Orestes R (Rusty) D'Anna
Orestes R, known as Rusty, was born in 1924 in
Santa Clara, California.
1 He died at the age of 74 on February 15th, 1998 in
San Jose, Santa Clara, California, United States of America.
2
- Death Notes
- Memorial Article on Uncle Rusty
Added by Richard Lindsay on 20 Mar 2007
San Jose Mercury News (CA)
February 20, 1998
ORESTE OTTAVIO D'ANNA, WITTY, ENGAGING
PRESENCE IN LITTLE THEATER AND LIFE
Author: MACK LUNDSTROM, Mercury News Staff
Writer
Edition: Morning Final
Section: Local
Page: 5B
Index Terms:
OBITUARY LIST
For Oreste Ottavio D'Anna, the role was
indistinguishable from the real.
Oft on stage, sometimes not, he was Robin
Goodfellow,the shrewd and knavish elf of
mixed-up magic potionsin William
Shakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night's
Dream.''
Mr. D'Anna played the part in the Santa
Clara Valley many times in the 74 years
before his death Friday.Almost always, his
friends and family said, he delivered.
''O we have a desperate need of laughter,''
the line goes. ''Give us laughter, Puck!''
''Rusty'' D'Anna could find fun in almost
any circumstance and acted out his humor
wherever he worked, mostly as a bartender,
or in the roles he played in little
theaters throughout the valley.
But his sprite-like 5-foot-5 frame as Puck
was his most fitting role, said Lila Lloyd,
who appeared on stage with him many times.
''Even in older age, he was perky and
agile,'' she said. ''The last time I went
to see him, I couldn't get over how small
he ! was; he looked too tiny. When I was on
stage with him, he seemed like a giant.''
The two played together in such productions
as ''Guys and Dolls,'' ''Song of Norway''
and ''The Fortune Teller.''
Moreover, he was in demand in the area
theatrical community for his versatility,
she said. ''Almost invariably, he got the
character roles,'' Lloyd said. ''He
was able to do crazy things and get away
with it.''
Rusty D'Anna was born in San Jose, the last
of the eight sons and two daughters of
Biaggio and Giuseppina D'Anna, immigrants
from Sicily and Tunisia. He went to
Gardner Grammar School, then Woodrow Wilson
Junior High, where he met Paul Corbisiero.
''He was quite a character, and we were
friends for many years,'' said
Corbisiero, who was a longtime Teamsters
Union official in San Jose. ''He was an
entertainer's entertainer -- played the
piano, accompanied me when I auditioned. I
would always use Rusty because he could
follow anybody.''
At San Jose High, Rusty appeared on stage,
but also instigated the change of the
school colors from purple and white to red
and gray, Corbisiero said.
Mr. D'Anna's acting interest found its way
to the tutelage of Dorothea Johnston, whose
Theater of the Glade helped such Hollywood
stars as sisters Joan Fontaine and Olivia
de Havilland get their start.
De Havilland first played Puck for Johnston
in 1934, and then in 1940, Rusty D'Anna
found his signature role in Puck for
Johnston.
Rusty D'Anna went to San Jose State College
for a time and did some acting, but mostly
he became a draw at several of his late
brothers' bars in San Jose. He also
worked at nightspots such as the Club
Lanai, Original Joe's and Lou's Village,
Corbisiero said, always pulling his
customers wherever he went with one-line
impersonations of characters like ''Gary
Coopertino.''
And he always wanted to write a book
called, ''Once Upun a Time,'' said Lloyd.
Over the years, Mr. D'Anna also directed
productions for various theater groups and
acted in San Jose Light Opera Company
performances before it became the
American Musical Theatre, as well as at
Foothill College.
He was more than an uncle to Melody
D'Anna-Geary, daughter of his brother, Mel.
''He's just my second dad in many ways,''
she said. ''I could talk to him; he was
gentle and understanding -- somebody I
could count on.''
Mr. D'Anna had gone to Modesto to stay with
his nephew, Jim D'Anna, and attend a
wedding, when he died in his sleep,
apparently of arteriosclerosis.
''He had been married,'' said D'Anna-Geary,
who lives in Santa Cruz, ''but it never
worked out, and he never had children. I
think his concern was his family. I think
of him as a guardian angel.''
Memo:
Born: Jan. 3, 1924, San Jose, Calif.
Died: Feb. 14, 1998, Modesto, Calif.
Survived by: Numerous nieces, nephews and
cousins.
Services: Visitation at noon, funeral at
2:30 p.m. today
at Oak Hill Funeral Home's Chapel of the
Oaks, 300
Curtner Ave., San Jose.
Copyright (c) 1998 San Jose Mercury News
Record Number: 9802230039
Orestes R (Rusty) D'Anna & LaVonne 
