Spano, Joe 1946–

PERSONAL

Full name, Joseph Peter Spano; born July 7, 1946, in San Francisco, CA; son of Vincent Dante (a physician) and Virginia Jean (maiden name, Carpenter) Spano; married Joan Zerrien (a ceramic artist); children: Liana Clare Xiaohe, another daughter. Education: University of California, Berkeley, B.A., drama, 1967.

Career: Actor, director, and producer. The Wing (improvisational comedy group), San Francisco, CA, founding member, 1968–78, toured U.K. and U.S. cities, 1974; Berkeley Repertory, Berkeley, CA, founding member, 1968–78; Playmakers Repertory Company, Chapel Hill, NC, member of company, 1984–85; Padua Hills Playwrights Festival, trustee; appeared in TV commercial for Advil, 1999.

Member: Actors' Equity Association, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Screen Actors Guild.

Awards, Honors: Sturgess Award, outstanding undergraduate actor, University of California, Berkeley; Los Angeles Critics Award, outstanding achievement, 1978, for Dracula: A Musical Nightmare; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding supporting actor in a drama series, 1983, for Hill Street Blues; Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, lead performance, 1989, for American Buffalo; Emmy Award, outstanding guest actor in a drama series, 1989, for Midnight Caller.

CREDITS

Stage Appearances:

Paris, Romeo and Juliet, Alumni Repertory Theatre, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 1967.

Title role, Hamlet, Brick, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Duke Mantee, The Petrified Forest, Marchbanks, Candida, Theseus, Oberon, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Dick Dudgeon, The Devil's Disciple, Philip, The Philanthropist, Benedick, Much Ado About Nothing, Rocky, The Iceman Cometh, Antipholi, Comedy of Errors, all Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Berkeley, CA, 1968–78.

We Won't Pay! We Can't Pay!, Los Angeles Actors Theatre, Los Angeles, 1981.

Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down, The Last Song of John Proffit, Loose Ends, Ring Around the Moon, Our Town, Cyrano de Bergerac, Measure for Measure, Cloud 9, and Curse of the Starving Class, all Playmakers Repertory Company, Chapel Hill, NC, 1984–85.

The Little Threepenny Cafe, Los Angeles, 1984.

Welcome to Transylvania, San Francisco, CA, 1984.

School for Scandal, 1988.

American Buffalo, 1989.

Chorus of Disapproval, 1989.

Speed the Plow, 1990.

Walter Franz, The Price, Criterion Center Stage Right, New York City, 1992.

The Guys, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Berkeley, CA, 2003.

Also appeared as Strangeweed's man, Sheriff Bill, Magic Theatre, San Francisco, CA; Nichols, J. B., American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco, CA; Luke Lovello, Halloween, One Act Theatre, San Francisco, CA; Maffuchi, No Place to Be Somebody, San Francisco, CA; Chauncey DeVille, Dracula, Dracula: A Musical Nightmare, title role, Bullshot Crummond, Vincent, The Gingham Dog, Zoot, The Prisoner of Venice: A Hollywood Lullabye, all Los Angeles.

Stage Work:

Producer, Welcome to Transylvania, San Francisco, CA, 1984.

Also directed Servant of Two Masters, Berkeley Repertory Theatre; productions of The Wing; worked as producer Dracula, A Musical Nightmare, Los Angeles, Chapel Hill, NC, and San Francisco, CA.

Film Appearances:

Shakespearean actor, One Is a Lonely Number, 1972.

Vic Lozier, American Graffiti, Universal, 1973.

The Enforcer, Warner Bros., 1975.

John Devers, Warlock Moon (also known as Bloody Spa), 1975.

(Uncredited) Mitch, Robber, The Enforcer, 1976.

John Sorenson, Northern Lights, Cine-Manifest, 1978.

Ace, Roadie, United Artists, 1980.

Guard, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, Universal, 1981.

Dr. Frank Holt, Terminal Choice (also known as Critical List, Death Bed, Death List, and Trauma), Magder Films, 1985.

Alexander Engelhardt, The Dunera Boys, 1985.

Lovestruck, Rainy Day Films, 1987.

Nick, Luigi's Ladies, 1989.

Voice of Jesus, The Easter Story (also known as Greatest Adventure Stories from the Bible: "The Easter Story"), 1989.

Sharkskin, 1991.

NASA Director, Apollo 13, 1995.

Lou, Rave Review, 1995.

Captain Abel Stenner, Primal Fear, Paramount, 1996.

Priest, The Break Up (also known as Break Up), Break-street Productions, 1998.

Gold, In Quiet Night (also known as You Belong to Me Forever), 1998.

Duncan, Blessed Art Thou (also known as A Question of Faith), First Look Pictures, 2000.

Mr. Dunnison, Texas Rangers, Miramax, 2001.

Captain Spano, Ticker, Artisan Entertainment, 2001.

Colonel J. M. Lange, Hart's War, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 2002.

Robert, Fortunate Son (short), 2004.

Howard Strickling, Hollywoodland, Focus Features, 2006.

Also appeared in Over, Under, Sideways, Down; The Miller's Tale; (with The Wing) Storm Signals and One Is a Lonely Number.

Television Appearances; Series:

Coroner Lavell, Paris, CBS, 1979.

Henry Goldblume, Hill Street Blues, NBC, 1981–87.

Detective Dominick Corso, Amazing Grace (also known as Wing and a Prayer), NBC, 1995.

Detective Raymond Velachek, Murder One, ABC, 1995–96.

Dr. Harris DeMilla, Mercy Point, UPN, 1998–99.

Detective John Clark, Sr., NYPD Blue, ABC, 2001–2003.

FBI Agent T. C. Fornell, Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service (also known as NCIS and NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service), CBS, 2003–2005.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Sal Coccaro, Blind Faith, NBC, 1990.

Chad Spaulding, The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake (also known as The Great Los Angeles Earthquake), NBC, 1990.

George Mueller, From the Earth to the Moon, HBO, 1998.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Captain Murphy, Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleir Story (also known as Fighting Back), ABC, 1980.

Principal Bob Grootemat, Brotherhood of Justice, ABC, 1986.

Eric Lloyd, Deep Dark Secrets (also known as Intimate Betrayal), 1987.

Sergeant Swaford, Disaster at Silo 7, ABC, 1988.

Bill Spencer, Cast the First Stone (also known as Cast the First Stone: The Diane Martin Story), NBC, 1989.

Jum, The Girl Who Came between Them (also known as Victim of Innocence), NBC, 1990.

Mr. Allen, For the Very First Time (also known as Til I Kissed Ya), NBC, 1991.

Junkman, Fever, HBO, 1991.

Louis, The Summer My Father Grew Up, NBC, 1991.

Richard Koons, The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children?, NBC, 1993.

Hal Leventhal, Bloodlines: Murder in the Family, NBC, 1993.

Carl Weston, Her Costly Affair (also known as Consensual Relations), NBC, 1996.

Dr. Green, A Call to Remember, Encore Starz!, 1997.

Agent Downing, Logan's War: Bound by Honor, CBS, 1998.

Gold, In Quiet Night (also known as You Belong to Me Forever), Lifetime, 1998.

Voice of Sniper, Batman Beyond: The Movie (animated), The WB, 1999.

Senator at hearing, A.T.F., 1999.

Gold, Young Belong to Me Forever, Lifetime, 2000.

Television Appearances; Specials:

"Entertainment Tonight" Presents: "Hill Street Blues—Behind the Bridge," syndicated, 2000.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Dr. Gallant, Trapper John, M.D., 1979.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

(Uncredited) Toomey, "One Last Shot," The Streets of San Francisco, 1974.

Jack Ridgeway, "Bomb," Lou Grant, CBS, 1979.

Larry, "Vet," Lou Grant, CBS, 1979.

Tenspeed and Brownshoe, ABC, 1980.

George Ripley, "Hey, Lick Me Over," L.A. Law, NBC, 1988.

John Saringo, "The Execution of John Saringo," Midnight Caller, 1988.

Jimmy Cooper, Reasonable Doubts, NBC, 1991.

Carl Sherensky, "The Old Man and the "C"," Civil Wars, ABC, 1992.

"The Taking of Pablum 1-2-3: Parts 1 and 2," Dream On, HBO, 1994.

Daniel Strebin, Michael Hayes, CBS, 1997.

Mike Millar, "Tempus Fugit," The X-Files, Fox, 1997.

Mike Millar, "Max," The X-Files, Fox, 1997.

Detective Mike Ramdak, "Old Acquaintance," Profiler, NBC, 1997.

Detective Mike Ramdak, "Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick," Profiler, NBC, 1998.

Don Metzger, L.A. Doctors (also known as L.A. Docs), CBS, 1998.

FBI Agent Langdon, "Mystery Dance," Nash Bridges (also known as Bridges), CBS, 1998.

Captain Murphy, "Clipped Wings," JAG, CBS, 1998.

Voice of Sniper, "Meltdown," Batman Beyond (animated; also known as Batman of the Future), The WB, 1999.

James, "Such a Time as This," Touched by an Angel, CBS, 1999.

Voice of boss, "Eyewitness," Batman Beyond (animated; also known as Batman of the Future), The WB, 2000.

(Uncredited) Voice of Bennett, "Zeta," Batman Beyond (animated; also known as Batman of the Future), The WB, 2000.

Voice of Bennett, "Plague," Batman Beyond (animated; also known as Batman of the Future), The WB, 2000.

Jonathan Freid, "Brainchild," Strong Medicine, Lifetime, 2000.

Dr. Carroll, "Meet Joe Connelly," Providence, NBC, 2001.

Dr. Carroll, "Trial & Error," Providence, NBC, 2001.

Dr. Carroll, "Rule Number One," Providence, NBC, 2001.

Father Tim Moore, "Possessed," The Invisible Man (also known as The I-Man), Sci-Fi Channel, 2002.

Voice of Mr. Osgood, "Jimmy," Static Shock (animated), The WB, 2002.

Henry Stein, "Home Invasion," Boomtown, NBC, 2003.

"Riddance," Dragnet (also known as L.A. Dragnet), ABC, 2004.

Judge Lewis Massey, "Trial," Eyes, 2005.

Crossing Jordan, NBC, 2005.

Dr. Rose, "Mom Duty," The Closer, TNT, 2006.

Also appeared in Trapper John, M.D., CBS; A Child's Christmas in Wales, KTVU-San Francisco.

RECORDINGS

Taped Readings:

Recorded Ed McBain novels for Simon & Schuster.