Acting
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.
Filmography
Tornado
Film · 2024
Endgame
Film · 2023
The Dreams of Rene Sendam
Film · 2022
Me To Play
Film · 2021
Radium Girls
Film · 2020
I Know This Much Is True
Series · 2020
Evil
Series · 2019
Lodge 49
Series · 2018
New Amsterdam
Series · 2018
The Good Fight
Series · 2017
The American Side
Film · 2016
Baked in Brooklyn
Film · 2016
No Pay, Nudity
Film · 2016
Bull
Series · 2016
Bull
Series · 2016
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Film · 2014
Elementary
Series · 2012
The Front
Film · 2010
The Last New Yorker
Film · 2010
The Good Wife
Series · 2009
Canterbury's Law
Series · 2008
The Bronx Is Burning
Series · 2007
A Crime
Film · 2006
Lewis Black: Red, White & Screwed
Film · 2006
Conviction
Series · 2006
Slow Burn
Film · 2005
A Jersey Tale
Film · 2004
13 Going on 30
Film · 2004
Hope & Faith
Series · 2003
Tarzan
Series · 2003
Auto Focus
Film · 2002
Changing Lanes
Film · 2002
Queenie in Love
Film · 2001
61*
Film · 2001
Some of My Best Friends
Series · 2001
The Other Me
Film · 2000
Looking for an Echo
Film · 2000
Deadline
Series · 2000
The Beat
Series · 2000
Switching Goals
Film · 1999
The Out-of-Towners
Film · 1999
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Series · 1999
The Deal
Film · 1998
The Naked Man
Film · 1998
Sunday
Film · 1997
The Practice
Series · 1997
One Fine Day
Film · 1996
Shadow of a Doubt
Film · 1996
Early Edition
Series · 1996
Remember WENN
Series · 1996
Undue Influence
Series · 1996
Batman Forever
Film · 1995
Two Bits
Film · 1995
Heavy
Film · 1995
Money Train
Film · 1995
The Hudsucker Proxy
Film · 1994
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
Film · 1994
Natural Born Killers
Film · 1994
Jack Reed: A Search for Justice
Film · 1994
Chicago Hope
Series · 1994
ER
Series · 1994
Benny & Joon
Film · 1993
Household Saints
Film · 1993
Taking the Heat
Film · 1993
Moon Over Miami
Series · 1993
Class of '96
Series · 1993
Primary Motive
Film · 1992
Citizen Cohn
Film · 1992
Sinatra
Series · 1992
City of Hope
Film · 1991
Presumed Innocent
Film · 1990
Law & Order
Series · 1990
WIOU
Series · 1990
Law & Order
Series · 1990
Capital News
Series · 1990
The Feud
Film · 1989
Chances Are
Film · 1989
Kojak: Ariana
Film · 1989
Perfect Witness
Film · 1989
The Appointments of Dennis Jennings
Film · 1988
Big Business
Film · 1988
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Film · 1988
Roseanne
Series · 1988
Matewan
Film · 1987
Moonstruck
Film · 1987
Ironweed
Film · 1987
F/X
Film · 1986
One Police Plaza
Film · 1986
L.A. Law
Series · 1986
Matlock
Series · 1986
Brewster's Millions
Film · 1985
Bad Medicine
Film · 1985
Moonlighting
Series · 1985
The Equalizer
Series · 1985
The Pope of Greenwich Village
Film · 1984
The Flamingo Kid
Film · 1984
Splash
Film · 1984
Will There Really Be a Morning?
Film · 1983
Still of the Night
Film · 1982
The Elephant Man
Film · 1982
American Playhouse
Series · 1982
Honky Tonk Freeway
Film · 1981
The Gentleman Bandit
Film · 1981
The 6th Annual Young Comedians
Film · 1981
Hill Street Blues
Series · 1981
Hide in Plain Sight
Film · 1980
Something Short of Paradise
Film · 1979
The Deer Hunter
Film · 1978
On the Yard
Film · 1978
Secret Service
Film · 1977
Great Performances
Series · 1971