Joe Spinell

Joe Spinell (born Joseph Spagnuolo; October 28, 1936 – January 13, 1989) was an American character actor who appeared in films in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as various stage productions on and off Broadway.^[1] He played supporting roles in film including The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Taxi Driver (1976), Sorcerer (1977) and Cruising (1980).

Until Spinell's death in 1989, his career ranged from

As a teenager and young adult, Spinell starred in various stage plays, both on and off Broadway.^[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 corrupt police officers.

In 1971, he landed his first film role in a small part as the mafioso hitman Willi Cicci working for the Corleone crime family in the crime film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.^[1] Spinell was so liked by Coppola that he was hired as a day 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 was Marlon Brando.^[5] The Godfather would become the highest-grossing film of 1972^[6] and was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made.^[7] It won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay, and garnered several other nominations.^[8]

In 1973, he acted in Aram Avakian's Cops and Robbers, and Philip D'Antoni's The Seven-Ups.

In 1974, Spinell reprised his role as Willi Cicci in The 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 to Frank Pentangeli (Michael V. Gazzo). The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards,^[9] and became the first sequel to win Best Picture.^[10] It was Paramount Pictures' highest-grossing film of 1974 and was the sixth-highest-grossing picture in North America that year.^[11]

In 1975, he acted in Frank Perry's Rancho Deluxe,^[12] Barry Shear's Strike Force, Dick Richards's Farewell, My Lovely,^[13] and Thomas McGuane's 92 in the Shade.^[14]

In 1976, he acted in Paul Mazursky's Next Stop, Greenwich Village, Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver,^[15] and Bob Rafelson's Stay Hungry. That year, Spinell played the role of Gazzo, a loan shark in John G. Avildsen's Rocky. It earned $225 million in global box office receipts, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1976, went on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture, and turned lead actor Sylvester Stallone into a major star.^[16]

In 1977, he acted in Sorcerer, a thriller adaptation of The Wages of Fear directed by William Friedkin.

In 1978, he acted in Paul Williams's Nunzio, John Milius's Big Wednesday, Sylvester Stallone's Paradise Alley, and The One Man Jury. He also played the main antagonist in Luigi Cozzi's Italian-produced space opera Starcrash,^[17] starring Caroline Munro and Marjoe Gortner.^[18][19][20]

In 1979, he acted in

Although primarily known as a character actor, Spinell co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in his first lead role as a serial killer in the 1980 film Maniac, the psychological slasher film directed by William Lustig.^[23]

Also in 1980, he acted in Curtis Hanson's The Little Dragons, William Friedkin's Cruising, William Peter Blatty's The Ninth Configuration, Bernard L. Kowalski's Nightside,^[24] Stuart Rosenberg's Brubaker, Brian G. Hutton's The First Deadly Sin, and Jonathan Demme's Melvin and Howard.^[25]

In 1981, Spinell had a supporting role in the Sylvester Stallone action film Nighthawks,^[26] and Richard Elfman's Forbidden Zone.

In 1982, he acted in

In 1983, he played a corrupt lawyer in William Lustig's vigilante film Vigilante. He also acted in Curtis Hanson's Losin' It, Nicolas Roeg's Eureka, and Fred Williamson's The Last Fight .^{[citation needed]}

In 1985, he played the main villain in the crime film Walking the Edge, starring Robert Forster.

Early in 1986, Spinell guest starred as a Mob Boss on the television series,

In 1987, Spinell acted in The Pick-up Artist, and Deadly Illusion.^[33][34]

In 1988, Spinell played a corrupt military official in

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

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

Spinell was married to

A close friend of Sylvester Stallone, Spinell was the godfather of his son Sage Stallone.^[37] Spinell had a falling out with Sylvester Stallone during the filming of their final collaboration, Nighthawks (1981).^[38]

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, caused Spinell to fall into ill health in his final years.^[5]

Spinell died in his apartment in