Joe Spinell
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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
Brubaker (1980)
as Birdwell
Maniac (1980)
as Frank Zito
Cruising (1980)
as Patrolman DiSimone
Stay Hungry (1976)
as Jabo
Night Shift (1982)
as Manetti
Nighthawks (1981)
as Lt. Munafo
The Godfather: The Complete Epic 1901–1959 (2016)
as William "Willie" Cicci
Vigilante (1983)
as Eisenberg
Married to the Mob (1988)
as Leonard 'Tiptoes' Mazzilli
Big Wednesday (1978)
as Psychologist
Starcrash (1978)
as Count Zartharn
Paradise Alley (1978)
as Burp
Losin' It (1983)
as Border Patrolman
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
as Nick
Monsignor (1982)
as Bride's Father
Last Embrace (1979)
as Man in Cantina
Winter Kills (1979)
as Arthur Fletcher
The Seven-Ups (1973)
as Toredano
The Ninth Configuration (1980)
as Lt. Spinell
Forbidden Zone (1982)
as Drunken Sailor
40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic (2020)
as Self (archive footage)
Eureka (1983)
as Pete
The Pick-up Artist (1987)
as Eddie
Rancho Deluxe (1975)
as Mr. Colson
Melvin and Howard (1980)
as Go-Go Club Owner #2 (uncredited)
Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976)
as Cop
The Last Horror Film (1982)
as Vinny Durand
The American Nightmare (2000)
as Self
The First Deadly Sin (1980)
as Charles Lipsky
The Whoopee Boys (1986)
as Guido Antonucci
National Lampoon's Movie Madness (1982)
as Agent / M.C. ("Success Wanters")
Strike Force (1975)
as Sol Terranova
Thriller Zone (1995)
as Vinny Durand (segment "Fanatical Extremes") (archive footage)
Vampire (1979)
as Capt. Desher
Cops and Robbers (1973)
as Marty
Out of the Darkness (1985)
as Jim Halsey
FantastiCozzi (2016)
as Count Zarth Arn (archive footage)
The Messenger (1986)
as Rico
The Last Fight (1983)
as Angelo
Rapid Fire (1989)
as Hansen
92 in the Shade (1975)
as Ollie Slatt
The Undertaker (1988)
as Uncle Roscoe
Deadly Illusion (1987)
as Crazy Man in Gun Bureau
The Big Score (1983)
as Mayfield
Exorcising 'Cruising' (2007)
as Self (archive footage)
Walking the Edge (1985)
as Brusstar
The Children of Times Square (1986)
as Street Vendor
Maniac II: Mr. Robbie (1986)
as Mr. Robbie
One Down, Two to Go (1982)
as Joe Spangler
The History of 'Cruising' (2007)
as Self (archive footage)
Nightside (1980)
as Michael Vincent
A Question of Honor (1982)
as Masked witness (uncredited)
Nunzio (1978)
as Angelo
The Little Dragons (1980)
as Yancey
Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer (1983)
as Escobar
The Joe Spinell Story (2001)
as (archive footage)
The One Man Jury (1978)
as Mike Abatino
Blood Ties (1986)
as Joey, New York Goon #1
Hollywood Harry (1986)
as Max Caldwell
Operation Warzone (1988)
as Brig. Gen. George Delevane
The Ransom of Red Chief (1975)
as Bill
K.O. Kippers (1988)
as Tony Larosa
Portrait of a Teenage Shoplifter (1981)
as Door Guard