Joseph Mascolo

Joseph Mascolo
Mascolo, on the red carpet at the 62nd Annual Mother Goose Parade in San Diego County, in 2008.
Born	Joseph Peter Mascolo (1929-03-13)March 13, 1929 West Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	December 8, 2016(2016-12-08) (aged 87) Santa Clarita, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Complications from Alzheimer's disease
Alma mater	University of Miami, United States Military Academy
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1957–2016
Spouse(s)	Rose Maimone (m. 1953; her death 1986) Patricia Schultz (m. 2005; his death 2016)
Children	1

Joseph Peter Mascolo (March 13, 1929 – December 8, 2016) was an American musician and dramatic actor. During his long career, he acted in numerous motion pictures and television series. He was best known for playing supervillain Stefano DiMera, a role he originated in 1982 on NBC's Days of Our Lives.

Mascolo was born on March 13, 1929, and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut. His parents, Anna Mascolo (née DeTuccio; 1910–2010) and Peter Mascolo (1901–2008), were immigrants from Naples, Italy, and had their 80th wedding anniversary shortly before his father died. Mascolo had one sister, Marie LaVoie. He attended the United States Military Academy after graduating high school. Mascolo attended the University of Miami. To support himself financially, he studied acting under famed acting coach Stella Adler in New York City. He originally was trained in classical music and opera.

Mascolo was in the 1962 production of Night Life as Kazar and the understudy of Neville Brand. He was in the 1966 production of Dinner at Eight as Ricci. Mascolo was in the 1969 production of The Time of Your Life as Blick. His final theatrical appearance was in 1972's That Championship Season as Phil Romano.

Mascolo's first film appearance was in 1968's Hot Spur as Carlo. He was in 1972's neo-noir action crime–drama film Shaft's Big Score! as Gus Mascola. Mascolo was in 1973's The Spook Who Sat by the Door and 1978's Jaws 2 as Len Peterson. He was in 1981's Sharky's Machine as Joe Tipps and 1982's Yes, Giorgio Mascolo's last film appearance was in 1986's Heat as Baby.