Actor and Malibu resident Francesco Quinn died Friday evening of an apparent heart attack outside his house in the La Costa neighborhood of Malibu. He was 48. The actor was running with his son at around 4:30 Friday evening when he collapsed, according to Tarcisio Mosconi, owner of the restaurant Tra di Noi and a friend of Quinn’s. Quinn’s wife, Valentina Castellani-Quinn, and a neighbor attempted to revive Quinn. Mosconi said the resuscitation efforts appeared to be working, but then Quinn became unresponsive. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Quinn had three children, twins Max and Michela and daughter Sofia.
Francesco Quinn was born March 22, 1963 in Rome, Italy. The son of Academy Award-winning actor Anthony Quinn, Francesco Quinn was an established actor in his own right, with film and television roles. His most prominent role was in the 1986 Oliver Stone movie “Platoon.” Quinn collaborated several times in his early career with his father, including 1988’s “Stradivari.” Quinn’s television credits included “24,” “JAG,” “Crossing Jordan” and The Young and the Restless.”
Quinn was avid philanthropist, whose charitable organization Francesco Quinn Legacy 2011 worked to provide cultural and artistic opportunities to troubled youth. He and his wife appeared on the cover of the January issue of the Malibu Times Magazine.