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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE OF ANTHONY “TONY” MOCKUS, SR.
WHEREAS, WHEREAS, Anthony, “Tony” Mockus, Sr. was a Chicago actor and director of considerable note. His career spanned decades and included appearances on stage, screen, and television. He worked with countless great performers including Henry Fonda, Elizabeth Montgomery, Cloris Leachman, Robert De Niro, and Kevin Costner. He died on April 1, 2011; and
WHEREAS, Tony was born in St. Anthony’s Hospital on St. Anthony’s Feast Day. His family belonged to St. Anthony’s Parish. This led to a lifelong devotion to St. Anthony. He attended St. Ignatius High School. His acting career began in high school when he joined the Summer Stock at Lake Geneva during the summer breaks. He was awarded a 4-year scholarship to Fordham University in New York but went to Loyola so that he could remain in Chicago to care for his mother Veronica Mockus and grandmother. He performed with the Uptown Players and was accepted for a role in the traveling Broadway show Mr. Roberts when he was18 years old; and
WHEREAS, Tony was a devout Catholic his entire life. His faith was reinforced when, while serving in the U.S. military in Korea, he was seriously injured while attempting to disarm an exposed mine. He required multiple operations to remove the shrapnel, and to repair aneurisms resulting from the shrapnel injuries. After his service in the military and the recovery from his injury, he was accepted back into the cast of Mr. Roberts. He moved for a time to New York where he was represented by the Maynard Morris agency through which much of his television work came; and
WHEREAS, Tony returned to Chicago and met his wife, Mary Lou (nee Buckley) while performing with the ensemble company at the Studebaker Theater. They were married in 1958 and raised their two children, actor Tony, Jr. and Judy (Bill) Hooper, in Evanston, Illinois. In addition to his wife and children, he is survived by his five grandchildren, Maximilian, Veronica, Nicholas, Jack, and Lana; and
WHEREAS, Tony is best known for his roles as the judge in The Untouchables (1987), and as Chief John Fitzgerald in Backdraft (1991), and as Mayor Rutledge in the TV series Boss (2011-2012). Other movie credits include Finney (1969), The Enemy (1974), She’s Having a Baby (1988), Caddyshack II (1988), The Homecoming (1996), Charming Billy (1999), Herman U.S.A. (2001); and
WHEREAS, Tony had significant success on the stage as well, performing regularly with Cook County theater groups. He was nominated for Joseph Jefferson Awards for his performances in Plaza Suite (1975) at the Athenaeum Theater, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Goodman Theater (1975), Our Town at the Goodman Theater (1976), George Jean Nathan in Review at the Goodman Stage II Theater (1977), God’s Man in Texas at the Northlight Theatre (2000), and On Golden Pond at the Drury Lane Theatre (2003); and
WHEREAS, his television credits include Appointment with Destiny (1971), One in a Million: the Ron LeFlore Story (1978), Hawaiian Heat (1984) 21 Jump Street (1987), Werewolf (1987), Cross of Fire (1989), Where Pigeons Go to Die (1990), The Untouchables (1994), The Patron Saint of Liars (1998), and Chicago Fire: Better to Lie (2013); and
WHEREAS, Tony and his son shared the stage in Sleuth, performed in 2003 at the Kathleen Mullady Theatre at Loyola University. Tony Sr. portrayed Andrew Wyke, an aging mystery novelist with a grudge against a younger man, Milo Tindle, portrayed by Tony Jr. The plot revolves around Tindle’s liaison with Wyke’s wife, which so infuriated the cuckolded writer that he hatches a plot for revenge that begins with theft and fraud but goes much further than intended. Father and son had previously worked together in Do Patent Leather Shoes Really Shine Up? the son’s first professional play out of college. Tony Sr. also directed Tony Jr. in the 1983 production of Goodman’s perennial show, Christmas Carol; and
WHEREAS, Tony worked with many Cook County theater groups, including Northlight in Skokie and the Goodman Theater. As both an actor and director, he was a great advocate for Chicago Theaters and was a mentor to many Cook County aspiring actors and residents; and
WHEREAS, according to Joe Morris of the Heartland Institute, Tony Mockus was an active and caring citizen, deeply devoted to the cause of American liberty. He was a stalwart of the Conservative Movement in the Chicago area. He was a long-time member and/or supporter of organizations as varied as Catholic Citizens of Illinois, The Heartland Institute, Hillsdale College, the Lincoln Legal Foundation, Toward Tradition, and the United Republican Fund of Illinois. His faith inspired deep involvement in many interfaith activities, including a long and productive commitment to Jewish-Christian dialogue.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County, on behalf of the 5.2 million residents of Cook County, honors the life and work of Anthony “Tony” Mockus, Sr. and herewith expresses its sincere gratitude for the invaluable contributions he made to the Citizens of Cook County, Illinois; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that an official copy of same be tendered to the family of Anthony “Tony” Mockus, Sr.
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