Joe Viterelli
Date of birth: 1937-03-10
Place of birth: New York, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as:
Biography
Joseph "Joe" Viterelli (March 10, 1937 – January 28, 2004) was an Italian American actor known for his mafioso-orientated character roles. Joe Viterelli was born to Italian immigrants in Bronx, New York. Before Viterelli became an actor, he was a successful businessman in New York City. He had befriended director Leo Penn (actor Sean Penn's father), who initially tried but failed to persuade Viterelli to pursue acting because of his unique and typically Italian looks. Some years later, Sean Penn approached Viterelli and asked him to try out for a part as a favor: Viterelli did and went on to appear in State of Grace and then in over 40 movies. Joe Viterelli became an icon of Mafia-Movies. Viterelli died on January 28, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada due to a severe stomach hemorrhage, a complication of just-completed heart surgery. He was 66 years old. His last role was as a mobster in a 2004 Super Bowl ad for Staples, Inc. and his last movie role was as Jelly in Harold Ramis’ Analyze That.
Movie Credits
State of Grace
1990-09-14
Hell's Kitchen, New York. Terry Noonan returns home after a ten-year absence. He soon reconnects wit
Black Rose of Harlem
1996-03-01
A tragic love story set against the turbulent backdrop of the 1920's Chicago jazz clubs. Georgia, a
Bullets Over Broadway
1994-10-14
After young playwright, David Shayne obtains funding for his play from gangster Nick Valenti, Nick's
Eraser
1996-06-21
A Witness Protection specialist becomes suspicious of his co-workers when dealing with a case involv
Analyze This
1999-03-05
Countless wiseguy films are spoofed in this film that centers on the neuroses and angst of a powerfu
Analyze That
2002-12-06
The mafia's Paul Vitti is back in prison and will need some serious counseling when he gets out. Nat
The Crossing Guard
1995-01-26
Unable to move on from the loss of his daughter, Freddy, now a shell of the person he was before, sw
Shallow Hal
2001-11-01
After taking his dying father's advice, Hal dates only the embodiments of female physical perfection
Heaven's Prisoners
1996-05-17
A hardened New Orleans cop, Dave Robicheaux, finally tosses in the badge and settles into life on th
See Spot Run
2001-03-02
A drug sniffing agent canine is a target for an assassin boss so the FBI calls Witness Protection to
Ruby
1992-03-27
Fact and fiction are combined in this story about Jack Ruby and a stripper, Candy Cane, and how they
American Strays
1996-09-12
Somewhere on the fringe of society, ten dangerous strangers are on a road to Red's Desert Oasis Dine
The Making of a Mobster: 'Mickey Blue Eyes'
1999-07-31
Out to Sea
1997-07-02
Care-free Charlie cons his widower brother-in-law Herb into an expenses-paid luxury cruise in search
Hitman's Run
1999-01-01
A former mob hitman, now in witness protection, is forced to come out of retirement when his family
Looking For Lola
1997-12-31
Looking for Lola is a comical look at the world of relationships and highlights just how far we will
Facade
1999-06-15
It should have been a simple murder. But a botched job, an old flame, and too many loose ends can sp
Serving Sara
2002-08-23
When Sara is served divorce papers while she is in New York, she is stunned. Not about to lose the f
Jane Austen's Mafia!
1998-07-24
After growing up poor in Salmonella, Vincenzo Cortino installs himself as the preeminent, if bumblin
Mickey Blue Eyes
1999-08-16
An English auctioneer proposes to the daughter of a mafia kingpin, only to realize that certain "fav
The Cure for Boredom
2001-10-02
Sex, love and murder abound when two guys, two waitresses and a group of mobsters meet.
Wannabes
2000-06-29
When two brothers Angelo and the younger Paulie, get into a fight,it's broken up by the local Mafia
Mobsters
1991-07-26
The story of a group of friends in turn of the century New York, from their early days as street hoo
The Firm
1993-06-30
Mitch McDeere is a young man with a promising future in Law. About to sit his Bar exam, he is approa
In the Shadow of a Killer
1992-04-27
Courtroom drama involving the mafia inspired by true events.
A Walk in the Park
1999-01-01
A stand-up comic and commodities broker, failing in both professions, signs on as the chauffeur for
What She Doesn't Know
1992-02-23
An idealistic law school graduate comes to work in the New York D.A.'s office. Her first case leads