Nicholas Colasanto (January 19, 1924 – February 12, 1985) was an American actor and television director, known for his role as Coach Ernie Pantusso in the American sitcom Cheers. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the 1950s. During his career as a sought after actor and television director throughout his lifetime, he was diagnosed with heart disease in the mid-1970s. By 1984 his worsening symptoms forced him to stop working on Cheers, and he filmed his last full episode in November 1984. He died of a heart attack at his home on February 12, 1985, at age 61.