Joe Dorsey, a veteran supporting character actor, began his acting career in the early 1970s, landing small parts in notable films and television shows such as WarGames (1983) and The Longest Yard (1974).
Dorsey's acting journey started on stage, decades prior to his film career, where he modeled as the first official 'Marlboro Man' in summer stock theater and later appeared in off-Broadway productions in the 1960s, including 'Fortune and Men's Eyes' alongside Sal Mineo and a then-unknown Tommy Lee Jones.
In the mid-1970s, Dorsey relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, and secured a significant supporting role in the cult action/horror film Grizzly (1976),playing the arrogant and selfish National Park Supervisor Charlie Kittridge opposite Christopher George. Grizzly (1976) became a box office hit and was the top-grossing independent film of 1976.
During this time, Dorsey became the first President of Georgia's Screen Actors Guild, playing a crucial role in lobbying for work from Hollywood to benefit actors living within the state of Georgia.
Dorsey's presence as a reliable character actor in Georgia led to a successful career in a handful of memorable supporting roles that filmed within the state, including Norma Rae (1979) opposite Sally Field, The Million Dollar Dixie Deliverance (1978),The Lincoln Conspiracy (1977),a humorous role as Coach Spinks in The Great Santini (1979) with Robert Duvall, Colonel Conley in WarGames (1983) with Matthew Broderick, and Real Genius (1985) with Val Kilmer.
He also worked on film and television projects outside of Georgia, taking on roles such as scientist Hal Abrahamson in the major science fiction film Brainstorm (1983) starring Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood, who unfortunately passed away during filming.
