Biografia
Joe Nipote, originally from Detroit, is best recognized for his role as Frankie Waters in NBC and UPN's Viper (1996), which ran for five seasons. Steven Spielberg personally selected him to portray Stretch, the leader of the Ghostly Trio and uncle to the title character, in the Amblin/Universal film Casper (1995). He also gained a devoted college following for his role as Boomer in Meatballs Part II (1984). Joe has appeared in numerous sitcoms, TV pilots, late-night talk shows, cable programs, and films.
Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Joe began performing at The Comedy Store. Within eight months of doing stand-up, several headlining comedians expressed to club owners their reluctance to follow him onstage. In less than a year, he advanced from a paid "Regular" to Headliner and starred in HBO's "5th Young Comedian's Special," showcasing the top five new comedians of the year. This special gave Joe the exposure to headline comedy clubs nationwide, and his likable, humorous characters and stand-up routines led him to open for artists such as Tina Turner, O'Jays, Dwight Yoakam, Barbara Mandrell, Dave Mason, Judy Collins, Ben Vereen, Frankie Valli, Robert Goulet, Suzanne Somers, Freddy Fender, Captain & Tennille, Louise Mandrell, Tower of Power, and more in venues across Vegas, Reno, Tahoe, and Atlantic City.
He made repeat guest-star stand-up appearances on shows including Thicke of the Night, Into the Night with Rick Dees, MTV Half-Hour Comedy Hour, Showtime Comedy Club Network, Comedy Central, An Evening at the Improv, Comic Strip Live, and Laff-a-thon, among others.
Joe then transitioned into acting, securing guest-starring roles on Happy Days, The New WKRP, The Jeffersons, Normal Life, Northern Exposure, Murphy Brown, Baby Talk, and TV pilots such as It's True, Sibs, and Unhappily Ever After.
He landed co-starring roles in films including The Last Tenor, Back by Midnight, Cloud Nine, and Soul's Midnight, as well as Viper and Casper. In 2014, he voiced Jean Lafoote, the "crunch berry-seeking pirate," in the animated web series Cap'n Crunch.
Most recently, Joe guest-starred on Endemol's MMA series Kingdom. He released a comedy country single titled Bowling Ball Blues© available on CDbaby.com and iTunes, and published his first children's book, Eggy Yolk And The Dirty Rotten Dozen©, through Dees Entertainment. The book is available at EggyYolk.com, where he also offers storytelling and signing events for schools, libraries, and bookstores.
Joe continues performing stand-up and produces live stand-up events for nonprofit and private organizations under the name Joe Nipote's comedySLAM(TM). More information can be found at JoeNipote.com/comedySLAM(TM).
