Joe Santos
Highest Rated: 98% The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
Lowest Rated: 8% Trial by Jury (1994)
Birthday: Jun 9, 1931
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
A street-edged character player of TV and movies, often cast as an urban detective or crook, Joe Santos is perhaps best remembered as Detective Dennis Becker, cop pal who respects James Garner's Jim Rockford, on "The Rockford Files" (NBC, 1974-80) and its numerous TV-movies. Santos began his on-screen career with a bit part in "My Body Hungers," a low-budget 1967 film. Subsequent roles included DiBono in "The Panic in Needle Park" and Ezmo in "The Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight" (both 1971). He was a little known working actor when cast in "The Rockford Files," which triggered much additional work, including TV-movies such as "A Matter of Wife . . . and Death (NBC, 1976). When film work remained sporadic, even after the demise of "Rockford," Santos tried, unsuccessfully, to hook onto another top series. Instead, he weathered flops such as "Me and Maxx" (NBC, 1980), "a.k.a. Pablo" (ABC, 1984) and "Hardcastle and McCormick" (ABC, 1985-86). He had a recurring role as a cop during the 1986-87 season of "Magnum, P.I." (CBS). By the late 80s, Santos was a familiar face in numerous episodic guest appearances, including several as a detective who doesn't like Jessica's meddling on "Murder, She Wrote." His fortunes were revived in 1992 when Santos was cast in a key role in "Sinatra," the CBS miniseries based on the life of the singer. Work in the features "The Last Boy Scout" (1991), "Mo' Money" (1992) and "Trial By Jury" (1994) followed. The revival of "The Rockford Files," which became a once or twice-a-year TV event between 1994 and 1999, also brought Santos back into the public eye, as did roles in Kevin Costner's "The Postman" (1997) and George Hickenlooper's "The Man from Elysian Fields" (2001). A seven-episode arc on "The Sopranos" (HBO 1999-2007) as Angelo Garepe proved to be Santos' final major role. Joe Santos died on March 18, 2016 at the age of 84.
Photos
Joe Santos
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hammerlock | Warden Stan Cromwell (Character) | - | 2001 |
No Score Yet |
|
Proximity | Clive Plummer (Character) | - | 2000 |
54% |
|
Auggie Rose | Emanuel (Character) | - | 2000 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files: If It Bleeds... It Leads | Lt. Dennis Becker (Character) | - | 1999 |
14% |
|
The Postman | Col. Getty (Character) | $17.6M | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files: Murder and Misdemeanors | Lieutenant Dennis Becker (Character) | - | 1997 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime | Lt. Dennis Becker (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows Best | Lt. Dennis Becker (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files: If the Frame Fits | Lt. Dennis Becker (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play | Lt. Dennis Becker (Character) | - | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise | Lt. Becker (Character) | - | 1995 |
8% |
|
Trial by Jury | Johnny Verona (Character) | $6.8M | 1994 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Art Deco Detective | Detective Guy Lean (Character) | - | 1994 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files: I Still Love L.A. | Dennis Becker (Character) | - | 1994 |
No Score Yet |
|
Sinatra | Marty Sinatra (Character) | - | 1992 |
16% |
|
Mo' Money | Lt. Raymond Walsh (Character) | $39.5M | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Deadly Desire | Gus (Character) | - | 1991 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Deadline: Madrid | Jake Gilbert (Character) | - | 1988 |
69% |
|
Fear City | Frank (Character) | - | 1984 |
78% |
|
Blue Thunder | Montoya (Character) | - | 1983 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | River of Promises | Sgt. Cordelia (Character) | - | 1978 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Matter of Wife... and Death | Lieutenant Vince Promuto (Character) | - | 1975 |
No Score Yet |
|
Zandy's Bride | Frank Gallo (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Girl on the Late, Late Show | Lieutenant Scott (Character) | - | 1974 |
25% |
|
Shamus | Lieutenant Promuto (Character) | - | 1973 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Blade | Spinelli (Character) | - | 1973 |
60% |
|
The Don Is Dead | Joe Lucci (Character) | - | 1973 |
98% |
|
The Friends of Eddie Coyle | Artie Van (Character) | - | 1973 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Blue Knight | Sergeant Cruz Segovia (Character) | - | 1973 |
58% |
|
Shaft's Big Score! | Pascal (Character) | - | 1972 |
80% |
|
Panic in Needle Park | Detective DiBono (Character) | - | 1971 |
20% |
|
The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight | Exmo (Character) | - | 1971 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
92% | 96% | The Sopranos | Angelo Garepe (Guest Star) | 2004 |
83% | 93% | NYPD Blue | Angelo Marino (Guest Star) | 1993 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Sinatra | Unknown (Character) | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hunter | Ernesto Delgado (Guest Star) | 1990 |
No Score Yet | 90% | Quantum Leap | Tony La Palma (Guest Star) | 1989 |
71% | 88% | Miami Vice | Oscar Carrera (Guest Star) | 1988 |
No Score Yet | 89% | Murder, She Wrote | NYPD Lt. Bert Alfano (Guest Star) | 1988 |
No Score Yet | 68% | MacGyver | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1986-1987 |
No Score Yet | 95% | Magnum, P.I. | Police Lieutenant Nolan Page (Guest Star) | 1986-1987 |
No Score Yet | 70% | The A-Team | Rudy Garcia - Plant Foreman (Guest Star) | 1984 |
97% | 82% | Hill Street Blues | Lastarza (Guest Star) | 1984 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | a.k.a. Pablo | Unknown (Character) | 1984 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Greatest American Hero | Henry Fetchner (Guest Star) | 1983 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Trapper John, M.D. | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1982 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rockford Files | Det. Dennis Becker (Character) | 1974-1980 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Match Game | Self | 1979 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Joe Forrester | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Police Story | Officer John Fernandez (Character) | 1974 1976 |
No Score Yet | 100% | Kung Fu | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1975 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Streets of San Francisco | Frank Perez (Guest Star) | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Barnaby Jones | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Room 222 | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Gibbsville | Unknown (Guest Star) |