Joe Grifasi
Biography
Joseph G. "Joe" Grifasi (born June 14, 1944) is an American character actor of film, stage and television. Born in Buffalo, New York, Grifasi joined the U.S. Army prior to studying acting. He has appeared in more than 50 feature films including Presumed Innocent, The Deer Hunter, Big Business, Beaches, Auto Focus, Matewan, Naked Gun, Dark Matter, Natural Born Killers, Chances Are, Changing Lanes, One Fine Day, F/X, Benny & Joon, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Brewster’s Millions, Batman Forever, The Flamingo Kid, Ironweed, and Splash. His television credits include The Bronx is Burning (as Yogi Berra), 61* (as Phil Rizzuto), Law & Order, ER, LA Law, Chicago Hope, Hill Street Blues, SCTV, Roseanne, and The Practice. Grifasi’s Broadway credits include Dinner at Eight, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, A Memory of Two Mondays, Boy Meets Girl, The Accidental Death of an Anarchist, The 1940’s Radio Hour and Happy End. His off-Broadway credits include Conversations in Tusculum, The Boys Next Door (Drama Desk Nomination), Once Around the City, Golden Boy, Filumena and Says I, Says He. He has been married to jazz soprano saxophonist and composer Jane Ira Bloom, whom he met while studying at the Yale School of Drama, since 1974.
Known For
Pauly
City of Hope
Bill
A Crime
Bank Guard
Batman Forever
Bud Bullard
The Feud
Omar
Chances Are
Wyler
Will There Really Be a Morning?
Mike
Benny & Joon
J.B. Donaldo
Brewster's Millions
Tommy Molto
Presumed Innocent
Manny Feldstein
One Fine Day
Bandleader
The Deer Hunter
Lou
The Hudsucker Proxy
Joseph Vitucci
Still of the Night
Jimmy the Cheese Man
The Pope of Greenwich Village
Uncle Joe
Two Bits
Pinhead Manager
The Elephant Man
Uncle Sam
Lewis Black: Red, White & Screwed
Nagg
Endgame
Conrad
The Other Me
Osvaldo
Honky Tonk Freeway
Matty Stanek
Hide in Plain Sight
Mr. Zeffirelli
The Front
Bartender
The Appointments of Dennis Jennings
Boular
The Deal
Dr. Bradley
The Dreams of Rene Sendam
Grandpa
Radium Girls
Mario Minetta
The Flamingo Kid
Barney Collins
Something Short of Paradise
Jerry
The Last New Yorker
Berthold
Queenie in Love
Fausto
Matewan
Morris
On the Yard
Manny
Splash
Vic
Looking for an Echo
Desk Clerk
Big Business
Foreman
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Mickey
F/X
Leo
Heavy
Director
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
Alphonso "Chunks" Colon
A Jersey Tale
Riley
Money Train
The Serb
The American Side
Peter Quince
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Sidney Sherman
Shadow of a Doubt
Lieutenant Rastelli
Kojak: Ariana
Paul Melton
Primary Motive
Mr. Flamhaff
13 Going on 30
Deputy Sheriff Duncan Homolka
Natural Born Killers
David's Dad
Baked in Brooklyn
Dave
Switching Goals
Arresting Cop
The Out-of-Towners
Det. Esposito
The Gentleman Bandit
Clem
Undue Influence
Shy Waiter
Moonstruck
Breeze
Perfect Witness
Cpl. Matson
Secret Service
Frank Manzone
Household Saints
Phil Rizzuto
61*
Scottie Elster
Sunday
Desk Sgt. Drown
Slow Burn
Gómez
Bad Medicine
Gerald Walpin
Citizen Cohn
Lou Valentine
Taking the Heat
Strip Club M.C.
Auto Focus
Insp. Nicolas Zambrano
One Police Plaza
Mike 'Gravedigger' Edwards
Jack Reed: A Search for Justice
Koski
The Naked Man
Judge Cosell
Changing Lanes
Himself
Me To Play
Jack
Ironweed
Mr. Davenport
No Pay, Nudity
Self (Audience Member) (uncredited)
The 6th Annual Young Comedians
Rich
Tornado
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
73
Gender
Male
Birthday
1944-06-14
Place of Birth
Buffalo - New York - USA
Also Known As
Joseph G. Grifasi