Joe Spinell
Spinell on the set ofThe Godfather
Born	Joseph Spagnuolo (1936-10-28)October 28, 1936 Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Died	January 13, 1989(1989-01-13) (aged 52) Queens, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Calvary Cemetery
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1972–1989
Spouse	Jean Jennings ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1979)​
Children	1
Relatives	Steve Spagnuolo (cousin)

Joe Spinell (bornJoseph Spagnuolo; October 28, 1936 – January 13, 1989) was an Americancharacter actor who appeared in films in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as various stage productions on and offBroadway.^[1] He played supporting roles in film includingThe Godfather (1972) andThe Godfather Part II (1974),Rocky (1976),Rocky II (1979),Taxi Driver (1976),Sorcerer (1977) andCruising (1980).

Until Spinell's death in 1989, his career ranged frombit to major supporting roles. Spinell played lead roles inhorror films, sharing the screen with actressCaroline Munro in the first two: the psychological slasher filmManiac (1980), thehorror comedyThe Last Horror Film (1982); both had appeared together in the science fiction movieStarcrash (1978). He also appeared in theslasher filmThe Undertaker (1988), which was released posthumously.

Spinell was bornJoseph Spagnuolo (Italian pronunciation:[spaɲˈɲwɔːlo]) inManhattan,New York, the second-to-youngest of six children of Italian immigrant parents. His father, Pellegrino Spagnuolo (1892–1950), died fromliver andkidney disease. His mother, Filomena Spagnuolo (1903–1987), was an actress who played bit parts in several movies, some of them alongside her son.^[2] Spinell was born at his family's apartment on Second Avenue inKips Bay, Manhattan, an area then home to 10,000Italian Americans.^[3] A few years after the death of his father, he moved with his mother and older siblings toWoodside, Queens, New York, where he lived off-and-on for the remainder of his life. In the mid and late 1970s when living in California, he lived in an apartment in the Oakwood Apartments complex nearToluca Lake located on Barham Boulevard. Spinell was born withhemophilia and had chronicasthma for most of his life.

As a teenager and young adult, Spinell starred in various stage plays, both on and offBroadway.^[4] He performed with a troupe called Theater of the Forgotten, who specialized in staging unconventional performances, such as in prisons, and went through a number of jobs in New York, including a taxi driver and a clerk at both a post office and liquor store.^[5] Because of his large, heavyset frame and imposing looks, Spinell was often cast as criminals, thugs, or corruptpolice officers.

In 1971, he landed his first film role in a small part as themafioso hitman Willi Cicci working for the Corleone crime family in thecrime filmThe Godfather, directed byFrancis Ford Coppola.^[1] Spinell was so liked by Coppola that he was hired as aday player for the film's six-month shoot, and while he worked in an uncredited capacity, the only actor in the film who was paid more than him wasMarlon Brando.^[5]The Godfather would become thehighest-grossing film of 1972^[6] and was for a time thehighest-grossing film ever made.^[7] It won theAcademy Awards forBest Picture,Actor andBest Adapted Screenplay, and garnered several other nominations.^[8]

In 1973, he acted inAram Avakian'sCops and Robbers, andPhilip D'Antoni'sThe Seven-Ups.

In 1974, Spinell reprised his role as Willi Cicci inThe Godfather Part II,^[5] where Cicci is still working for the Corleone crime family, but having been promoted from "soldier" (aka: 'button man') to being the personal bodyguard toFrank Pentangeli (Michael V. Gazzo). The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards,^[9] and became the first sequel to winBest Picture.^[10] It wasParamount Pictures' highest-grossing film of 1974 and was thesixth-highest-grossing picture in North America that year.^[11]

In 1975, he acted inFrank Perry'sRancho Deluxe,^[12]Barry Shear'sStrike Force,Dick Richards'sFarewell, My Lovely,^[13] andThomas McGuane's92 in the Shade.^[14]

In 1976, he acted inPaul Mazursky'sNext Stop, Greenwich Village,Martin Scorsese'sTaxi Driver,^[15] andBob Rafelson'sStay Hungry. That year, Spinell played the role of Gazzo, aloan shark inJohn G. Avildsen'sRocky. It earned $225 million in global box office receipts, becoming thehighest-grossing film of 1976, went on to win threeOscars, includingBest Picture, and turned lead actorSylvester Stallone into a major star.^[16]

In 1977, he acted inSorcerer, athriller adaptation ofThe Wages of Fear directed byWilliam Friedkin.

In 1978, he acted inPaul Williams'sNunzio,John Milius'sBig Wednesday, Sylvester Stallone'sParadise Alley, andThe One Man Jury. He also played the main antagonist inLuigi Cozzi's Italian-producedspace operaStarcrash,^[17] starringCaroline Munro andMarjoe Gortner.^[18][19][20]

In 1979, he acted inJonathan Demme'sLast Embrace,^[21] andWilliam Richert'sWinter Kills. Spinell reprised his role as Gazzo inRocky II this time directed bySylvester Stallone.Rocky II finished in the top three highest-grossing films of 1979, in both theNorth American market andworldwide. The film grossed $6,390,537 during its opening weekend, $85,182,160 at the U.S. box office, and $200,182,160 overall.^[22]

Although primarily known as acharacter actor, Spinell co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in his first lead role as aserial killer in the 1980 filmManiac, thepsychologicalslasher film directed byWilliam Lustig.^[23]

Also in 1980, he acted inCurtis Hanson'sThe Little Dragons, William Friedkin'sCruising,William Peter Blatty'sThe Ninth Configuration,Bernard L. Kowalski'sNightside,^[24]Stuart Rosenberg'sBrubaker,Brian G. Hutton'sThe First Deadly Sin, and Jonathan Demme'sMelvin and Howard.^[25]

In 1981, Spinell had a supporting role in the Sylvester Stallone action filmNighthawks,^[26] andRichard Elfman'sForbidden Zone.

In 1982, he acted inNational Lampoon's Movie Madness,Night Shift,Monsignor, andOne Down, Two to Go.^{[citation needed]}

That year he starred inDavid Winters's horror comedyThe Last Horror Film, co-starring and reuniting him withCaroline Munro.^[27] It played in film festivals,^[28] where it won and received several nominations.^[29][30] The film is praised for its unique blend of self-reflexive horror, humor, and inventive filmmaking. Critics highlight its avant-garde approach. Joe Spinell's performance is widely celebrated as the heart of the film, with his real-life mother adding charm. The movie is described as an entertaining and nostalgic treat for horror fans. Many regard it as a standout in Spinell’s career and a cult classic of the genre.^{[27][31][32][33]} Morgan Elektra ofDread Central said "Spinell’s performance is really the lynchpin of the whole film" and "I can’t think of a single frame where he wasn’t completely selling the role".^[34]

In 1983, he played a corrupt lawyer in William Lustig'svigilante filmVigilante. He also acted in Curtis Hanson'sLosin' It,Nicolas Roeg'sEureka, andFred Williamson'sThe Last Fight .^{[citation needed]}

In 1985, he played the main villain in thecrime filmWalking the Edge, starringRobert Forster.

Early in 1986, Spinell guest starred as a Mob Boss on the television series,The Equalizer in "Wash Up" oppositeRobert Davi. That same year he acted inJohn Byrum's filmThe Whoopee Boys, Robert Forster'sHollywood Harry, and Fred Williamson'sThe Messenger.^{[citation needed]} That year, he madeManiac 2: Mr. Robbie, a horror shortpromotional film directed byBuddy Giovinazzo and co-written by Spinell and Joe Cirillo which was loosely based on a 1973 feature film titledAn Eye for an Eye (aka:The Psychopath). The short film was produced by Joe Spinell in order to raise financing for a sequel to Spinell's 1980 horror filmManiac.^[35] The short was included with the 30th anniversary edition release ofManiac.^[36][35]

In 1987, Spinell acted inThe Pick-up Artist, andDeadly Illusion.^[37][38]

In 1988, Spinell played a corrupt military official inDavid A. Prior'sOperation Warzone.^[39] His last lead role was completed in 1988, aslasher film namedThe Undertaker. The film was never released for the public, only existed in an incomplete form. In 2010,The Undertaker was released on DVD release by Code Red, and restored by Vinegar Syndrome on Blu-ray in 2016. The film is considered acult classic, due in part to Joe Spinell's involvement and its long and troubled production.^{[citation needed]}

In 1989, Spinell played a U.S. government official inRapid Fire, directed by David A. Prior which was his final role.^{[citation needed]}

Spinell was set to reprise his role as Willi Cicci inThe Godfather Part III (1990) but he died before filming began. His character was replaced by Joey Zasa, played byJoe Mantegna.^[5]

Spinell was married toadult film star Jean Jennings (1957–2011) from February 1977 to July 1979. They had one daughter together before they divorced.^[40]

A close friend of Sylvester Stallone, Spinell was the godfather of his sonSage Stallone.^[41] Spinell had a falling out with Sylvester Stallone during the filming of their final collaboration,Nighthawks (1981). On their friendship Stallone said "I love Joe Spinell and considered him a dear friend and would do anything for him. We had met when I had one or two lines inFarewell, My Lovely. He was truly one of a kind, but he had some very deep personal problems on the set ofNighthawks and became distant. It was around that time his mother also passed away, who he lived for and Joe was never the same."^[42]

Spinell was known to abuse drugs and alcohol intermittently throughout his career and would also suffer from periods of depression. This, coupled with his mother's death in 1987, caused Spinell to fall into ill health in his final years.^[5]

Spinell died in his apartment inQueens, New York on January 13, 1989, at the age of 52. He had cut himself badly after slipping in the shower and hishemophilia caused him tobleed to death.^[5] He was buried inCalvary Cemetery, Queens near his home.

• Budnik, Daniel R. (2017).'80s Action Movies on the Cheap. North Carolina: MacFarland & Company Inc.ISBN 9780786497416

• Joe Spinell atIMDb
• Joe Spinell atFind a Grave

• 1936 births
• 1989 deaths
• 20th-century American male actors
• 20th-century American male writers
• 20th-century American writers
• Accidental deaths in New York (state)
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• American people of Italian descent
• Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens)
• Deaths from bleeding
• Male actors from Manhattan
• People with haemophilia
• People from Woodside, Queens

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