Joe Mantegna

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Joe Mantegna bigraphy, stories - Actor

Joe Mantegna : biography

November 13, 1947 –

Joseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. ( ; born November 13, 1947) is an American actor, producer, writer, director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos (1986), The Godfather Part III (1990), Forget Paris (1995), and Up Close & Personal (1996). He currently stars in the CBS television series Criminal Minds as FBI Special Agent David Rossi.

Mantegna has gained Emmy Award nominations for his roles in three different miniseries: The Last Don (1997), The Rat Pack (1999), and The Starter Wife (2007). He has also served as executive producer for various movies and television movies, including , Hoods (1998), and Lakeboat (2000) which he also directed.

For television, Mantegna has starred in the short lived series First Monday (2002) and Joan of Arcadia (2003–2005). Since the 1991 episode "Bart the Murderer," Mantegna has had a recurring role on the animated comedy series The Simpsons as mob boss Fat Tony, reprising the role in The Simpsons Movie (2007). Additionally, he played Robert B. Parker’s fictional detective Spenser in three made-for-TV movies between 1999 and 2001.

Career

Mantegna made his acting debut in the 1969 stage production of Hair and debuted on Broadway in Working (1978). He also helped write Bleacher Bums, an award-winning play which was first performed at Chicago’s Organic Theater Company, and was a member of its original cast. He had a small role in the movie Xanadu which was cut, although since his name is in the film’s credits Mantegna gets residuals for the film. Mantegna won a Tony award for his portrayal of Richard Roma in David Mamet’s play Glengarry Glen Ross. He has had a long and successful association with Mamet, appearing in a number of his works.

Mantegna made his feature film debut in Medusa Challenger (1977). He played womanizing dentist Bruce Fleckstein in Compromising Positions (1985). Other early movies include co-starring roles in The Money Pit (1986), Weeds (1987), and Suspect (1987). He also starred in the critically acclaimed movies House of Games (1987) and Things Change (1988), both written by Mamet. He and Things Change co-star Don Ameche received the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival. In 1991 Mantegna starred in another Mamet story, the highly praised police thriller Homicide. A highly versatile actor, Mantegna has played a wide range of roles, from the comic—as a fed up shock jock in Airheads and the hilariously inept kidnapper from Baby’s Day Out—to the dramatic, in roles such as Joey Zasa, a treacherous mobster in The Godfather Part III and an Emmy-nominated performance as singer Dean Martin in HBO’s 1998 film The Rat Pack. Mantegna has a recurring role in the animated series The Simpsons as the voice of mob boss Anthony "Fat Tony" D’Amico. He insists on voicing the character every time he appears, no matter how little dialogue he has. To quote: "If Fat Tony sneezes, I want to be there." In one instance, however, Phil Hartman voiced Fat Tony in the episode "A Fish Called Selma."

Mantegna spoofed himself when he hosted Saturday Night Live for the 1990–1991 season in which he calmly began his monologue by saying he did not wish to be typecast from his gangster roles. A disappointed little boy and his father leave, as they mistakenly believed the host would be Joe Montana (football player) due to the similar names. Mantegna then began speaking in a low, controlled voice to the little boy, telling him it was best to stay in the audience and respect his performance; he warned the boy that if he (Mantegna) made a call, then Montana would not play in his next game—an implication that Mantegna’s true personality equaled his gangster roles. In 2002, Mantegna starred as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Joseph Novelli, on the CBS midseason replacement drama First Monday.