Paul Joseph Regina Jr. (October 25, 1956 – January 31, 2006) was an American actor and occasional screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Cliff Waters in the sitcom Brothers (1984–1989), as well as his roles as Felix Echeverria in the legal drama L.A. Law (1988–1992) and Frank Nitti in The Untouchables (1993–1994).
Regina began working professionally on stage in an off-Broadway production of The World of Sholom Aleichem in 1976. He played Kenickie in a national touring company of the musical Grease, and later appeared briefly in the Broadway production. He appeared in several additional plays in both Los Angeles and New York City throughout his career.[1]
He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of gay sibling Cliff Waters, with Robert Walden and Brandon Maggart as his two brothers, and Philip Charles MacKenzie as his best friend, in Showtime's groundbreaking 1980s sitcom Brothers, which was the first American sitcom with homosexual main characters that dealt with homosexuality in a real way. The show ran from 1984 until 1989.[2][3]
He appeared in several made-for-television movies and had guest appearances on a variety of television series. He also had a recurring role in six episodes of L.A. Law as attorney Felix Echeverria, from 1988 to 1992, and went on to appear in fifteen episodes of the 1993–1994 series The Untouchables, playing Frank Nitti, one of Al Capone's top henchmen.
As a writer, he co-wrote the screenplay for the 2001 film Marie with its director, Fred Carpenter. He also penned the 2006 film Eddie Monroe, co-writing the screenplay with Fred Carpenter, Craig Weintraub (writing as Craig Morris), and Thom Ross. He was one of three screenwriters (the others being Fred Carpenter and Joanne Tamburro) for Just Like Joe, released in 2008. He collaborated again with Fred Carpenter and Joanne Tamburro on the story for the 2011 film Jesse, released after his death.
Personal life and death
Regina was married to Nancy Dye, his teacher in an improv workshop, from 1990 until his death in 2006. They had a daughter, Nicolette.
After spending more than 20 years in Hollywood, he returned to his boyhood home of Medford, New York to be with his family.[4]