Alex Rocco, the U.S. actor best known for his role in crime drama The Godfather, has died aged 79, BBC News reports.

Rocco played Moe Greene, the casino boss who angrily resisted a takeover attempt from rising mafia boss Michael Corleone and paid for it with a bullet through his eye.

In a career spanning half a century, Rocco won an Emmy for his role in sitcom The Famous Teddy Z. He also voiced the studio boss behind Itchy and Scratchy in The Simpsons.

Born in 1936 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Rocco made his debut in cult director Russ Meyer's 1965 film Motor Psycho. He described his part in The Godfather as "without a doubt, my biggest ticket anywhere" in an interview with the AV Club.

Frequently cast as gangsters, notable roles include The Friends of Eddie Coyle and Get Shorty. He also had a part in 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life.

He described voiceover work, which also includes Pixar's A Bug's Life, as "like stealing money".