Biography

Joe Cortese is in the Oscar-winning Green Book (2019) opposite Viggo Mortensen. He played Roger Stone in the Roger Ailes mini-series, The Loudest Voice (2019) for Showtime starring Russell Crowe, and also took on the role of Giorgio Armani in the FX true crime anthology, The Assassination of Gianni Versace-American Crime Story (2017).

Cortese first came on the scene in the 1976 cult classic gangster film The Death Collector costarring Joe Pesci. Over the next 4 decades Cortese has established himself as an actor/writer. As an actor, Joe Cortese has achieved success in film, television, and theatre.

Some of his films included starring roles in Windows (1980) with Talia Shire for Director Gordon Willis from United Artists, Monsignor (1982) which he starred with Christopher Reeve for Director Frank Perry at 20th Century Fox, and American History X (1998) with Director Tony Kaye starring Edward Norton from Warner Brothers. Cortese also starred in Paramount's Against The Ropes (2004) with Meg Ryan and Kerry Washington, and Ruby (1992) with Danny Aiello.

Cortese starred in Go Go Tales (2007) for Director Abel Ferrara, with actors Willem Dafoe and Bob Hoskins while having its World Premiere at The Cannes Film Festival and later that year it had its American Premiere at the New York Film Festival at the Lincoln Center. Cortese won The Best Actor Award from The New York Hip Hop Film Festival for his starring role as Spencer Spector in the comedy, Shut Up And Shoot (2006) and also starred in You Got Nothin' (2002) as Big Tommy for Director Philip Angelotti.

Other outstanding performances include starring roles in Paramount's Malevolence (1999) portraying a character based on James Earl Ray, Lucky Town (2000) with James Cann and Kirsten Dunst, and The Shipment (2001) with Matthew Modine and Elizabeth Berkley. He also received kudos for his role as Johnny Roselli in HBO's critically acclaimed movie The Rat Pack (1998). Also starred as Vito Lazio in the Independent film The Bronx Bull (2016) with Director Martin Guigui.

Cortese has received major accolades for his numerous top-rated Television projects, C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf (1988), a four-hour mini-series on NBC for Director/Producer William Friedkin. The top-rated mini-series Something Is Out There (1988) from NBC garnered him a Saturn Award nomination for best actor. Cortese also starred in other television projects such as the PBS Vision series special He Wants Her Back (1980) Written and Directed by Staton Kaye, Exclusive (1992) with Suzanne Somers (ABC), Assault and Matrimony (1987) (NBC), Just Life (1990) with Victoria Principal (ABC), Letting Go (1985) with John Ritter (ABC), Born to Run (1993) (FOX), Sidney Sheldon's mini-series If Tomorrow Comes (1986) (CBS), Jackie Collins' Lady Boss (1992) (NBC), and from creator Rob McElhenney's It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (2007) (FX) with an appearance with Danny DeVito.

Joe Cortese has never strayed far away from the theater. Being one of the founding members of the MET Theatre in Los Angeles, Cortese produced and starred in the original play Cody Angelino Is Coming. Some of his other Los Angeles theater credits include: True West at Zephyr Theater, Waking Jimmy Rizzo at the White Fire Theatre, and Italian playwrights Luigi Pirandello's Che Che and Man With The Flower In His Mouth at the Marilyn Monroe Theater. In New York, his theater credits include: playing Clifford Odets in Golden Girl, Waiting for Lefty at ETC; and, from the Regional Theater: Of Mice and Men, Waiting for Godot, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Tonight and Every Night is the latest project in development Joe Cortese will be producing and starring in. It's about a Greek diner owner suffering from dementia, who creates an alter ego as a talk show host. Also, in pre-production, Joe has written The Bridge about a San Francisco crime family.

As lifetime member of The Actor's Studio and member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Joe Cortese continues his support of actors and the craft of acting.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Amanda Joy Marshall