and eventually appearing on Broadway. Relocating to Hollywood to pursue a career in television, Mekka got his big break in '76 when he was cast as Carmine Ragusa on the popular sitcom "Laverne & Shirley." During his seven-year stint on the show, he also appeared on its sister series, "Happy Days," and made guest appearances on other successful programs such as "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island." Although Mekka wasn't very active during the '80s and '90s, his career began to pick up in the new millennium. Not only did Mekka return to the stage for a variety of productions, he also made one-off appearances on hit shows such as "24," "Crossing Jordan," and "ER," and had a bit part in the feature film "Dreamgirls."
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Music (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1974
Appeared on Broadway in "The Magic Show" as Manny
1975
Received a Tony nomination for his Broadway performance in "The Lieutenant"
1976
Landed the role of Carmine Ragusa on the ABC sitcom "Laverne & Shirley"
1977
Reprised the role of Carmine on an episode of "Happy Days" (ABC)
1977
Cast on the short-lived "Happy Days" spin-off, "Blansky's Beauties" (ABC) as Joey DeLuca, a younger cousin to Carmine Ragusa
1988
Had a small role, opposite Bette Midler, in "Beaches"
1992
Cast as Grady, Jenna's sidekick on the CBS daytime drama "Guiding Light"
1992
Briefly appeared as Madonna's boyfriend in "A League of their Own"
1993
Began playing the role of Tevye in various productions of "Fiddler on the Roof"
1998
Had a recurring role on NBC's daytime drama "Sunset Beach"
2000
Cast as Vince Fontaine in a national tour of "Grease" with Cindy Williams
2002
Appeared in a touring production of "The Goodbye Girl"
2006
Performed in "Hairspray" as Wilbur Turnblad in a Las Vegas production
2006
Had a small role as a Club Manager in "Dreamgirls"
2008
Returned to NY for Steve Solomon's Off-Broadway play "My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm In Therapy!"
