Joe Santos : Biography, Pictures, Photos, Trivia, Address, Filmography (The Rockford Files)

Hispanic Brooklyn-born actor Joe Santos started out a football jock at Fordham University and turned semi-pro before finding a new avenue in acting. Success was long in coming, and he paid his dues for years in a number of blue-collar jobs including railroad worker, tree trimmer, cabbie and barkeep while taking acting classes. A soap opera job and work in his cousin Joseph W. Sarno's cheapjack film exploitations (Flesh and Lace (1965), Moonlighting Wives (1966) and My Body Hungers (1967)) in the '60s seemed to lead nowhere. His first real break came with the searing film downer The Panic in Needle Park (1971), getting a part at the urging of his friend and star of the film, the up-and-coming Al Pacino, who had played some softball with Santos. A prime role as a sympathetic sergeant in the acclaimed TV mini-series The Blue Knight (1973) (TV) led Santos in the direction of "good cop" parts, with a long-running role as James Garner's long-suffering friend Lt. Becker on the series "The Rockford Files" (1974) (1974-80). Other series roles in "Me and Maxx" (1980), "a.k.a. Pablo" (1984)--as Paul Rodriguez's dad--and Lt. Harper in the 1985-86 season of "Hardcastle and McCormick" (1983) kept him busy. Missing out on the one big role that might have put him on the map, the beefy and balding Santos remains a durable and reliable supporting player, getting some deserved notice in 2004 with his recurring role of "Consigliere Angelo Garepe" in the hit hitman series "The Sopranos" (1999). He has also dabbled in playwriting, having penned "Sunset Normandie", in which he also starred.

Joe Santos, his real name Joseph Minieri, is an American actor born June 9, 1931 in Brooklyn New York

He is the son of Joseph Minieri and Rose Sarno.

He began his acting career in the mid -1960s under the direction of his cousin, director Joseph W. Sarno.

Joe Santos is an American actor born June 9, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York. He started his career in the 1960s and has played in many films and television series over the years. Among his best known roles, we can cite the character of "Detective Sonny Malevsky" in the television series "The Rockford Files", and that of "Frank McPike" in the series "Wiseguy".

Santos also played in films such as "The Brink's Job" and "The Sentinel". In addition to his acting career, he was also a producer and director. Joe Santos is a talented and experienced actor, recognized for his work in a wide range of cinematographic and television productions.

• Creation date: 18/03/2009 by abdest