Joe Kirk
Kirk inX Marks the Spot (1942)
Born	Ignazio Curcuruto (1903-10-01)October 1, 1903 New York City, U.S.
Died	April 16, 1975(1975-04-16) (aged 71) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1930s–1958
Known for	Mr. Bacciagalupe
Notable work	The Abbott and Costello Show
Spouse(s)	Marie Katherine Cristillo ​ ​ (div. 1953)​ Elizabeth Joan Walker ​ ​ (before 1975)​
Children	2
Relatives	Lou Costello (brother-in-law)

Ignazio "Nat"Curcuruto (October 1, 1903 – April 16, 1975), better known by his stage nameJoe Kirk, was an American radio, film, and television actor who was best known for playing the role of Mr. Bacciagalupe onThe Abbott and Costello Show.He was married toLou Costello's sister Marie in real life.

Kirk was born Ignazio Curcuruto (known as Nat to his family) in New York City, one of four children—Letitia, Philip (1902–95), Nat (1903–75) and Josephine—of Italian immigrants fromSicily, Giuseppe "Joe" Curcuruto and Elvira Puglisi Curcuruto (1882–1977).

He got his professional start invaudeville, where he worked as amaster of ceremonies and a comedian during the 1930s.

Kirk was a regular supporting player onAbbott and Costello's radio show during World War II and the postwar era of the 1940s. He was heard in various bit parts, including in a recurring closing gag as an audience member who heckles Costello.

Kirk played Mr. Bacciagalupe and others on the duo's appearances onThe Colgate Comedy Hour and then on the television version ofThe Abbott and Costello Show. Kirk's friendly, mustachioed character held a variety of jobs. At various points in the show, he was a barber, grocer, fruit vendor, ice cream vendor, peanut vendor, bakery owner and music store salesman. As Mr. Bacciagalupe, Kirk spoke with a thickSicilian-American accent; his surname as well was pronounced in the Sicilian manner and not in proper Italian. When excited, Mr. Bacciagalupe frequently made improvized asides in the Italian language.Lou Costello, who was Italian-American himself, also understood these side remarks, and sometimes broke character and laughed along as well.

In the episodes featuring his character, Mr. Bacciagalupe would often show impatience with the indecision portrayed by Lou Costello, whom he called by his Sicilian name, Luigi. As he "lost his temperature", Mr. Bacciagalupe would lapse into broken Italian phrases and increasingly animated gesticulation to express his frustration. Sometimes he would find his place of business wrecked by Abbott and Costello's antics; at other times he would confound them completely and they would retreat in confusion as he crowed in triumph.^[1]

Kirk's Mr. Bacciagalupe character appeared in 15 of the 26 episodes in the show's first season, 1952–53.^[1] In all, he appeared in 19 episodes of the show's 52 total episodes through its end in 1954.

The bulk of Kirk's early film career consisted of playing bit parts, often uncredited, in low-budget productions. Typical roles for him were "ethnic" Sicilian-Americans – gangsters, bartenders, bookies and henchmen. He appeared in several films produced by low-budget studioMonogram Pictures, includingSpooks Run Wild (1941),Mr. Wise Guy (1942) andSmart Alecks (1942). Kirk appeared as the villager Schwartz in Universal'sHouse of Frankenstein (1944).^[2] He was occasionally billed as Joseph I. Kirk, the "I" standing for his birth-name, Ignazio.

Through his marriage to Marie Cristillo, the sister of Lou Costello, Kirk secured steady appearances (albeit in small roles) inAbbott and Costello films. His more prominent parts included the pet shop owner inRio Rita (1942), Honest Dan the Bookie inHere Come the Co-Eds (1946), the shady real estate agent inBuck Privates Come Home (1947), an uncredited bystander in "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) and Dr. Orvilla inAbbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953).^[1]

Kirk continued acting through the late 1950s, with appearances inThe Jackie Robinson Story (1950), the 1956Bowery Boys comedyHot Shots andFritz Lang's dramaBeyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956). He also took small roles in television shows such asAdventures of Superman,Sheriff of Cochise andU.S. Marshal, before retiring fromshow business in 1958.^[2]

Kirk was married to Marie Katherine Cristillo (1912–88), who was the sister ofLou Costello and daughter of producer Sebastian Cristillo. After their marriage, Marie was known interchangeably as MarieCurcuruto or MarieKirk. The couple had two sons.

He was the great-uncle of actress Marki Costello, who is the granddaughter of Lou Costello. Kirk was buried inForest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).^[3]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJoe Kirk.

• Joe Kirk atIMDb
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• 1903 births
• 1975 deaths
• American male radio actors
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• Male actors from New York City
• American people of Italian descent
• American people of Sicilian descent
• 20th-century American male actors

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