Joe De Santis

Joe De Santis
Joseph V. De Santis (1950s)
Born	(1909-05-15)May 15, 1909 New York City, New York, United States
Died	August 30, 1989(1989-08-30) (aged 80) Provo, Utah, United States
Occupation	Radio, stage, film, and television actor; sculptor
Years active	1933–1977
Spouse(s)	Wanda June Slye (1959-1977) (her death) Margaret Draper (1949-1956) (divorced) 1 child Miriam Moss (1935-?) (divorced) 1 child

Joseph Vito DeSantis (June 15, 1909 - August 30, 1989) was an American radio, television, movie and theatrical actor and sculptor.

Joe De Santis was born Joseph Vito Marcello De Santis to Italian immigrant parents in New York City. His father, Pasquale De Santis, was a tailor from San Pietro Apostolo in Catanzaro, Italy; his mother, Maria Paoli, emigrated from Gioviano in the province of Lucca in Tuscany and worked in a paper flower factory. He worked his way through New York University studying sculpture and drama, his first performances being in Italian. After obtaining a part in a play at Hunter College, he secured work as an actor for three seasons with the Walter Hampden Repertory Company, which marked the beginning of his performances in the English language. His career in broadcasting began on radio in May 1940 with Pepper Young's Family and continued with major network shows including Mr. District Attorney, The March of Time, Gangbusters, and The Kate Smith Show. One of his most important contributions to the industry was his narration of Norman Corwin's On a Note of Triumph, broadcast nationwide at the conclusion of World War II. On May 17, 1985, De Santis was inducted into the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Diamond Circle. During his early years he also did numerous Italian-language broadcasts. He made several contributions to "Remember Radio", a column in one of the trade publications.

With the advent of television, Joe became known as a skilled character actor who could play convincing dialect characters, mugs, suave heavies and emotional leads. He was active in such early television series as Playhouse 90, Studio One, Sheriff of Cochise, and he appeared regularly on the programs of Red Buttons, Martha Raye and Sid Caesar shows. In addition to many single performances on other series like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Joe had a recurring presence in such shows as The Untouchables, 77 Sunset Strip, Perry Mason, Mission: Impossible, and in the westerns such as Sugarfoot, Daniel Boone, Gunsmoke, Sara, and Bonanza. One of his choicest moments came while playing a role with Frank Sinatra, a performer whom he greatly admired, on a made-for-TV movie, Contract on Cherry Street. At one point during the filming, Sinatra remarked to De Santis, "You should have played The Godfather." De Santis cherished this comment to the end of his days. He made three guest appearances on Perry Mason; in two of the episodes he played the murder victim: George Castle in the 1958 episode, "The Case of the Long-Legged Models," and Melvin Slater in the 1959 episode, "The Case of the Borrowed Brunette." He was also cast as Louie Parker in the 1965 episode, "The Case of the Deadly Debt."