Joe Spano

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Joe Spano
Joe Spano in 2022.jpg
Joe Spano in San Francisco, October 2022.
Born
Joseph Peter Spano

(1946-07-07) July 7, 1946 (age 78)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1967–present
Spouse
Joan Zerrien
(m. 1980)
Children2

Joseph Peter Spano (born July 7, 1946) [1] [2] is an American actor known best for his roles as Lt. Henry Goldblume on Hill Street Blues and FBI Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell on NCIS . He also voiced the Chuck E. Cheese (at the time Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre) character, Pasqually the Chef, from 1977 to 1983.

Contents

Career

Spano was a member of the San Francisco improvisation group The Wing, and in college debuted as Paris in a production of Romeo and Juliet in 1967. In 1968, he helped found the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, acting in its first production, and stayed with the company for ten years. He relocated to Hollywood during the late 1970s, obtaining guest roles for television and minor roles in American Graffiti (1973) and The Enforcer (1976).

In Hill Street Blues he played Henry Goldblume during the entire seven-year run of the series, first as a detective sergeant, later as a lieutenant. Goldblume was one of Hill Street precinct captain Frank Furillo's trusted junior officers, serving at times as a hostage negotiator and gangs relations officer. The character was sympathetic to crime victims, sometimes conflicting with his duties as a police officer. Spano was one of many actors appearing throughout each episode, which typically had several story lines intermingled.

After Hill Street Blues ended, Spano won recurring roles in television police shows Murder One (1995) and NYPD Blue (1993), again as a detective, and has appeared regularly in television movies and television shows like The X-Files (episodes "Tempus Fugit" and "Max"), Mercy Point and Amazing Grace . Spano won an Emmy award in 1988 for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series for a role he played in an episode of Midnight Caller . He has appeared in several feature movies, including Apollo 13 and Primal Fear . His credits are often confused with Australian actor Joseph Spano. They are not related. [3]

He is a veteran stage actor on the east and west coasts. Spano made his Broadway debut in 1992 in the Roundabout Theater revival of Arthur Miller's The Price , with Eli Wallach, which was nominated for a Tony for Best Revival. West coast stage credits include Eduardo Pavlovsky's Potestad, and David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow and American Buffalo , for which he was awarded an LA Drama Critics Circle Award. At the Rubicon Theater in Ventura he has played General Burgoyne in George Bernard Shaw's The Devil's Disciple , Greg in A. R. Gurney's Sylvia and Vladimir in Waiting for Godot . He is a member of the Antaeus Theater Company and a founding member of three other theater companies. [4] He played a seductive vampire in the cult musical Dracula: A Musical Nightmare in a small Los Angeles theatre. [5] He also appeared in the TV movie Brotherhood of Justice with Keanu Reeves and Kiefer Sutherland.

He is the voice of the Wild Flower Hotline for the Theodore Payne Foundation, which can be reached by telephoning (818) 768-1802.

NCIS

Spano has been a recurring character of NCIS since its premiere episode, "Yankee White", playing FBI Special Agent Tobias Fornell, the FBI counterpart to NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, portrayed by Mark Harmon. In Season 15, Fornell is no longer with the FBI, but is a private investigator.

Two episodes have used Fornell's personal life as the basis of an NCIS episode: one where Fornell's daughter is imperiled and another where Fornell's career is imperiled. In each episode, it is the friendship between Gibbs and Fornell which is invoked in order to involve NCIS in the resolution.

Personal life

His parents were Vincent Dante Spano, a physician, and the former Virginia Jean Carpenter. [6] He graduated from Archbishop Riordan High School in 1963, and he is an honorary member of the House of Russi. Spano and his wife Joan Zerrien, a therapist, were married in 1980, and have two adopted daughters.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1972 One Is a Lonely Number Earl of Kent
1973 American Graffiti Vic
1973 Warlock Moon John Devers
1976 The Enforcer Mitch, RobberUncredited
1978 Northern Lights John Sorensen
1980 Roadie Ace
1981 The Incredible Shrinking Woman Guard
1985Terminal ChoiceFrank Holt
1994Rave ReviewLou
1995 Apollo 13 NASA Director
1996 Primal Fear Abel Stenner
1998 Break Up Priest
1998In Quiet NightGold
2000 A Question of Faith Duncan
2001 Texas Rangers Mr. Dunnison
2001 Ticker Captain R. J. Winters
2002 Hart's War J.M. Lange
2006 Hollywoodland Howard Strickling
2007 Fracture Joseph Pincus
2008 Frost/Nixon Network Executive

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1974 The Streets of San Francisco ToomeyEpisode: "One Last Shot"
1979 Lou Grant Jack Ridgeway, Larry2 episodes
1979 Trapper John, M.D. Dr. GallantEpisode: "Pilot"
1980 Tenspeed and Brown Shoe Duff McCoyEpisode: "Diamonds Aren't Forever"
1980 Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story Captain MurphyTelevision film
1981 Insight Karl RothmanEpisode: "The Domino Effect"
1981–1987 Hill Street Blues Henry GoldblumeMain role
1986 Brotherhood of Justice Bob GrootematTelevision film
1986 The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible Jesus (voice)Episode: "The Easter Story" [7]
1987Deep Dark SecretsEric LloydTelevision film
1987 The Hogan Family Mr. CameronEpisode: "Poetic Injustice"
1988 L.A. Law George RipleyEpisode: "Hey, Lick Me Over"
1988 Disaster at Silo 7 Sgy. SwoffordTelevision film
1989 Midnight Caller John SaringoEpisode: "The Execution of John Saringo"
1989Cast the First StoneBill SpencerTelevision film
1990 Blind Faith Sal CaccaroMiniseries; 2 episodes
1990The Girl Who Came Between ThemJimTelevision film
1990 The Great Los Angeles Earthquake Chad SpauldingTelevision film
1991The Summer My Father Grew UpLouisTelevision film
1991For the Very First TimeMr. AllenTelevision film
1991 Fever JunkmanTelevision film
1992 Civil Wars Carl SherenskyEpisode: "The Old Man and the 'C'"
1993Bloodlines: Murder in the FamilyHal LeventhalTelevision film
1993 Reasonable Doubts Jimmy CooperEpisode: "Diminished Capacity"
1993 The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children? Richard KoonsTelevision film
1994 Dream On PolicemanEpisode: "The Taking of Pablum 1-2-3"
1995 Amazing Grace Dominick Corso5 episodes
1995–1996 Murder One Ray Velacek15 episodes
1996 Her Costly Affair Carl WestonTelevision film
1997 The X-Files Mike Millar2 episodes
1997A Call to RememberDr. GreenTelevision film
1997–1998 Profiler Mike Ramdak2 episodes
1998 From the Earth to the Moon George MuellerEpisode: "Apollo One"
1998 JAG Jack MurphyEpisode: "Clipped Wings"
1998 Logan's War: Bound by Honor John DowningTelevision film
1998 L.A. Doctors Don ClaybourneEpisode: "What About Bob?"
1998 Nash Bridges FBI Agent LangdonEpisode: "Mystery Dance"
1998–1999 Mercy Point Harris DeMilla7 episodes
1999 Touched by an Angel James CooperEpisode: "Such a Time as This"
1999–2000 Batman Beyond Agent Bennet, Sniper, Boss (voice)4 episodes [7]
2000 Strong Medicine Jonathan FriedEpisode: "Brainchild"
2001 Providence Dr. Carroll3 episodes
2002 The Invisible Man Tom MooreEpisode: "Possessed"
2002 Static Shock Mr. Osgood (voice)Episode: "Jimmy" [7]
2002–2003 NYPD Blue John Clark Sr.15 episodes
2003 Boomtown Henry SteinEpisode: "Home Invasion"
2003–present NCIS Tobias Fornell Recurring role
2004 Dragnet Bill KutlerEpisode: "Riddance"
2005 Eyes William MasseyEpisode: "Trial"
2006 Crossing Jordan Captain InnisEpisode: "Blame Game"
2006 The Closer Dr. RoseEpisode: "Mom Duty"
2006 Standoff Joe SuserEpisode: "Circling"
2008 Shark Paul FaberEpisode: "Partners in Crime"
2010 In Plain Sight Gabe Andrews, Gabe MarionEpisode: "A Priest Walks Into a Bar"
2012 The Mentalist Greg RelinEpisode: "War of the Roses"
2014 NCIS: New Orleans Tobias FornellEpisode: "It Happened Last Night"
2019 Pearson Mr. AllenEpisode: "The Rival"

Awards and nominations

Ovation Awards

References

  1. Pollock, Christopher (2013). Reel San Francisco Stories: An Annotated Filmography of the Bay Area. Lulu.com. p. 144. ISBN   978-0-578-13042-2. Joseph Peter Spano was born on July 7, 1946 to parents Virginia (Carpenter) and Vincent D. Spano, a physician.
  2. People Entertainment Almanac. People Magazine, Cader Books. November 1, 2000. p. 601. ISBN   978-1-929049-07-3. July 7: Joe Spano
  3. Joe Spano (I) – Biography
  4. "Joe Spano". Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
  5. Joe Spano (I) - Biography
  6. "Joe Spano Biography (1946-)" . Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 "Joe Spano (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved May 4, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  8. "Ovation Nominees". October 20, 2009. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.