Joseph Anthony Mantegna (/mɑːnˈteɪnjə/,Italian pronunciation:[manˈteɲɲa]; born November 13, 1947) is an American actor best known for being onCBS'sCriminal Minds since 2007 as FBI Supervisory Special AgentDavid Rossi. He has voiced the recurring role of mob bossFat Tony on the animated seriesThe Simpsons, beginning with the 1991 episode "Bart the Murderer", as well asThe Simpsons Movie (2007).

Joe Mantegna
Mantegna in 2014
Born	Joseph Anthony Mantegna (1947-11-13)November 13, 1947 (age 77) Chicago,Illinois, U.S.
Education	Morton College Art Institute of Chicago
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1969–present
Spouse	Arlene Vrhel ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	2, includingGia Mantegna
Website	www.joemantegna.com

Mantegna began his career on stage in 1969 in the Chicago production of the musicalHair. He earned aTony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and aJoseph Jefferson Award for portrayingRichard Roma in the first American productions ofDavid Mamet's Pulitzer Prize–winning playGlengarry Glen Ross, the first of many collaborations with Mamet.^[1] His long-standing association with Mamet includes the premieres ofA Life in the Theatre,The Disappearance of the Jews andSpeed-the-Plow on Broadway. Mantegna also directed a highly lauded production of Mamet'sLakeboat, which enjoyed a successful theatrical run in Los Angeles. He later directed the film version ofLakeboat.^[2] In addition to theatrical appearances directed by Mamet, Mantegna appeared in Mamet's filmsHouse of Games (1987),Things Change (1988),Homicide (1991), andRedbelt (2008).

In film and on television, Mantegna is best known for his roles in box office hits such asThree Amigos (1986),The Godfather Part III (1990),Forget Paris (1995), andUp Close and Personal (1996). He starred in the television seriesFirst Monday (2002) andJoan of Arcadia (2003–2005). He has earnedEmmy Award nominations for his roles in three different miniseries:The Last Don (1997),The Rat Pack (1998), andThe Starter Wife (2007). He has also served as executive producer for various movies andtelevision movies, includingCorduroy (1984),Hoods (1998), andLakeboat (2000), which he also directed. Additionally, he playedRobert B. Parker's fictional detectiveSpenser in threemade-for-TV movies between 1999 and 2001, and has narrated a number of audiobook readings of the Spenser novels.

Mantegna was born on November 13, 1947, inChicago, toItalian American parents.^[3] His parents were Mary Ann (Novelli; 1916–2017), a shipping clerk fromAcquaviva delle Fonti,Apulia,Italy,^[4] and Joseph Henry Mantegna (1913–1971), an insurance salesman^[5] fromCalascibetta,Sicily,^[6] who died in 1971 oftuberculosis.^[7]

Mantegna was raisedCatholic^[8] and attendedJ. Sterling Morton High School East inCicero, Illinois. He then attendedMorton College and theGoodman School of Drama at theArt Institute of Chicago (now atDePaul University), leaving just before graduation in 1969.^[9][10]

As a young man in Chicago, he played bass in a band called The Apocryphals, which later played with another local group, The Missing Links, who went on to form the bandChicago. As of 2007, Mantegna remained very close with the original members of Chicago.^[11]

Mantegna started off in the film industry as a photographer, taking headshots.^[12]

Mantegna made his acting debut in the Chicago production of the stage musicalHair (1969) and debuted on Broadway inWorking (1978). He co-wroteBleacher Bums, an award-winning play which was first performed at Chicago'sOrganic Theater Company, and was a member of its original cast. In the movieXanadu (1980), he had a small role which was cut, although since his name is in the film's credits, Mantegna getsresiduals for the film.^[13]

Mantegna won a Tony award for his portrayal ofRichard Roma inDavid Mamet's playGlengarry Glen Ross. He has had a long and successful association with Mamet, appearing in a number of his works.^[14]

Mantegna made his feature film debut inMedusa Challenger (1977). He played womanizing dentist Bruce Fleckstein inCompromising Positions (1985). He starred in an episode ofThe Twilight Zone in 1985 calledShelter Skelter. His other early film roles were supporting performances inThe Money Pit (1986),Weeds (1987) andSuspect (1987).

He also starred in the critically acclaimed moviesHouse of Games (1987) andThings Change (1988), both written by Mamet. He andThings Change co-starDon Ameche received the Best Actor Award at theVenice Film Festival. In 1991, Mantegna starred in another Mamet story, the highly praised police thrillerHomicide.

Mantegna has played a wide range of roles, from the comic, as a jaded disc jockey inAirheads and an inept kidnapper fromBaby's Day Out, to the dramatic, in roles such asJoey Zasa, a treacherous mobster inThe Godfather Part III (1990) and an Emmy-nominated performance as singerDean Martin in HBO's filmThe Rat Pack (1998).

Mantegna has a recurring role in the animated seriesThe Simpsons as the voice of mob boss Anthony "Fat Tony" D'Amico. He insists on voicing the character every time he appears, no matter how little dialogue he has. To quote Mantegna: "If Fat Tony sneezes, I want to be there." However, in one instance,Phil Hartman voiced Fat Tony in the episode "A Fish Called Selma".

Mantegna spoofed himself when he hostedSaturday Night Live for the1990–1991 season in which he calmly began his monologue by saying he did not wish to betypecast from his gangster roles. A disappointed little boy and his father leave, as they mistakenly believed the host would beJoe Montana (the football player) due to the similar names. Mantegna then began speaking in a low, controlled voice to the little boy, telling him it was best to stay in the audience and respect his performance; he warned the boy that if he (Mantegna) made a call, then Montana would not play in his next game—an implication that Mantegna's true personality equaled his gangster roles.

In 2002, Mantegna starred as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Joseph Novelli, on theCBS midseason replacement dramaFirst Monday.^[15]

Mantegna received the Lifetime Achievement Award on April 26, 2004, at the Los Angeles Italian Film Festival.^[16]

On August 11, 2007, Mantegna signed on to replace departing starMandy Patinkin on theCBScrime dramaCriminal Minds.^[17][18] Starting with season 9, he also directed several episodes.

Mantegna is very close with all his co-stars onCriminal Minds but is especially close withShemar Moore. He is said to act like a father figure for Moore.^[12]

Since 2006, he has co-narrated theNational Memorial Day Concert on the Mall in Washington D.C., withGary Sinise.^[19]

In 2016, he took part in an event at theLos Angeles County Museum of Art reading some ofGabriele Tinti's poems aboutHercules.^[20][21]

Mantegna is said to have helpedVerne Troyer get into the industry and presented him with the Media Access Award before his death.^[12]

On April 29, 2011, Mantegna received the 2,438th star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.^[22] On June 6, 2011, Mantegna's hometown of Cicero, Illinois celebrated his body of work with an honorary street sign—Joe Mantegna Boulevard—on the northeast corner of Austin Boulevard and 25th Street, the location of his high school.^[23] In 2014, Mantegna received a star on theItalian Walk of Fame inToronto.^[24] On May 3, 2017, the city of Chicago dedicated Joe Mantegna Way, a section of Armitage Avenue where Mantegna lived during his early acting days.^[25]

On April 4, 2015, Mantegna received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Film and Television from The Riverside International Film Festival.^[26] On May 22, 2015, Mantegna received the Saint Pio Award from the Saint Pio Foundation, in recognition of his outstanding contribution in being an extraordinary individual in "providing relief from suffering to those in need".

An avid firearms enthusiast, he is the host of MidwayUSA'sGun Stories on the cable televisionOutdoor Channel.^[27]

Mantegna married Arlene Vrhel on October 3, 1975. He said in an interview onThe Talk that the 300th episode ofCriminal Minds aired on October 3, 2018, their 43rd wedding anniversary, and he apologized during that interview for working on their anniversary.^{[citation needed]}

They have two daughters: Mia andGia. Arlene owned a Chicago-themed restaurant inBurbank, California, named Taste Chicago, which closed on March 22, 2019, for personal reasons.^[28] Mia, born 1987, isautistic^[29] and works as a make-up artist.^[30][31] She has also appeared with her father onKCAL-TV in support of Autism Awareness Month (April). Gia was born Gina in 1990 and changed her name at age eighteen.^[29]

Mantegna is aChicago Cubs fan and has led the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the7th inning stretch multiple times.^[32][33] This was referenced in the showCriminal Minds where his characterDavid Rossi's office is decked with Cubs gear.

In 1988, during the playSpeed the Plow, Mantegna was stricken withBell's palsy. Although considered temporary,^[34] Mantegna still has persistent facial characteristics of the disease.^[1]

• List of people with Bell's palsy

He was also in the Chicago production of Godspell prior to 1973. He played Judas.

• Official website
• Joe Mantegna atIMDb
• Joe Mantegna at theInternet Broadway Database 
• Joe Mantegna at theInternet Off-Broadway Database
• Joe Mantegna atTV Guide