Carmine made his first film appearance as an extra in the disaster film Rollercoaster (1977) and played his first speaking part on Hill Street Blues in 1982. A small role in Brian De Palma’s Scarface (1983) was followed by the role of Snake in Michael Mann’s television series Miami Vice, which led to his first major role in Mann’s Band of the Hand (1986), directed by Paul Michael Glaser.
On stage, Carmine appeared in both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions of Reinaldo Povod’s play Cuba and His Teddy Bear. He also played Papo in Povod’s La Puta Vida.
Carmine went on to appear in supporting roles in the films Batteries Not Included (1987) and Leviathan (1989). In his final role, he played an AIDS patient in the drama film Longtime Companion (also 1989).
Michael Carmine’s Cause of Death
Carmine died of AIDS on October 14, 1989. He was 30 years old. According to IMDb, he died of heart failure due to AIDS complications. As was not unusual at the time, his official obituary did not mention that his heart failure was due to the effects of AIDS.
In a tragic irony, his last film, Longtime Companion, was about the lives of a group of friends affected by the AIDS epidemic. In that film, he played someone dying of AIDS.
Carmine was one of the many actors who lost their lives to AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s, along with Rock Hudson, Freddie Mercury, Anthony Perkins, and others. His death was mourned by his fans and colleagues, who remembered him as a talented and charismatic performer.
