Joe Seneca
Seneca during filming of 1986'sCrossroads
Born	Joel McGhee Jr. (1919-01-14)January 14, 1919 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died	August 15, 1996(1996-08-15) (aged 77) New York City, U.S.
Occupations	Actor singer songwriter
Years active	1940s–1996

Joe Seneca (January 14, 1919 – August 15, 1996)^[1] was an Americanactor, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for having playedWillie Brown inCrossroads (1986), Dr. Meadows inThe Blob (1988), and Dr. Hanes inThe Cosby Show.

Seneca was born Joel McGhee Jr. in Cleveland, Ohio. Before his acting career, he belonged to the R&B singing group The Three Riffs, which was active from the late 1940s and performed at upscalesupper clubs in New York City.^[2]

He was also a songwriter and had big hits with "Talk to Me", sung byLittle Willie John, and "Break It to Me Gently," which was a smash hit byBrenda Lee in 1962 and byJuice Newton in 1982.

In the 1982 film,The Verdict, Seneca played Dr. Thompson, a small-town women's hospital physician brought in by attorney Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) to support his belief that two famous doctors' incompetence left his client alive but in a coma. Arguably his most well-known roles are that of bluesmanWillie Brown inCrossroads (1986) and Dr. Meddows inThe Blob (1988), the evil head of a government team sent to contain the title creature.^{[citation needed]}

Seneca also made multiple appearances onThe Cosby Show as Hillman President Dr. Zachariah J. Hanes. He also played Alvin Newcastle, a man suffering fromAlzheimer's disease, on an episode ofThe Golden Girls titled "Old Friends".^[3] Seneca appeared inSpike Lee'sSchool Daze as Mission College President McPherson.^{[citation needed]}

Seneca played Eddie Haynes onMatlock in the May 9, 1989, episode "The Blues Singer." He later played a murder witness in the October 13, 1993,Law & Order episode "Profile".^{[citation needed]}

Seneca appeared inMichael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" music video in 1987.Seneca played "Blind Otis Lemon", based onMuddy Waters,^[4] a homeless blues legend who gets one last chance to sing and play in a club the night before an operation that may leave him deaf, onDoogie Howser, M.D., season 2 episode 6, "Doogie Sings the Blues", October 17, 1990.

He died from cardiac arrest or asthma August 15, 1996, at the age of 77. He was married to his wife, Betty Seneca, until his death.^[5]

1987 Golden Girls Season 3 Episode 1. Alvin Newcastle

• Joe Seneca atIMDb
• New York Times: Joe Seneca, a Character Actor In 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'
• Joe Seneca atFind a Grave
• Joe Seneca discography atDiscogs

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