Joe Grifasi

Joe Grifasi

1944-06-14 Buffalo - New York - USA 71 Credits

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Joseph G. "Joe" Grifasi (born June 14, 1944) is an American character actor of film, stage and television. Grifasi was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Patricia (née Gaglione) and Joseph J. Grifasi, a skilled laborer. Grifasi graduated from Bishop Fallon High School, a now defunct Catholic high school in Buffalo. He played football and acted in many of the school's plays. Grifasi briefly attended Canisius College in Buffalo before joining the United S...

Known For

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Complete Filmography

Endgame

Endgame

2023

as Nagg

Acting

Endgame tells the story of Hamm, who is reduced to living in one room, in which he sits blind and chair-bound. His only escape from his solitary world...

The Dreams of Rene Sendam

The Dreams of Rene Sendam

2022

as Dr. Bradley

1.0
Acting

Rene Sendam is deeply troubled. A lonely graduate student studying poetry and an often alienating eccentric, Rene leads a fantasy life built on delusi...

Me To Play

Me To Play

2021

as Himself

Acting

As their bodies give way to Parkinson's disease, two New York actors put their hearts into one final Off-Broadway production of Beckett's "Endgame," t...

Radium Girls

Radium Girls

2020

as Grandpa

6.5
Acting

Young women toiling in a factory are exposed to hazardous material which takes a disastrous toll on their health.

No Pay, Nudity

No Pay, Nudity

2016

as Mr. Davenport

4.0
Acting

Aging actor Lester Rosenthal (Gabriel Byrne), who has lost his way with his career, with his family, and with his friends (Nathan Lane, Frances Conroy...

Baked in Brooklyn

Baked in Brooklyn

2016

as David's Dad

5.2
Acting

A recent college graduate decides to sell marijuana on the streets of Manhattan after losing his job at a consulting firm. He soon meets the girl of h...

The American Side

The American Side

2016

as The Serb

4.7
Acting

Following a mysterious suicide at Niagara Falls, a low-rent detective unravels a conspiracy to build a revolutionary invention by enigmatic scientist,...

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream

2014

as Peter Quince

6.4
Acting

A recording of Julie Taymor's New York stage production of William Shakespeare's comedy.

The Front

The Front

2010

as Mr. Zeffirelli

5.6
Acting

A detective uncovers a sinister conspiracy when he is sent to research a disintegrating neighborhood for a public relations campaign.

The Last New Yorker

The Last New Yorker

2010

as Jerry

6.5
Acting

Lifelong friends Lenny Sugarman and Ruben Liebner , both in their 70s, both dyed-in-the-wool New Yorkers, barely recognize the Manhattan of their yout...

A Crime

A Crime

2006

as Bill

5.5
Acting

Vincent's life is on hold until he finds his wife's killer. Alice, his neighbor, is convinced she can make him happy. She decides to invent a culprit,...

Lewis Black: Red, White & Screwed

Lewis Black: Red, White & Screwed

2006

as Uncle Sam

6.6
Acting

Lewis Black stars in his second HBO solo special, an all-new hour of frenetic, take-no-prisoners stand-up comedy, taped before a live audience at the ...

Slow Burn

Slow Burn

2005

as Desk Sgt. Drown

5.3
Acting

A district attorney (Ray Liotta) is involved in a 24-hour showdown with a gang leader (LL Cool J) and is, at the same time, being manipulated by an at...

A Jersey Tale

A Jersey Tale

2004

as Alphonso "Chunks" Colon

Acting

Jersey City teen Ray Ray Morales is wasting time in a low paying job until a local loan shark offers him a job — making sure that Ray Ray's friend, an...

13 Going on 30

13 Going on 30

2004

as Mr. Flamhaff

6.8
Acting

A girl who's sick of the social structures of junior high is transformed into a grownup overnight. In this feel-good fairy tale, teenager Jenna wants ...

Auto Focus

Auto Focus

2002

as Strip Club M.C.

6.4
Acting

A successful TV star during the 1960s, former "Hogan's Heroes" actor Bob Crane projects a wholesome family-man image, but this front masks his persona...

Changing Lanes

Changing Lanes

2002

as Judge Cosell

6.3
Acting

A rush-hour fender-bender on New York City's crowded FDR Drive, under most circumstances, wouldn't set off a chain reaction that could decimate two pe...

Queenie in Love

Queenie in Love

2001

as Berthold

5.9
Acting

A quirky, romantic New York comedy about the pursuit of love, life and the right to be yourself.

61*

61*

2001

as Phil Rizzuto

7.0
Acting

In 1961, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees. One, Mantle, was universally loved, while the other, Maris, was universally ha...

Looking for an Echo

Looking for an Echo

2000

as Vic

2.7
Acting

The lead singer of an oldies group reminisces about the good ol' days and a potential comeback.

The Other Me

The Other Me

2000

as Conrad

5.6
Acting

When Will Browning is threatened with military summer school if he doesn't get better grades, he decides to do a science project that will definitely ...

Switching Goals

Switching Goals

1999

as Dave

5.9
Acting

Twin sisters Emma and Sam come up with a scheme to switch places so each can play in the soccer team they prefer.

The Out-of-Towners

The Out-of-Towners

1999

as Arresting Cop

5.8
Acting

The adventures of married couple Henry and Nancy Clark, vexed by misfortune while in New York City for Henry's job interview.

The Naked Man

The Naked Man

1998

as Koski

4.0
Acting

A man takes matters into his own hands when a pharmaceutical kingpin moves into his town to cause some real trouble.

The Deal

The Deal

1998

as Boular

5.0
Acting

A big-idea farce about big, badass businessmen.

Sunday

Sunday

1997

as Scottie Elster

5.2
Acting

Mistaking a homeless man for a famous director, a British actress seeks career help from him.

One Fine Day

One Fine Day

1996

as Manny Feldstein

6.4
Acting

Melanie Parker, an architect and mother of Sammy, and Jack Taylor, a newspaper columnist and father of Maggie, are both divorced. They meet one mornin...

Shadow of a Doubt

Shadow of a Doubt

1996

as Sidney Sherman

5.0
Acting

Charlie Sloan is an alcoholic defence lawyer drawn back into the courtroom by Robin Harwell, a woman he once loved who wants him to defend her stepdau...

Undue Influence

Undue Influence

1996

as Clem

5.5
Acting

When a senator's new wife is murdered, the prime suspect is his ex-wife, Laurel. Laurel's brother-in-law, lawyer Paul Madriani, still reeling from th...

Heavy

Heavy

1995

as Leo

6.7
Acting

Victor is a cook who works in a greasy roadside restaurant owned by his mother, Dolly. It's just the two of them, a waitress named Delores, and a heav...

Money Train

Money Train

1995

as Riley

5.8
Acting

When a vengeful New York transit cop decides to steal a trainload of subway fares, his foster brother—a fellow cop—tries to protect him.

Two Bits

Two Bits

1995

as Uncle Joe

5.7
Acting

It's a hot summer day in 1933 in South Philly, where 12-year old Gennaro lives with his widowed mom and his ailing grandpa, who sits outside holding t...

Batman Forever

Batman Forever

1995

as Bank Guard

5.4
Acting

In the looming shadows of Gotham City, two villainous souls devise twin schemes of revenge against the city's dark guardian. Two-Face, disfigured by c...

Jack Reed: A Search for Justice

Jack Reed: A Search for Justice

1994

as Mike 'Gravedigger' Edwards

5.5
Acting

Chicago police detective Jack Reed investigates the brutal murder of a stripper while he deals with corruption and bureaucracy within his own departme...

Natural Born Killers

Natural Born Killers

1994

as Deputy Sheriff Duncan Homolka

7.1
Acting

Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.

Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult

Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult

1994

as Director

6.5
Acting

Frank Drebin is persuaded out of retirement to go undercover in a state prison. There he has to find out what top terrorist, Rocco, has planned for wh...

The Hudsucker Proxy

The Hudsucker Proxy

1994

as Lou

7.1
Acting

A naive business graduate is installed as president of a manufacturing company as part of a stock scam.

Household Saints

Household Saints

1993

as Frank Manzone

6.5
Acting

A chronicle of three generations of Italian-American women struggling to get by in post-World War II New York’s Little Italy.

Taking the Heat

Taking the Heat

1993

as Lou Valentine

4.8
Acting

When Michael Norell witnesses a murder, he doesn't want to testify but he is forced to by the police. A cop is ordered to bring him to the court, but ...

Benny & Joon

Benny & Joon

1993

as Mike

7.0
Acting

A mentally ill young woman finds her love in an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.

Citizen Cohn

Citizen Cohn

1992

as Gerald Walpin

6.2
Acting

As lawyer and power broker Roy Cohn lies dying of AIDS in a private hospital room, ghosts from his past visit him as he reflects on his life and loves...

Primary Motive

Primary Motive

1992

as Paul Melton

7.0
Acting

In this political thriller, a gubernatorial candidate's idealistic press secretary discovers that the opposing political candidate has feathered the n...

City of Hope

City of Hope

1991

as Pauly

6.7
Acting

This gritty inner-city film follows various people living in a troubled New Jersey setting, most notably Nick Rinaldi, a disillusioned contractor who ...

Presumed Innocent

Presumed Innocent

1990

as Tommy Molto

6.8
Acting

Rusty Sabich is a deputy prosecutor engaged in an obsessive affair with a coworker who is murdered. Soon after, he's accused of the crime. And his fig...

Kojak: Ariana

Kojak: Ariana

1989

as Lieutenant Rastelli

6.0
Acting

One of Kojak's old enemies uses Ariana, a young Greek girl, as bait to trap the legendary New York detective. Meanwhile, Kojak finds himself a brash y...

Perfect Witness

Perfect Witness

1989

as Breeze

6.5
Acting

An innocent man is thrust into a political power struggle in this drama. After witnessing a mob killing, New York restaurant owner Sam Paxton (Aidan Q...

The Feud

The Feud

1989

as Bud Bullard

4.2
Acting

All Dolph Beeler wanted was a can of paint remover when he went to Bud Bullard's hardware store in Millville. But a simple misunderstandling between t...

Chances Are

Chances Are

1989

as Omar

6.6
Acting

Louie Jeffries is happily married to Corinne. On their first anniversary, Louie is killed crossing the road. Louie is reincarnated as Alex Finch, and ...

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

1988

as Foreman

7.3
Acting

When the bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin investigates events following the shooting of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen ...

The Appointments of Dennis Jennings

The Appointments of Dennis Jennings

1988

as Bartender

6.5
Acting

Dennis Jennings is an introverted daydreamer, sleepwalking through life. He is a professional waiter and has an equally-dull girlfriend, Emma. In an a...

Big Business

Big Business

1988

as Desk Clerk

6.4
Acting

In the 1940s in the small town of Jupiter Hollow, two sets of identical twins are born in the same hospital on the same night. One set to a poor local...

Ironweed

Ironweed

1987

as Jack

6.3
Acting

An alcoholic drifter spends Halloween in his hometown of Albany, New York after returning there for the first time in decades.

Moonstruck

Moonstruck

1987

as Shy Waiter

6.9
Acting

37-year-old Italian-American widow Loretta Castorini believes she is unlucky in love, and so accepts a marriage proposal from her boyfriend Johnny, ev...

Matewan

Matewan

1987

as Fausto

7.4
Acting

Filmed in the coal country of West Virginia, "Matewan" celebrates labor organizing in the context of a 1920s work stoppage. Union organizer, Joe Keneh...

One Police Plaza

One Police Plaza

1986

as Insp. Nicolas Zambrano

Acting

A veteran New York City Police Lieutenant's investigation of a woman's murder uncovers corruption in high places.

F/X

F/X

1986

as Mickey

6.6
Acting

A movies special effects man is hired by a government agency to help stage the assassination of a well known gangster. When the agency double cross hi...

Bad Medicine

Bad Medicine

1985

as Gómez

5.1
Acting

Jeff Marx wants to study medicine and become a physician. However, his grades are far from enough to get him into an American medical school. But then...

Brewster's Millions

Brewster's Millions

1985

as J.B. Donaldo

6.6
Acting

Monty Brewster, an aging minor-league baseball player, stands to inherit $300 million if he can successfully spend $30 million in 30 days without anyt...

The Flamingo Kid

The Flamingo Kid

1984

as Mario Minetta

6.0
Acting

Brooklyn teenager Jeffrey Willis, thoroughly unhappy with his modest homestead, embraces the other-world aspects of his summer job at the posh Flaming...

The Pope of Greenwich Village

The Pope of Greenwich Village

1984

as Jimmy the Cheese Man

6.3
Acting

Charlie and his troublesome cousin Paulie decide to steal $150000 in order to back a "sure thing" race horse that Paulie has inside information on. Th...

Splash

Splash

1984

as Manny

6.3
Acting

A successful businessman falls in love with the girl of his dreams. There's one big complication though; he's fallen hook, line and sinker for a merma...

Will There Really Be a Morning?

Will There Really Be a Morning?

1983

as Wyler

7.0
Acting

This is the story of actress Frances Farmer, her struggles with mental illness and involuntary confinement in an insane asylum.

Still of the Night

Still of the Night

1982

as Joseph Vitucci

5.7
Acting

When one of his patients is found murdered, psychiatrist Dr. Sam Rice is visited by the investigating officer but refuses to give up any information. ...

The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man

1982

as Pinhead Manager

5.6
Acting

A taped version of the stage play about a hideously deformed 19th-century London man and how he managed to triumph over his disease.

Honky Tonk Freeway

Honky Tonk Freeway

1981

as Osvaldo

5.2
Acting

Ticlaw, a small town in Florida, has only one attraction: a safari park. The government constructs a freeway that passes near Ticlaw, but decides not ...

The Gentleman Bandit

The Gentleman Bandit

1981

as Det. Esposito

4.8
Acting

Based on the real-life ordeal of Baltimore priest Bernard Pagano, who was accused of several armed robberies in the late Seventies.

Hide in Plain Sight

Hide in Plain Sight

1980

as Matty Stanek

5.3
Acting

True story of a man in search of his children after his ex-wife enters the Witness Protection Program.

Something Short of Paradise

Something Short of Paradise

1979

as Barney Collins

3.0
Acting

A young couple in New York are having problems with their relationship.

The Deer Hunter

The Deer Hunter

1978

as Bandleader

8.0
Acting

A group of working-class friends decide to enlist in the Army during the Vietnam War and finds it to be hellish chaos -- not the noble venture they im...

On the Yard

On the Yard

1978

as Morris

5.8
Acting

Chilly is "top con" on the yard, a title that gives him absolute power. Power to make the rules. Power to kill. When a young con confronts Chilly's po...

Secret Service

Secret Service

1977

as Cpl. Matson

Acting

Set in Richmond, Virginia in October 1864, tells the story of a Union spy working to seize control of the telegraph office.