Joe Spano

Joe Spano
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.

Career

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Spano was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Vincent Dante Spano, a physician and Virginia Jean (née 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

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1972 One Is a Lonely Number Earl of Kent
1973 American Graffiti Vic
1973 Warlock Moon John Devers
1976 The Enforcer Mitch, Robber Uncredited
1978 Northern Lights John Sorensen
1980 Roadie Ace
1981 The Incredible Shrinking Woman Guard
1985 Terminal Choice Frank Holt
1994 Rave Review Lou
1995 Apollo 13 NASA Director
1996 Primal Fear Abel Stenner
1998 Break Up Priest
1998 In Quiet Night Gold
2000 A Question of Faith Duncan
2001 Texas Rangers Mr. Dunnison
2001 Ticker Captain Spano
2002 Hart's War J.M. Lange
2006 Hollywoodland Howard Strickling
2007 Fracture Joseph Pincus
2008 Frost/Nixon Network Executive

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1974 The Streets of San Francisco Toomey Episode: "One Last Shot"
1979 Lou Grant Jack Ridgeway, Larry 2 episodes
1979 Trapper John, M.D. Dr. Gallant Episode: "Pilot"
1980 Tenspeed and Brown Shoe Duff McCoy Episode: "Diamonds Aren't Forever"
1980 Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story Captain Murphy Television film
1981 Insight Karl Rothman Episode: "The Domino Effect"
1981–1987 Hill Street Blues Henry Goldblume Main role
1986 Brotherhood of Justice Bob Grootemat Television film
1986 The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible Jesus (voice) Episode: "The Easter Story"[7]
1987 Deep Dark Secrets Eric Lloyd Television film
1987 The Hogan Family Mr. Cameron Episode: "Poetic Injustice"
1988 L.A. Law George Ripley Episode: "Hey, Lick Me Over"
1988 Disaster at Silo 7 Sgy. Swofford Television film
1989 Midnight Caller John Saringo Episode: "The Execution of John Saringo"
1989 Cast the First Stone Bill Spencer Television film
1990 Blind Faith Sal Caccaro Miniseries; 2 episodes
1990 The Girl Who Came Between Them Jim Television film
1990 The Great Los Angeles Earthquake Chad Spaulding Television film
1991 The Summer My Father Grew Up Louis Television film
1991 For the Very First Time Mr. Allen Television film
1991 Fever Junkman Television film
1992 Civil Wars Carl Sherensky Episode: "The Old Man and the 'C'"
1993 Bloodlines: Murder in the Family Hal Leventhal Television film
1993 Reasonable Doubts Jimmy Cooper Episode: "Diminished Capacity"
1993 The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children? Richard Koons Television film
1994 Dream On Policeman Episode: "The Taking of Pablum 1-2-3"
1995 Amazing Grace Dominick Corso 5 episodes
1995–1996 Murder One Ray Velacek 15 episodes
1996 Her Costly Affair Carl Weston Television film
1997 The X-Files Mike Millar 2 episodes
1997 A Call to Remember Dr. Green Television film
1997–1998 Profiler Mike Ramdak 2 episodes
1998 From the Earth to the Moon George Mueller Episode: "Apollo One"
1998 JAG Jack Murphy Episode: "Clipped Wings"
1998 Logan's War: Bound by Honor John Downing Television film
1998 L.A. Doctors Don Claybourne Episode: "What About Bob?"
1998 Nash Bridges FBI Agent Langdon Episode: "Mystery Dance"
1998–1999 Mercy Point Harris DeMilla 7 episodes
1999 Touched by an Angel James Cooper Episode: "Such a Time as This"
1999–2000 Batman Beyond Agent Bennet, Sniper, Boss (voice) 4 episodes[7]
2000 Strong Medicine Jonathan Fried Episode: "Brainchild"
2001 Providence Dr. Carroll 3 episodes
2002 The Invisible Man Tom Moore Episode: "Possessed"
2002 Static Shock Mr. Osgood (voice) Episode: "Jimmy"[7]
2002–2003 NYPD Blue John Clark Sr. 15 episodes
2003 Boomtown Henry Stein Episode: "Home Invasion"
2003–present NCIS Tobias Fornell Recurring role
2004 Dragnet Bill Kutler Episode: "Riddance"
2005 Eyes William Massey Episode: "Trial"
2006 Crossing Jordan Captain Innis Episode: "Blame Game"
2006 The Closer Dr. Rose Episode: "Mom Duty"
2006 Standoff Joe Suser Episode: "Circling"
2008 Shark Paul Faber Episode: "Partners in Crime"
2010 In Plain Sight Gabe Andrews, Gabe Marion Episode: "A Priest Walks Into a Bar"
2012 The Mentalist Greg Relin Episode: "War of the Roses"
2014 NCIS: New Orleans Tobias Fornell Episode: "It Happened Last Night"
2019 Pearson Mr. Allen Episode: "The Rival"

Awards and nominations

[edit]

Ovation Awards

References

[edit]
  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. ^ a b c "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.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joe_Spano&oldid=1252160908"