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Joe Santos

 
Actor: Joe Santos
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Jun 09, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '70s-'90s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Crime
  • Career Highlights: Mo' Money, Shamus, Art Deco Detective
  • First Major Screen Credit: Shamus (1973)

Biography

When asked why he decided upon becoming an actor, Joe Santos tended to trot out the tried-and-true rationale "because I failed at everything else." While attending Fordham University, Santos excelled at football, but lost interest in the sport after a few semi-pro years. By the time he was 30, Santos had been remarkably unsuccessful in a variety of vocations, including railroad worker, tree cutter, automobile importer and tavern owner. While working a construction job in New York, Santos was invited by a friend to sit in on an acting class. This seemed like an easy way to make a living, so Santos began making the audition rounds, almost immediately landing a good part on a TV soap opera. This gig unfortunately led nowhere, and for the next year or so Santos drove a cab for 10 to 11 hours a day. The novice actor's first big break was a part in the 1971 film Panic in Needle Park, which he received at the recommendation of the film's star (and Santos' frequent softball partner) Al Pacino. With the plum part of Sergeant Cruz in the four-part TV drama The Blue Knight (1973), Santos inaugurated a fruitful, still-thriving career in "cop" roles, the best and longest-lasting of which was detective Dennis Becker on the James Garner series The Rockford Files (1974-80). Joe Santos' other series-TV credits include the top-billed part of deadbeat dad Norman Davis in Me and Maxx (1980), Hispanic nightclub comic Paul Rodriguez' disapproving father in AKA Pablo (1984), and Lieutenant Frank Harper in the 1985-86 episodes of Hardcastle and McCormick. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Joe Santos
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Joe Santos
Born Joseph Minieri
June 9, 1931 (1931-06-09) (age 78)
Brooklyn, New York

Joe Santos (born June 9, 1931) is an American film and television actor.

Contents

Biography

Santos was born Joseph Minieri in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Rose (née Sarno) and Joseph Minieri.[1] He began his film acting career in the mid-1960s, appearing in films directed by his cousin, Joseph W. Sarno.

Santos is known for his roles as James Garner's friend, Detective Dennis Becker in the 1970s television series The Rockford Files and as Lt. Frank Harper in the 1980s TV series Hardcastle and McCormick In the 1990s, he reprised this role in several made-for-television Rockford Files movies. He also starred opposite Melissa Michaelsen in the short-lived series Me and Maxx (1980) and Paul Rodriguez in a.k.a. Pablo. He had a recurring role in the HBO series The Sopranos as Angelo Garepe.

Santos has had featured roles in many films; his best known film roles include appearances in Shaft's Big Score! (1972), Blue Thunder (1983), Revenge (1990), and the 1991 action/drama film The Last Boy Scout as Lieutenant Benjamin Bessalo.

Santos has made many guest appearances on TV shows, including Police Story, Barnaby Jones, Hill Street Blues, The A-Team, Magnum PI, Quantum Leap and NYPD Blue.

On the series Bakersfield P.D., Santos played himself, and was the victim of car thieves. However, the officers on duty were so awed by "Jim Rockford's friend," that they were unable to solve the crime and Santos ended up having to find the thieves himself.

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Joe Santos Biography (1931?-)

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Joe Santos".  Read more