Port Chester’s William J. (Bill) Villanova, Sr. role in HBO’s hit series ‘Succession’ is life-changing
July 19, 2023 at 11:15 p.m.
William J. Villanova, Sr. may be better known to his longtime Port Chester and Rye Town friends as Bill, former Rye Town councilman and longtime Port Chester volunteer for just about everything.
But William J. Villanova, Sr. is how he’s listed on the credits of Episode 9 of the HBO megahit series “Succession,” where he can be found as both an actor and consultant. That’s the name on his SAG/AFTRA card (the performers’ union he had to join to be an actor on the HBO series) and on the rolls of the membership of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, whose members, according to The New York Times, nominated “Succession” for 27 different Emmy Award categories.
Bill Villanova with "Succession" producer and Eucalyptus Hill Entertainment partner Rene Lovit.Courtesy of William J. Villanova, Sr.
The telecast of the annual show where the winners of this year’s Emmys would be announced was scheduled for Sept. 18. But the ongoing Writers Guild strike, let alone the decision by SAG/AFTRA last week to go on strike against the entertainment industry’s producers as well, has left the eventual date of that telecast (if there is to be one) in limbo.
Villanova had hoped to be on the stage of the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, along with his fellow cast members and “Succession” creative team, to bask in the nationally televised glow of being part of one of the greatest creative hits in HBO’s history.
Now, like the rest of us, he’ll have to wait for this entertainment industry labor debacle to play out.
But in the meantime, as everyone who’s ever met Bill is asking at this moment, how did his newly found career move come to pass?
Villanova’s “Succession” back story
Villanova has never made a big deal locally of his longtime professional life, but he’s been in the funeral business since he first started to work full-time.
And in a measure of his success at the trade, he has risen to be President of the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel in Manhattan, probably the most famous funeral home in the United States.
Bill Villanova (far left) in a key scene from “Succession.”Courtesy of HBO; photographer: Macall Polay
Campbell is owned by the conglomerate Service Corporation International.
Service’s top management’s faith in Villanova’s leadership and personal understanding of what it’s like for families to deal with the most difficult moment of their lives—planning and overseeing the final tributes to a loved one, led to his being named to one the most prominent jobs in his industry.
If you’ve never heard of Frank E. Campbell, suffice it to say that it’s where the wealthy and ambitious are given their final send-off.
As Sam Kashner wrote in a brief history of the Campbell home for the Apr. 15, 2023 issue of Graydon Carter’s digital newsletter AirMail, “Campbell’s has sent everyone from Leona Helmsley to Heath Ledger, Enrico Caruso to Celia Cruz, Cardinal Spellman to Toots Shor, Gloria Vanderbilt to Lee Radziwill, on their final journey.”
The inspiration for Kashner’s Campbell story was evident in the first paragraph:
“The Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel is about to receive an honored guest. Ruthless media mogul Logan Roy roared his last on the stunning third episode of the final season of “Succession.” After much fearful dithering by his offspring, Logan’s body was removed from his private plane and headed for the most renowned funeral home in the world, Frank E. Campbell’s, where even fictional characters go, not to be seen but to be viewed.”
How ‘Succession’ crossed paths with Villanova
Villanova talked at length with the Westmore News about how the “Succession” creative team decided they needed him not just as a consultant, but as an actor:
“One of the associate producers contacted me and asked if I would speak to the director, Mark Mylod. Which I did. … And we spoke for about an hour. And his focus was making sure that he got everything associated with a funeral correct. And my focus was making sure that anything that he is doing representing funeral services is done correctly and that represents our profession at the highest level. After we got off the phone, I received a phone call the next day from the same associate producer, and he said the director has asked if you would consider being a consultant. Which I agreed. And so for several weeks I would field phone calls from writers and set designers and costume and you name it…We talked about every aspect of a funeral service—logistics, how a funeral works. All the details. But more importantly, how a funeral of that magnitude would work. And to make sure we got it correct.
What the director of photography sees of Bill Villanova in a key scene from “Succession” thanks to the electronic video assist.Courtesy of William J. Villanova, Sr.
“Ramping up to the weeks of filming, I was asked if I would go on set to be with the director to make sure they got it right. Which I agreed to. The week before they started filming, I was asked to go on camera and to eventually bring my team with me. The casket bearers that they used on the program—those are the professional men I use for our services all the time. That team may do one funeral a day, maybe two; with me on the set, it was like 15 funerals. I really have to give them a lot of credit. For our profession, that was a highlight…that this production, “Succession,” cared enough about getting it right and cared enough about making sure that funeral service was represented properly. That they were successful and that we were successful in providing that service.”
Getting a front row seat
to a massive TV production
Villanova, like so many before him, got hooked by the excitement of television and film production and being able to be part of it.
“There was so much enjoyment that I had working alongside these professionals,” he recounted “I was amazed to see how many people work behind the scenes—whether it was electricians, lighting, audio, film, the camera, the people that would move anything and everything. Even the people driving the cars. Those are certified stunt drivers. … The enjoyable part was when they realized that I was actually a funeral director, that I wasn’t an actor, and that I worked for Frank E. Campbell, that I was able to have these fun conversations with the primary actors. They joked around…they said ‘maybe when I retire, I can come to work with you:’—It was kind of nice. You get your call sheet the day before…where and when you’re supposed to report, what you’re supposed to do. It was kind of surprising to see your name there and to know that you needed to be there. You couldn’t phone it in. You had to be there. You had to be ready. I was surprised to see how many takes they did and to find out so much of it winds up on the cutting room floor. Scenes that I was part of…scenes that the main actors were part of that didn’t make it to the final episode. My family didn’t recognize the magnitude of it.”
Closeup of Bill Villanova in a funeral scene from “Succession.”Courtesy of William J. Villanova, Sr.
The actor’s life…
and what comes next
Villanova, who’s used to giving direction in his professional funeral director capacity, learned how to be on the receiving end of it as an actor.
“In working on ‘Succession,’ they give you a lot of direction,” he said. “All of the cues, where you need to be, to go. For someone in my career, that’s all about being on time and on schedule. And hit the mark. And you have the chance to get it correct—once (as a funeral director). Not like on TV where you are shooting two or three or four or sometimes 15 times a day. I probably perform very well—that’s just my nature. There’s some value there.”
Will Villanova get an agent…
for acting, or more?
With everything going on in his new “theatrical” life, the obvious question came up: does he have an agent now? His response:
“I haven’t thought about an agent because it happened very fast, but the one really cool thing that has happened since I completed the filming is a friendship that I made with Rene Lovit and Paul Eskenazi has turned into something else. They created a production company called Eucalyptus Hill Entertainment and they are looking to take on some projects and they have some backing. They like my personality. I’ve been good to them in making some connections here in New York City with some writers that I know, so it’s exciting to share relationships and kind of pay it forward.”
Villanova is clearly excited about having a hand in future TV and film productions—behind the camera. But it’s possible that his role before the cameras will be as a spokesperson for his industry.
“Just the other day I was in Albany at the New York State Funeral Directors Association meeting,” he recalled. “And they were putting forward some new advertising. Their angle is to use real faces. Members of the Association talking about what we provide. My one friend Mark from Long Island said: ‘I don’t know if we can afford Bill now…’ (laughs) Whether it’s me or one of my colleagues, it’s definitely the right way to go.”
Knocking it out of the ballpark
Kara Swisher, one of the internet’s best known podcast hosts (technology fans have made her show “Pivot” with NYU Professor Scott Galloway a hit on Apple), was asked by HBO to do weekly podcasts on various aspects of the production of “Succession.”
Along the way, the “Succession” creative team urged her to interview Villanova on the funeral of Logan Roy. Villanova’s more than 15-minute interview was one of the podcast’s highlights.
A freeze frame from the credit crawl of Episode 9 of “Succession.” William Villanova, Sr. gets a "co-starring" credit.Courtesy of William J. Villanova, Sr.
As he recalled the experience, “After the podcast, they said: ‘You really knocked it out of the ballpark. You brought some high energy and levity to the dialogue.”
When asked if his bosses at Service Corporation International were equally enthusiastic, and whether he got a call with congratulations from the CEO, Villanova said: “As a matter of fact, I did. I have a great relationship with our COO, Jay Waring. So not only is he part of our executive leadership team, he is my personal mentor. Knowing that I have that kind of support from our leadership, it gives me encouragement to allow me to represent our profession and our company.”
Last Thursday, July 13, Villanova was able to announce on the professional social media site Linked-In that he was on the cover of the July issue of the industry’s major trade magazine, American Funeral Director, which honored him for his role in “Succession.”
So, will it be just funeral director, actor, film and TV producer, or even more, for Villanova? For Port Chester’s hometown notable, the sky right now is, in professional terms, the limit. But first—there’s those actors’ and writers’ strikes to be settled.
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