Joe Spinell
Photoplayd Industry Rating
Not enough rated films yet to compute a weighted score.
Roles are weighted by involvement: director 1.0, screenwriter 0.7, lead 0.8, supporting 0.4, crew 0.1.
Joe Spinell was born Joseph J. Spagnuolo in Manhattan, New York of Italian immigrant parents, and the last of six children. His father, Pelegrino Spagnuolo (b. 1892, d. 1950), died from liver and kidney disease. His mother Filomena Spagnuolo (b. 1903, d. 1987) was a bit-part actress who acted in a few movies, some of them alongside her son. Spinell stood 5 foot and 11 inches. He was born at his family's apartment in Manhattan's Little Italy on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan. A few years after the death of his father, he moved with his mother and older siblings to Woodside, Queens, New York where he lived off-and-on for the remainder of his life. Spinell suffered most of his life from hemophilia as well as chronic asthma. Because of his large, heavyset frame and imposing looks, Spinell was often cast as criminals, thugs, or corrupt police officers. His most notable roles were as mafioso Willi Cicci in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, and as loan shark Tony Gazzo in Rocky and Rocky II. Although primarily known as a character actor, Spinell co-wrote and starred as a serial killer in the 1980 film, Maniac. Joe Spinell died in his apartment on January 13, 1989 at the age of 52. The cause of his untimely death is arguable to this day. Some say that his death was caused by sudden heart attack due to heavy drug use, drinking and emotional distress in light of his mother passing away two years earlier. It is also speculated that he may have died from asthma complications, or bled to death from hemophilia related causes. He was planning a sequel to Maniac before his death. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Queens near his home. He is the distant cousin of the American football team St. Louis Ram's Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo. Spinell was married to adult film star Jean Jennings from February 1977 to July 1979. Together they had one daughter, but they eventually divorced.
Known for
Credits
The Godfather (1972)
as Willi Cicci (uncredited)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
as William 'Willie' Cicci
Taxi Driver (1976)
as Personnel Officer
Rocky (1976)
as Tony Gazzo
Rocky II (1979)
as Tony Gazzo
Sorcerer (1977)
as Spider
Cruising (1980)
as Patrolman DiSimone
Brubaker (1980)
as Birdwell
Nighthawks (1981)
as Lt. Munafo
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
as Nick
Married to the Mob (1988)
as Leonard 'Tiptoes' Mazzilli
The Ninth Configuration (1980)
as Lt. Spinell
Paradise Alley (1978)
as Burp
The Seven-Ups (1973)
as Toredano
Night Shift (1982)
as Manetti
The Last Fight (1983)
as Angelo
Vigilante (1983)
as Eisenberg
The Pick-up Artist (1987)
as Eddie
Big Wednesday (1978)
as Psychologist
Maniac (1980)
as Frank Zito
The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959 (2016)
as William "Willie" Cicci
Losin' It (1983)
as Border Patrolman
Stay Hungry (1976)
as Jabo
Eureka (1983)
as Pete
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (1992)
as Will Cicci
The First Deadly Sin (1980)
as Charles Lipsky
Starcrash (1978)
as Count Zartharn
Last Embrace (1979)
as Man in Cantina
Winter Kills (1979)
as Arthur Fletcher
Forbidden Zone (1982)
as Drunken Sailor
40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic (2020)
as Self (archive footage)
National Lampoon's Movie Madness (1982)
as Agent / M.C. ("Success Wanters")
Melvin and Howard (1980)
as Go-Go Club Owner #2 (uncredited)
Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976)
as Cop
Cops and Robbers (1973)
as Marty
The Last Horror Film (1982)
as Vinny Durand
The Whoopee Boys (1986)
as Guido Antonucci
The American Nightmare (2000)
as Self
Strike Force (1975)
as Sol Terranova
Rancho Deluxe (1975)
as Mr. Colson
FantastiCozzi (2016)
as Count Zarth Arn (archive footage)
The Children of Times Square (1986)
as Street Vendor
The Big Score (1983)
as Mayfield
Monsignor (1982)
as Bride's Father
Vampire (1979)
as Capt. Desher
Deadly Illusion (1987)
as Crazy Man in Gun Bureau
Thriller Zone (1995)
as Vinny Durand (segment "Fanatical Extremes") (archive footage)
Out of the Darkness (1985)
as Jim Halsey
Walking the Edge (1985)
as Brusstar
Portrait of a Teenage Shoplifter (1981)
as Door Guard
The Messenger (1986)
as Rico
A Question of Honor (1982)
as Masked witness (uncredited)
Nightside (1980)
as Michael Vincent
Exorcising 'Cruising' (2007)
as Self (archive footage)
92 in the Shade (1975)
as Ollie Slatt
The One Man Jury (1978)
as Mike Abatino
Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer (1983)
as Escobar
The Little Dragons (1980)
as Yancey
Rapid Fire (1989)
as Hansen
One Down, Two to Go (1982)
as Joe Spangler
Hollywood Harry (1986)
as Max Caldwell
Nunzio (1978)
as Angelo
Blood Ties (1986)
as Joey, New York Goon #1
The History of 'Cruising' (2007)
as Self (archive footage)
The Ransom of Red Chief (1975)
as Bill
The Joe Spinell Story (2001)
as (archive footage)
Maniac II: Mr. Robbie (1986)
as Mr. Robbie
The Undertaker (1988)
as Uncle Roscoe
Operation Warzone (1988)
as Brig. Gen. George Delevane
K.O. Kippers (1988)
as Tony Larosa