Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Joe De Santis

Highest Rated: 94% I Want to Live! (1958)

Lowest Rated: 78% Deadline U.S.A. (1952)

Birthday: Jun 15, 1909

Birthplace: New York, New York, USA

Prior to becoming a versatile character actor on television, Joe deSantis worked in theatre and was something of a radio star, lending his voice to a number of programs during the 1940s. A decade later, when television became all the rage, he began appearing on anthology series like "The Motorola Television Hour," which showed his effectiveness in all kinds of genres and material. He also became a familiar face on crime and Western shows; thanks to deSantis's range--he could play thugs or suave leads, or adopt accents for comedic effect--he would appear on several episodes of a program such as "Rawhide," playing a different character each time. During the late '50s and early '60s, he frequently showed up in "The Untouchables" and "77 Sunset Strip," and would come back to playing Mafioso characters throughout his career. Along with television series, he appeared in a number of critically acclaimed films, including the 1958 drama "I Want to Live!" in which he had the pivotal role of Al Matthews, an attorney trying to prevent the execution of a convicted female murderer. Around the same time, he was cast as real-life mob boss Big Jim Colosimo in the biopic "Al Capone"--ideal casting, since both men were Italian-Americans.

Show Less Show More

Highest rated movies

94% 83% I Want to Live!
Watchlist
89% 81% The Professionals
Watchlist
89% 53% The Last Hunt
Watchlist
78% 72% Deadline U.S.A.
Watchlist
The Flying Fontaines
Watchlist
And Now Miguel
Watchlist
The George Raft Story
Watchlist
Contract on Cherry Street
Watchlist
57% Jeanne Eagels
Watchlist
42% Tension at Table Rock
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Contract on Cherry Street Vincenzo Seruto (Character) - 1977
No Score Yet 64% Katherine Father Echeverra (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet It's Good to Be Alive Roy Campanella's Father (Character) - 1974
No Score Yet 67% Little Cigars Travers (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet 50% Honor Thy Father Joe Magliocco (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet No Score Yet Powderkeg Col. Delgado (Character) - 1971
No Score Yet No Score Yet Night Chase Old Fisherman (Character) - 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet Chubasco Benito (Character) - 1968
No Score Yet 31% The Venetian Affair Jan Aarvan (Character) - 1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet Beau Geste Maj. Beaujolais (Character) - 1966
No Score Yet 14% An American Dream Eddie Ganucci (Character) - 1966
89% 81% The Professionals Ortega (Character) - 1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet And Now Miguel Padre de Chavez (Character) - 1966
No Score Yet 43% A Cold Wind in August Papa Pellegrino (Character) - 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet The George Raft Story Frankie Donatella (Character) - 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Flying Fontaines Roberto Rias (Character) - 1959
94% 83% I Want to Live! Al Matthews (Character) - 1958
No Score Yet 57% Jeanne Eagels Frank Satori (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet 60% The Unholy Wife Gina Verdugo (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet 33% Full of Life Father Gondolfo (Character) - 1956
89% 53% The Last Hunt Ed Black (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet 42% Tension at Table Rock Ed Burrows (Character) - 1956
78% 72% Deadline U.S.A. Herman Schmidt (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet 45% The Man With a Cloak Martin (Character) - 1951

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cannon Benito Conforte (Guest Star) 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mannix Sam Maturian (Guest Star) 1972
No Score Yet No Score Yet Name of the Game Unknown (Guest Star) 1971
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dan August Jeff Zachary (Guest Star) 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet The High Chaparral Unknown (Guest Star) 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bonanza Unknown (Guest Star) 1961-1962 1967 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Flying Nun Unknown (Guest Star) 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Doris Day Show Unknown (Guest Star) 1969
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gunsmoke Sheriff Mark Handlin (Guest Star) 1955 1957 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet 12 O'Clock High Unknown (Guest Star) 1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet Laredo Unknown (Guest Star) 1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dr. Kildare Unknown (Guest Star) 1964 1966
83% 92% The Munsters Lou (Guest Star) 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Lucy Show Unknown (Guest Star) 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alfred Hitchcock Hour Unknown (Character) 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet Perry Mason Melvin Slater (Guest Star) 1958-1959 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet Ben Casey Charlie Hoffman (Guest Star) 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet Branded Unknown (Guest Star) 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Fugitive Vardez (Guest Star) 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mr. Novak Unknown (Guest Star) 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Wagon Train Unknown (Guest Star) 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet East Side/West Side Unknown (Guest Star) 1964
92% 92% The Outer Limits Colonel William Campbell (Guest Star) 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet 77 Sunset Strip General Gutierrez (Guest Star) 1959-1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Untouchables Unknown (Guest Star) 1959 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Virginian Gen. Rodello (Guest Star) 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet Route 66 Unknown (Guest Star) 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet Thriller Unknown (Character) 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Tall Man Waco (Guest Star) 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet Surfside 6 Unknown (Guest Star) 1960-1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rawhide Unknown (Guest Star) 1959-1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cheyenne Unknown (Guest Star) 1959-1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet Tales of Wells Fargo Thomas (Guest Star) 1957 1959
No Score Yet 87% Alfred Hitchcock Presents Police Lieutenant (Character) 1959
No Score Yet No Score Yet Sugarfoot Unknown (Guest Star) 1959
No Score Yet No Score Yet Have Gun -- Will Travel Unknown (Guest Star) 1958
No Score Yet No Score Yet Zane Grey Theatre Unknown (Character) 1957
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Alcoa Hour Dr. Hartman (Character) 1957
No Score Yet No Score Yet Marshal Dillon Unknown (Guest Star) 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet The United States Steel Hour Papa (Character) 1955