Joe Grifasi
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- 14 June 1944 · Buffalo - New York - USA
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.
Known for
Acting 74
- 2024Tornado as Rich
- 2023Endgame as Nagg
- 2022The Dreams of Rene Sendam as Dr. Bradley
- 2021Me To Play as Himself
- 2020Radium Girls as Grandpa
- 2016No Pay, Nudity as Mr. Davenport
- 2016Baked in Brooklyn as David's Dad
- 2016The American Side as The Serb
- 2014A Midsummer Night's Dream as Peter Quince
- 2010The Front as Mr. Zeffirelli
- 2010The Last New Yorker as Jerry
- 2006A Crime as Bill
- 2006Lewis Black: Red, White & Screwed as Uncle Sam
- 2005Slow Burn as Desk Sgt. Drown
- 2004A Jersey Tale as Alphonso "Chunks" Colon
- 200413 Going on 30 as Mr. Flamhaff
- 2002Auto Focus as Strip Club M.C.
- 2002Changing Lanes as Judge Cosell
- 2001Queenie in Love as Berthold
- 200161* as Phil Rizzuto
- 2000Looking for an Echo as Vic
- 2000The Other Me as Conrad
- 1999Switching Goals as Dave
- 1999The Out-of-Towners as Arresting Cop
- 1999Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Hashi Horowitz · 12 episodes
- 1998The Naked Man as Koski
- 1998The Deal as Boular
- 1997Sunday as Scottie Elster
- 1996One Fine Day as Manny Feldstein
- 1996Shadow of a Doubt as Sidney Sherman
- 1996Undue Influence as Clem
- 1995Heavy as Leo
- 1995Money Train as Riley
- 1995Two Bits as Uncle Joe
- 1995Batman Forever as Bank Guard
- 1994Jack Reed: A Search for Justice
- 1994Natural Born Killers as Deputy Sheriff Duncan Homolka
- 1994Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult as Director
- 1994The Hudsucker Proxy as Lou
- 1993Household Saints as Frank Manzone
- 1993Taking the Heat as Lou Valentine
- 1993Benny & Joon as Mike
- 1992Citizen Cohn as Gerald Walpin
- 1992Primary Motive as Paul Melton
- 1991City of Hope as Pauly
- 1990Presumed Innocent as Tommy Molto
- 1989Kojak: Ariana as Lieutenant Rastelli
- 1989Perfect Witness as Breeze
- 1989The Feud as Bud Bullard
- 1989Chances Are as Omar
- 1988The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! as Foreman
- 1988The Appointments of Dennis Jennings as Bartender
- 1988Big Business as Desk Clerk
- 1987Ironweed as Jack
- 1987Moonstruck as Shy Waiter
- 1987Matewan as Fausto
- 1986One Police Plaza as Insp. Nicolas Zambrano
- 1986F/X as Mickey
- 1985Bad Medicine as Gómez
- 1985Brewster's Millions as J.B. Donaldo
- 1984The Flamingo Kid as Mario Minetta
- 1984The Pope of Greenwich Village as Jimmy the Cheese Man
- 1984Splash as Manny
- 1983Will There Really Be a Morning? as Wyler
- 1982Still of the Night as Joseph Vitucci
- 1982The Elephant Man as Pinhead Manager
- 1981The 6th Annual Young Comedians as Self (Audience Member) (uncredited)
- 1981Honky Tonk Freeway as Osvaldo
- 1981The Gentleman Bandit as Det. Esposito
- 1980Hide in Plain Sight as Matty Stanek
- 1979Something Short of Paradise as Barney Collins
- 1978The Deer Hunter as Bandleader
- 1978On the Yard as Morris
- 1977Secret Service as Cpl. Matson