Tony Fitzpatrick

Tony Fitzpatrick grew up in Lombard, IL, the son of a burial vault salesman. Fitzpatrick was routinely suspended from Catholic School on bad behavior. On those days he would ride along with his father to sales appointments and listen to stories of life and of Chicago. Birds were especially important to Fitzpatrick because, as his grandmother used to say, “For the price of a piece of bread you can hear God sing.”

Tony Fitzpatrick’s works are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Artin North Miami, and many other places. He was the author of several poetry collections and art books, including The Hard Angels (Janet Fleisher Gallery, 1988) and The Neighborhood (Society for Mad Poets Press, 1986). As an actor he appeared in numerous films, including Mad Dog and Glory, Philadelphia, Primal Fear, Married to the Mob, and U.S. Marshals.

Fitzpatrick died on October 11, 2025 at age 66 from a heart attack.