Willy Switkes  William B. "Willy" Switkes (November 12, 1929 – March 7, 2013) was an American character actor who appeared in more than eighty films throughout his career. He appeared in a notable scene as a passenger in a taxi cab with Dustin Hoffman in the 1982 comedic film, "Tootsie". In the scene, Switkes was thrown from the taxi when his character attempted to cut in front of Hoffman's. He was born in Washington D.C. in 1929. He moved to New York City in 1955, where he resided for most of his life, to pursue acting. Switkes film credits also included roles in "The Arrangement" in 1969, "Bananas" in 1971, "The French Connection" in 1971, "Taxi Driver" in 1976, "An Unmarried Woman" in 1978, "Dressed to Kill" in 1980, "Playing for Keeps" in 1986, and "Ghostbusters II" in 1989. Switkes also enjoyed a long career in Broadway theatre. He was the understudy of Buster Keaton in "Once Upon a Mattress" in 1960, in which he also played the Wizard in the musical comedy. he co-starred as Smee in the touring production of "Peter Pan" opposite Cathy Rigby, who played Peter Pan. His other Broadway productions included "A Country Scandal", "A Thousand Clowns", "The Cherry Orchard", "Saint Joan of the Stockyards", "Sly Fox", and "What the Butler Saw". Willy Switkes died from colon cancer at Montgomery Hospice Casey House in Rockville, Maryland, on March 7, 2013, at the age 83.