Born Ronald Joseph Cicenia Actor. Diminutive (5'4"), comedic character player. His New Jersey accent and cocky demeanor typed him in parts as urban wiseguys. Carey's best known role was as Officer Carl Levitt in the TV sitcom "Barney Miller", which he played from 1976 to 1982. On the big screen he was memorable in three Mel Brooks films, "Silent Movie" (1976), "High Anxiety" (1977), and "History of the World: Part I" (1981). His other feature credits include "The Out of Towners" (1970), "Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name?" (1971), "Made For Each Other" (1971), "Fatso" (1980), and "Johnny Dangerously" (1984). Carey was born Ronald Joseph Cicenia in Newark, the son of a singing waiter. He attended Seton Hall University and considered entering the priesthood, but opted for a career as a stand-up comedian instead. His break came with a 1966 guest spot on "The Merv Griffin Show", leading to several appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. He also recorded an album, "The Slightly Irreverent Comedy of Ron Carey" (1967). Moving to Hollywood in the early 1970s, he made scores of commericials and had supporting parts in two failed TV series before he became a regular cast member of "Barney Miller" during that show's second season. As Levitt, a street cop eager to become a detective, he plagued his superior officers with a peculiarly aggressive brand of obsequiousness; his trademark gesture was the silly way he exited the squad room, usually while beating a retreat from some blunder he'd made. (Levitt never made it to detective, but in the show's final episode he was promoted to sergeant). As the star of the short-lived sitcom "Have Faith" (1989), Carey got to relive his youthful aspirations by playing a priest. He died of a stroke in Los Angeles.