Joe Spinell

Joe Spinell

Joe Spinell (born Joseph Spagnuolo; October 28, 1936 – 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.

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