Joe Spano, a boyish-looking actor, is best known for his sympathetic detective role on the grim 1980's police series Hill Street Blues. Born Joseph Peter Spano on July 7, 1946, in San Francisco, he is the son of a doctor.
A Bishop Riordan High School and University of California-Berkeley graduate, Spano's original intention was to be a premed major, but acting became his growing interest. He gained experience working with a San Francisco improvisation group called The Wing.
Spano made his debut as Paris in a production of "Romeo and Juliet" in 1967 and helped found the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, appearing in its first production of "Woyzek" the following year. He stayed with the company for 10 years, appearing in many of its plays, including "Hamlet" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof".
In the 1970s, Spano decided to give Hollywood a try, appearing in small parts on TV and in films such as American Graffiti and The Enforcer. He also played a romantic lead in the obscure supernatural horror movie Warlock Moon and co-starred in the low-budget political drama Northern Lights.
After his Emmy-nominated success on Hill Street Blues, Spano appeared in a variety of TV shows and movies, including Amazing Grace, Murder One, Mercy Point, and NYPD Blue. He also appeared in TV movies and mini-series, such as Disaster at Silo 7, Blind Faith, and From the Earth to the Moon.
Spano made his Broadway debut in 1992 in a revival of Arthur Miller's "The Price" and has appeared in several stage productions, including "Speed-the-Plow" and "American Buffalo", earning him a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award.
In films, Spano has worked alongside Tom Hanks in Apollo 13 and Richard Gere and Edward Norton in Primal Fear, among others. He has also appeared in Ticker, Hart's War, Hollywoodland, Fracture, and Frost/Nixon.
Spano is married to a therapist and has adopted two daughters. He is often confused with Australian actor Joseph Spano, but they are not related.
