Joe Piscopo
Joseph Charles John Piscopo (/ˈpiskəpoʊ/ PIS-cə-poh; born June 17, 1951) is an American comedian, actor, musician, writer and a radio talk show host. He is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s where he played a variety of recurring characters.
Joe Piscopo | |
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Piscopo in 2009 | |
Born | Joseph Charles John Piscopo June 17, 1951 Passaic, New Jersey, U.S. |
Education | Jones College (BA) |
Occupation | Actor, Comedian, Radio Host |
Years active | 1975–present |
Political party | Democratic (before 2014) Independent (2014–present)[1] |
Spouse(s) | Nancy Jones ( m. 1973–1988)Kimberly Driscoll ( m. 1997–2006) |
Children | 4 |
Early life
Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Piscopo grew up in North Caldwell[2] and attended West Essex High School and was a member of the drama club "The Masquers".[3][4] He developed a reputation for never playing a part the way it was written. After graduating from high school in 1969, Piscopo attended Jones College in Jacksonville, Florida, where he received a degree in broadcast management.[5]
Saturday Night Live
In the summer of 1980, Piscopo was hired as a contract player for Saturday Night Live. The show had gone through a major upheaval when all the writers, major producers, and cast members left that spring. The all-new cast bombed with critics and fans, with the exception of Piscopo and Eddie Murphy; thus they were the only two cast members to be kept when Dick Ebersol took over the show the following spring. With the success of SNL, Piscopo moved to the wealthy borough of Alpine, New Jersey.[4]
Piscopo was best known for his impressions of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra. Piscopo rewrote the lyrics for a Sinatra sketch with the help of Sinatra lyricist Sammy Cahn, and recalled that "by the grace of God, the old man loved it."[6] Piscopo and Robin Duke also played Doug and Wendy Whiner.
Post–Saturday Night Live career
Piscopo left Saturday Night Live at the end of the 1983–1984 season. In 1984, he starred in a special for HBO and released a book for Pocket Books called The Piscopo Tapes. An album, New Jersey, for Columbia Records followed in 1985[7] and an ABC special called The Joe Piscopo New Jersey Special in May 1986.[8] In 1987, Piscopo was mentioned in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' No. 1 rock single "Jammin' Me".
In the mid-to-late 80s, Piscopo was known for his interest in bodybuilding. He first got involved with the sport when he was doing impressions of Bruce Springsteen on Saturday Night Live, and then became a muscle-building enthusiast.[9] He appeared on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine in April 1988 and June 1990. In the latter issue, he said, "Some people in Hollywood think I'm nuts with this bodybuilding stuff. They'll say, 'You're getting too big. You'll hurt your career.' But they don't understand that high that comes from a workout, the challenge, and the personal victory."[10]
Since January 2014 he has hosted Piscopo in the Morning with Al Gattullo, Frank Morano (2014-2020), Joe Sibilia (2020-present), and Debbie DuHaime from 6:00 to 10:00 am, Monday through Friday on AM 970 The Answer (WNYM) in New York City.[11]
By February 2017, Piscopo, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, was considering running as an independent for Governor of New Jersey in the 2017 gubernatorial election. However, in April he decided not to do so.[12][13]
Personal life
Piscopo married former Wheel of Fortune producer Nancy Jones in 1973. They had one child and divorced in 1988. In 1997, he married Kimberly Driscoll, his son's nanny when Piscopo had been married to Jones. They had three children and divorced in 2006.[14] Piscopo is a resident of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, and has lived in Tewksbury Township, New Jersey.[15][16][17]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | King Kong | Bit Part | Uncredited |
1977 | Tickler | Announcer | |
1984 | The House of God | Dr. Fishberg | |
Johnny Dangerously | Danny Vermin | ||
The Joe Piscopo Special | Himself | TV Special | |
1986 | Julian Lennon: Stick Around | Rival | Video Short |
New Jersey Vice | Short Movie | ||
The Joe Piscopo New Jersey Special | Himself | TV Special | |
Wise Guys | Moe Dickstein | ||
1988 | Dead Heat | Doug Bigelow | |
1988 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | The Comedian | Episode: "The Outrageous Okona" |
1992 | Sidekicks | Kelly Stone | |
1994 | Huck and the King of Hearts | Max | |
1995 | Open Season | Hamlet | |
Two Bits & Pepper | Zike / Pepper | ||
Captain Nuke and the Bomber Boys | Mr. Wareman | ||
2000 | Baby Bedlam | Jack | |
2001 | Bartleby | Rocky | |
2006 | Last Request | Angelo | |
Dead Lenny | Louis Long | ||
2012 | Joe Piscopo: A Night at Club Piscopo | Himself | TV Special |
2013 | How Sweet It Is | Jack Cosmo | |
TBA | Spring Break '83 | Max's Father |
References
- https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/14/piscopo-confessions-of-a-disillusioned-democrat/
- Staff. "The HBO series, `The Sopranos,' features Steve Van Zandt (from left), Tony Sirico and James Gandolfini.", Courier-Post, March 22, 1999. Retrieved December 23, 2014. "Actor-comedian Joe Piscopo grew up in the neighborhood where the show is set, North Caldwell, Essex County."
- Lurie, M.N.; Siegel, M.; Mappen, M. (2004). Encyclopedia of New Jersey. Encyclopedia of New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. p. 640. ISBN 978-0-8135-3325-4. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- Strauss, Robert. "So Jersey, He Deserves His Own Rest Area", The New York Times, August 7, 2005. Retrieved March 14, 2011. "Mr. Piscopo's father, also named Joe, was a lawyer and the family mostly lived in Essex County, the younger Joe graduating from West Essex High School in North Caldwell. With his Saturday Night Live fame, he moved to one of the richest corners of New Jersey, Alpine, persuading Mr. Murphy to join him there in that wealthy enclave by the Palisades."
- Maxine N. Lurie; Marc Mappen (April 1, 2004). The Encyclopedia of New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. pp. 640–. ISBN 978-0-8135-3325-4. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
- "Saturday Night Live Backstage". February 20, 2011. NBC. Missing or empty
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(help) - "Joe Piscopo – New Jersey". discogs.
- "Piscopo Occasionally Ready for Prime Time".
- Willistein, Paul (May 6, 1988). "It's Jersey for this Joe: Piscopo Tones His Bulging Biceps and Career". The Morning Call. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- "Muscle & Fitness Retro - June 1990". Muscle & Fitness. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- "The Joe Piscopo Show". omnycontent.com.
- Corasaniti, Nick (February 20, 2017). "Joe Piscopo Considers Running for Governor of New Jersey. No Joke". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- "Joe Piscopo won't run for New Jersey governor", CBS Miami (AP), May 3, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- Terruso, Julia (November 30, 2012). "Judge orders Joe Piscopo to pay $10K in child support". The Star-Ledger.
- Homer, Jordan. "Tewksbury's Piscopo featured at Cento Amici's 28th spring scholarship dinner", Hunterdon Review, April 9, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2018. "Joe Piscopo, Tewksbury resident, former Saturday Night Live star, morning radio host and New Jersey Hall of Famerwas the evening's star."
- Staff. "On the Comeback Trail: John Kerry and...Joe Piscopo?", The left coaster, March 9, 2005. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
- Jennings, Rob. "Joe Piscopo insists he's still thinking of running for N.J. governor", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 7, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017. "Piscopo, who lives in Lebanon Township, suggested he would tap into a similar base of support if he runs."
External links
- Joe Piscopo on IMDb