Joe Spinell (born Joseph Spagnuolo; October 28, 1936 â€" January 13,
1989) was an American character actor who appeared in numerous films
in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as various stage productions on and
off Broadway.His notable roles included performances in The Godfather
(1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), Rocky (1976) and Rocky II
(1979), Taxi Driver (1976), Sorcerer (1977), Cruising (1980), and many
more. He was a recurring actor in early Sylvester Stallone films.
Spinell's career consisted of bit to major supporting roles, many of
them villainous, in major and small American films.Spinell became a
figure in the cult film genre. His three leading roles were in horror
films. Actress Caroline Munro, with whom he shared the screen three
times, was his co-lead in two films: the psychological slasher film
Maniac (1980), which Spinell also wrote; and The Last Horror Film
(1982), a horror comedy. The two had initially worked together in
Starcrash (1978). Spinell's final lead role was The Undertaker (1988),
a slasher film released posthumously.Spinell was born Joseph Spagnuolo
(Italian pronunciation: [spaɲˈɲwÉ"Ë lo]) in Manhattan, New York,
the youngest of six children of Italian immigrant parents. His father,
Pelegrino Spagnuolo (1892â€"1950), died from liver and kidney disease.
His mother, Filomena Spagnuolo (1903â€"1987), was an actress who
played bit parts in several movies, some of them alongside her son.
Spinell was born at his family's apartment on Second Avenue in Kips
Bay, Manhattan, an area then home to 10,000 Italian Americans. A few
years after the death of his father, he moved with his mother and
older siblings to Woodside, Queens, New York, where he lived
off-and-on for the remainder of his life. He was known to heavily
abuse drugs and alcohol intermittently throughout his career,
especially during periods of unemployment. Spinell was born with
hemophilia and suffered most of his life from chronic asthma.
1989) was an American character actor who appeared in numerous films
in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as various stage productions on and
off Broadway.His notable roles included performances in The Godfather
(1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), Rocky (1976) and Rocky II
(1979), Taxi Driver (1976), Sorcerer (1977), Cruising (1980), and many
more. He was a recurring actor in early Sylvester Stallone films.
Spinell's career consisted of bit to major supporting roles, many of
them villainous, in major and small American films.Spinell became a
figure in the cult film genre. His three leading roles were in horror
films. Actress Caroline Munro, with whom he shared the screen three
times, was his co-lead in two films: the psychological slasher film
Maniac (1980), which Spinell also wrote; and The Last Horror Film
(1982), a horror comedy. The two had initially worked together in
Starcrash (1978). Spinell's final lead role was The Undertaker (1988),
a slasher film released posthumously.Spinell was born Joseph Spagnuolo
(Italian pronunciation: [spaɲˈɲwÉ"Ë lo]) in Manhattan, New York,
the youngest of six children of Italian immigrant parents. His father,
Pelegrino Spagnuolo (1892â€"1950), died from liver and kidney disease.
His mother, Filomena Spagnuolo (1903â€"1987), was an actress who
played bit parts in several movies, some of them alongside her son.
Spinell was born at his family's apartment on Second Avenue in Kips
Bay, Manhattan, an area then home to 10,000 Italian Americans. A few
years after the death of his father, he moved with his mother and
older siblings to Woodside, Queens, New York, where he lived
off-and-on for the remainder of his life. He was known to heavily
abuse drugs and alcohol intermittently throughout his career,
especially during periods of unemployment. Spinell was born with
hemophilia and suffered most of his life from chronic asthma.
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