Joe Grifasi

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.

Cast

City of Hope
Pauly
A Crime
Bill
Batman Forever
Bank Guard
The Feud
Bud Bullard
Chances Are
Omar
Will There Really Be a Morning?
Wyler
Benny & Joon
Mike
Brewster's Millions
J.B. Donaldo
Presumed Innocent
Tommy Molto
One Fine Day
Manny Feldstein
The Deer Hunter
Bandleader
The Hudsucker Proxy
Lou
Still of the Night
Joseph Vitucci
The Pope of Greenwich Village
Jimmy the Cheese Man
Two Bits
Uncle Joe
The Elephant Man
Pinhead Manager
Lewis Black: Red, White & Screwed
Uncle Sam
Endgame
Nagg
The Other Me
Conrad
Honky Tonk Freeway
Osvaldo
Hide in Plain Sight
Matty Stanek
The Front
Mr. Zeffirelli
The Appointments of Dennis Jennings
Bartender
The Deal
Boular
The Dreams of Rene Sendam
Dr. Bradley
Radium Girls
Grandpa
The Flamingo Kid
Mario Minetta
Something Short of Paradise
Barney Collins
The Last New Yorker
Jerry
Queenie in Love
Berthold
Matewan
Fausto
On the Yard
Morris
Splash
Manny
Looking for an Echo
Vic
Big Business
Desk Clerk
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Foreman
F/X
Mickey
Heavy
Leo
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
Director
A Jersey Tale
Alphonso "Chunks" Colon
Money Train
Riley
The American Side
The Serb
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Peter Quince
Shadow of a Doubt
Sidney Sherman
Kojak: Ariana
Lieutenant Rastelli
Primary Motive
Paul Melton
13 Going on 30
Mr. Flamhaff
Natural Born Killers
Deputy Sheriff Duncan Homolka
Baked in Brooklyn
David's Dad
Switching Goals
Dave
The Out-of-Towners
Arresting Cop
The Gentleman Bandit
Det. Esposito
Undue Influence
Clem
Moonstruck
Shy Waiter
Perfect Witness
Breeze
Secret Service
Cpl. Matson
Household Saints
Frank Manzone
61*
Phil Rizzuto
Sunday
Scottie Elster
Slow Burn
Desk Sgt. Drown
Bad Medicine
Gómez
Citizen Cohn
Gerald Walpin
Taking the Heat
Lou Valentine
Auto Focus
Strip Club M.C.
One Police Plaza
Insp. Nicolas Zambrano
Jack Reed: A Search for Justice
Mike 'Gravedigger' Edwards
The Naked Man
Koski
Changing Lanes
Judge Cosell
Me To Play
Himself
Ironweed
Jack
No Pay, Nudity
Mr. Davenport
The 6th Annual Young Comedians
Self (Audience Member) (uncredited)
Tornado
Rich