Joseph Campanella was born on November 21 1924 in New York City. During World War II he served in the United States Navy, commanding a Landing Craft Infantry Ship in the Philippines. Following the war he graduated from Manhattan College in the Bronx with a degree in English literature. He then studied drama at Columbia University. He had an offer to play baseball in a New York Giants minor league team located in Georgia, but he turned it down in order to pursue acting. For a time he worked as a sportscaster on radio in Lewistown, Pennsylvania.
Joseph Campanella made his television debut in an episode of Suspense in 1952. During the Fifties he guest starred on such TV shows as The Guiding Light, Studio One, Robert Montgomery Presents, The United States Steel Hour, Kraft Television Theatre, Omnibus, and Armstrong Circle Theatre. He made his film debut in an uncredited role in Murder Inc. (1960).
In the Sixties Mr. Campanella was a regular on the TV show The Nurses, the first season of Mannix, and the TV show The Bold Ones: The Lawyers. He guest starred on such shows as Naked City, The Untouchables, Route 66, The Doctors, East Side/West Side, The Lieutenant, Combat!, Days of Our Lives, Run for Your Life, The Big Valley, The Wild Wild West, The Invaders, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, The Virginian, The Doris Day Show, Gunsmoke, Insight, and The Name of the Game. He appeared in the films The Young Lovers (1964) and The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967). He appeared on Broadway in The Captains and the Kings, A Gift of Time, and Hot Spot.
In the Seventies he continued to appear on The Bold Ones: The Lawyers. He had a recurring role on the sitcom One Day at a Time. He guest starred on such shows as Alias Smith and Jones, Night Gallery, Marcus Welby M.D., The Sixth Sense, The F.B.I., Gunsmoke, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Rookies, The Magician, Petrocelli, Ironside, Medical Centre, Police Woman, The Rockford Files, Fantasy Island, and Vega$. He appeared in the mini-series Pearl. He appeared in such films as Ben (1972), Child Under a Leaf (1974), Meteor (1979), Defiance (1980), and Hangar 18 (1980).
In the Eighties Mr. Campanella had a recurring role on The Colbys. He guest starred on such shows as Trapper John M.D.; Quincy M.E.; Matt Houston; Airwolf; Hotel; Murder, She Wrote; The Golden Girls; Mama's Family; Dallas; Superboy; Beauty and the Beast; and Knot's Landing. He appeared in such films as Earthbound (1981), The Game (1988), A Show of Force (1990), and Club Fed (1990).
In the Nineties Joseph Campanella began a long run as a regular on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. He provided the voice of Dr. Curt Connors (AKA The Lizard) on the animated series Spider-Man. He was a regular voice on the animated series Road Rovers. He guest starred on such shows as Dark Justice, Baywatch, Pacific Blue, Touched By an Angel, and Melrose Place. He was a guest voice as The Crime Doctor on Batman: The Animated Series. He appeared in such films as Last Call (1991), The Force Within (1993), Too Bad About Jack (1994), and Grizzly Adams and the Legend of Dark Mountain (1999).
In the Naughts Mr. Campanella was a regular on the show That's Life and had a recurring role on The Practice. He continued to appear on The Bold and the Beautiful. He guest starred on such shows as Star Trek: Voyager, The Division, Cold Case, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He appeared in the films The Dukes (2007), For Heaven's Sake (2008), and Lost Dream (2009).
Joseph Campanella was a remarkable actor. Not only was he very prolific, but he was also extremely versatile. Even in his regular and semi-regular roles on television shows he played a wide array of roles. On The Nurses he played Dr. Ted Steffen. On Mannix he was Joe Mannix's boss, Lew Wickersham, at the detective agency Interect. On The Bold Ones: The Lawyers he played attorney Brian Darrell. He was Judge Joseph Camp on The Practice. Over the years he played everything from police officers to medical doctors to military officers to lawyers to priests. He even played villains from time to time. In The Wild Wild West he played Talamantes, who plotted to seize the throne of an East European country. He did an impressive turn as The Crime Doctor on Batman: The Animated Series. And, of course, he was the voice of The Lizard on the animated series Spider-Man. Joseph Campanella's talent was such that he could play any role given him and be very convincing. Whether as hero or villain, he always turned in a good performance.
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