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Joe Spinell

Joe Spinell

Actor, also writer and producer · Died January 13, 1989, aged 52 · Manhattan, New York

Joe Spinell (October 28, 1936 – January 13, 1989) was an American actor who appeared in films in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as various stage productions. He played supporting roles in film including The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Taxi Driver (1976), Sorcerer (1977) and Cruising (1980).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 28, 1936
Died
January 13, 1989 (aged 52)
From
Manhattan, New York
Works as
Actor, also writer and producer
Titles
46 on MovieCove · 68 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 32% in 30 days

What are Joe Spinell's films like?

Across their 29 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Crime9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 17th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 41st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 89th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
29%
Self
21%
Survival
16%
Bonds
15%
Power
12%
Society
4%
Ideas
4%
Justice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 29 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 7 · Dark 14

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 15 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 13 · Intense 12

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 19 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 18 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 17 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 13 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 5

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 12 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 9

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 21 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 4 of 8 analyzed roles.

Shadow
4 of 8
Ally
2 of 8
Hero
1 of 8
Threshold guardian
1 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
21
Dread
8
Melancholic
12
Thrilling
8
Absurd
6
Other
23

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous6

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Joe Spinell's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 31 of their 46 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (23).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Joe Spinell's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

68 credits, 46 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • FantastiCozzi(2016)

    as Count Zarth Arn (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Maniac(2012)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Joe Spinell Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as (archive footage)

  • Thriller Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Vinny Durand (segment "Fanatical Extremes") (archive footage)

  • The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Will Cicci

  • Rapid Fire(1989)

    as Hansen

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • The Undertaker(1988)

    as Uncle Roscoe

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Married to the Mob(1988)

    as Leonard 'Tiptoes' Mazzilli

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • K.O. Kippers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Tony Larosa

  • Operation Warzone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Brig. Gen. George Delevane

  • Deadly Illusion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Crazy Man in Gun Bureau

  • The Pick-up Artist(1987)

    as Eddie

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Blood Ties (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Joey, New York Goon #1

  • The Messenger(1986)

    as Rico

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Maniac II: Mr. Robbie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Producer · Story · as Mr. Robbie

  • Hollywood Harry(1985)

    as Max Caldwell

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Whoopee Boys(1986)

    as Guido Antonucci

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Children of Times Square(1986)

    as Street Vendor

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Out of the Darkness(1985)

    as Jim Halsey

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Equalizer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Mob Boss

  • Walking the Edge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Brusstar

  • Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer(1983)

    as Escobar

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The Last Fight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Angelo

  • Eureka(1983)

    as Pete

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Losin' It(1982)

    as Border Patrolman

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Big Score (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Mayfield

  • Vigilante(1982)

    as Eisenberg

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • One Down, Two to go(1982)

    as Joe Spangler

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Monsignor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Bride's Father

  • The Last Horror Film(1982)

    as Vinny Durand

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Night Shift(1982)

    as Manetti

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • A Question of Honor(1982)

    as Masked witness (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Movie Madness(1982)

    as Agent / M.C. ("Success Wanters")

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Forbidden Zone(1980)

    as Drunken Sailor

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Portrait of a Teenage Shoplifter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Door Guard

  • Nighthawks(1981)

    as Lt. Munafo

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Maniac(1980)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay · Story · as Frank Zito

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The First Deadly Sin(1980)

    as Charles Lipsky

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Melvin and Howard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Go-Go Club Owner #2 (uncredited)

  • The Little Dragons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Yancey

  • Brubaker(1980)

    as Birdwell

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Nightside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Michael Vincent

  • The Ninth Configuration(1980)

    as Lt. Spinell

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Cruising(1980)

    as Patrolman DiSimone

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Vampire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Capt. Desher

  • Rocky II(1979)

    as Tony Gazzo

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Winter Kills(1979)

    as Arthur Fletcher

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Last Embrace(1979)

    as Man in Cantina

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Starcrash(1978)

    as Count Zartharn

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Dead on Arrival(1978)

    as Mike Abatino

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Paradise Alley(1978)

    as Burp

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Big Wednesday(1978)

    as Psychologist

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Nunzio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Angelo

  • Mario Puzo's The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 4 episodes · as William "Willie" Cicci

  • Sorcerer(1977)

    as Spider

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Rocky(1976)

    as Tony Gazzo

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Stay Hungry(1976)

    as Jabo

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Taxi Driver(1976)

    as Personnel Officer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Next Stop, Greenwich Village(1976)

    as Cop

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Ransom of Red Chief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Bill

  • 92 in the Shade(1975)

    as Ollie Slatt

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Farewell, My Lovely(1975)

    as Nick

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Strike Force (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Sol Terranova

  • Rancho Deluxe(1975)

    as Mr. Colson

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Godfather Part II(1974)

    as William 'Willie' Cicci

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Seven-Ups(1973)

    as Toredano

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Cops and Robbers(1973)

    as Marty

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Godfather(1972)

    as Willi Cicci (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 68 titles from 1972 to 2016; peak year 1979.

Biggest box office

Rocky (1976)

$117M worldwide

Highest rated

Rocky (1976)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

19722016

Peak 1979 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 4 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1973Screen debut· The Seven-Ups
  • 1980First top-billed film· Maniac
  • 1980Career best· Maniac

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting67 of 68: 65 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score55thWriting3 of 68: 1 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing2 of 68: 0 only producing, 2 with another role

By decade

1970s24 · acting1980s39 · 39 acting · 2 crew1990s2 · acting2000s1 · acting2010s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 10th · top billed in 7% of 30 roles
737883

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Joe Spinell's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 46; across their 29 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Reach · how many have seen their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Midcredits score across 46 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th12
  • Below 25th10

Shape of the crowd

18 of their 46 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser16
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed18

Most divisive · actor

Hollywood Harry (1985)

79th percentile spread · 36% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Godfather (1972)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 28 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 39. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Joe Spinell's work okay for kids?

Across up to 15 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore12 titles59–89 · median 79 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity15 titles16–66 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles32–89 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles28–60 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles47–88 · median 76 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Joe Spinell work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joe Spinell's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sylvester Stallone shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers