Gazzara was born on July 11, 1937, in
Astoria, Queens, New York City. He attended Public School no. 4, and
Long Island City High School. He graduated from the
City College of New York and
Brooklyn Law School. He was admitted to the bar in 1962, practiced law in New York City, and entered politics as a
Democrat. He married Marilyn, and they had two children. On February 14, 1974, he was elected to the
New York State Assembly, to fill the vacancy caused by the election of
Joseph S. Calabretta to the New York City Civil Court. He was re-elected in November 1974, and sat in the
180th and
181st New York State Legislatures. On March 2, 1976, Gazzara was elected to the
New York State Senate, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
John J. Moore. He was re-elected four times, and remained in the Senate until 1983, sitting in the
181st,
182nd,
183rd,
184th and
185th New York State Legislatures. He resigned his seat on May 23, 1983, and was appointed Chairman of the
New York State Liquor Authority. He resigned the post on the Liquor Authority on February 28, 1985, to get a job as a Vice President in the administration of the
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. He was a judge of the
New York City Civil Court from 1994 to 2003. Gazzara died in New York on April 3, 2025, at the age of 87. ==References==