Photo of Joseph Campanella
Acting

Joseph Campanella

Profession
Acting
Born
November 21, 1924 · Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Died
May 16, 2018

Biography

Actor Joseph Campanella's father, a Sicilian immigrant, was an early member of the American Federation of Musicians; perhaps as a result, the younger Campanella remained active in liberal "underdog" political causes all his life. At eighteen, Campanella became one of the youngest-ever skippers in the wartime navy. He went on to attend Columbia University, then began his acting career on the New York stage and in TV soap operas. Over the next three decades he would portray Joe Turino on The Guiding Light, Alec Fielding on The Doctors, Dr. Ted Steffen on the nighttime TV serial The Doctors and the Nurses and Senator Harper Devereaux on Days of Our Lives. Additional TV assignments for Campanella included the role of Mike Connors' boss on the first season (1967-68) of Mannix; attorney Brian Darrell on four seasons (1969-73) of The Bold Ones; and Hutch Corrigan on the 1985-86 season of The Colbys. He also narrated several National Geographic Specials, and was host of the syndicated 1983 revival of This is Your Life. A steadfast film supporting player, Campanella was finally awarded a lead in 1972's "rampaging rat" thriller Ben, only to find that his was the second name above the title: "Leave it to me," Campanella remarked with his usual self-deprecation, "to get second billing to a rat in my first big starring movie." Recent credits include a "guest voice" role as Dr. Thorne on the Fox Network's Batman: The Animated Series. Joseph Campanella is the brother of Frank Campanella, a character actor usually cast as uniformed big-city cops.

Known for

Batman: The Animated Series poster
Batman: The Animated Series
Series · 1992 · ★ 8.6
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation poster
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Series · 2000 · ★ 7.6
Spider-Man poster
Spider-Man
Series · 1994 · ★ 8.3
Star Trek: Voyager poster
Star Trek: Voyager
Series · 1995 · ★ 7.8
Silent Running poster
Silent Running
Film · 1972 · ★ 6.4
Walker, Texas Ranger poster
Walker, Texas Ranger
Series · 1993 · ★ 7.0
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman poster
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Series · 1993 · ★ 6.9
Airwolf poster
Airwolf
Series · 1984 · ★ 7.6
Murder, She Wrote poster
Murder, She Wrote
Series · 1984 · ★ 7.5
Cold Case poster
Cold Case
Series · 2003 · ★ 7.7
The Golden Girls poster
The Golden Girls
Series · 1985 · ★ 7.6
Mission: Impossible poster
Mission: Impossible
Series · 1966 · ★ 7.6

Filmography