Biographie
Joseph Campanella, a lean Sicilian-American character actor with wavy hair, appeared in nearly every other TV series and telemovie throughout the 1960s and 70s. A dedicated veteran of both stage and screen, he remained in high demand well into his eighties. His older brother, Frank, was also an actor. The son of a musician, Campanella began his entertainment journey as a teenage sports announcer at a small Pennsylvania radio station. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy and, at 18, commanded a landing craft. Initially studying architecture, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and pursued a Master's Degree in speech and drama at Columbia University. His stage career started at Boston's Colonial Theatre in 1954, before he moved from New York to Hollywood. Beginning with anthology television in 1952, he accumulated numerous guest appearances and had a recurring role as Lew Wickersham, the sophisticated, scientifically inclined head of the Intertect detective agency in Mannix (1967), earning him an Emmy nomination. Throughout his career, Campanella was often cast as priests (notably Father Corelli in the 1967 episode "Storm" of The Invaders), police officers, or doctors, frequently portraying characters with volatile or troubled natures. He also appeared in many daytime soap operas, including a long stint on The Bold and the Beautiful (1987) and the brief Dynasty spin-off The Colbys (1985). As a narrator, he lent his voice to National Geographic specials—recording around eight hours of voice-over per episode, though only fifty minutes were used—and did commercials for BMW and the National Automotive Parts Association. His Broadway credits include roles in Captain and the Kings, Hot Spot, Born Yesterday, and The Caine Mutiny.
