Joseph Pilato
Joseph Pilato (March 16, 1949 – March 24, 2019) was an American film and voice actor. He was perhaps best known for his performance as Captain Rhodes in the 1985 film Day of the Dead.
Joseph Pilato | |
|---|---|
 Pilato in 2008 | |
| Born | Josef Francis Anthony Pilato Jr. March 16, 1949 Fitchburg, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | March 24, 2019 (aged 70) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names |
|
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978–2019 |
Early life
He was born in Fitchburg in 1949 to an Italian-American family. His father was a professional trombonist with the Les Brown Orchestra. Joseph was enrolled into Catholic school and became an altar boy, where his talent for acting was developed.
Career
Day of the Dead and success
In 1984, six years after the release of Dawn of the Dead, director George A. Romero was planning a new zombie film called Day of the Dead. Pilato had appeared as a cameo in Dawn of the Dead as a police officer, which had been his first feature film role. Pilato was selected to play United States Army Captain Rhodes. He is best known for this performance, and the film, along with its predecessors, have become classics.
Later career and other projects
Pilato later voiced Vexor in Big Bad Beetleborgs under the alias of "Joey Pal" and worked in the English dub of Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02 voicing MetalGreymon. He would later land minor roles in such films as Wishmaster, Pulp Fiction, Digimon: The Movie, and Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D.[1]
Death
Joe Pilato died in his sleep on March 24, 2019, eight days after his 70th birthday.[2]
Personal life
Joe Pilato had one daughter, Gianna Pilato, who was born in 1994.
Filmography
Television and film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Dawn of the Dead | Officer At Police Dock | |
| 1980 | Effects | Dominic | |
| 1981 | Knightriders | Disgruntled Fair Worker | |
| 1985 | Day of the Dead | Captain Henry Rhodes | |
| 1986 | Gung Ho | Union Member | |
| 1989 | Shooters | Sergeant Plato | |
| 1990 | Alienator | Tech #2 | |
| Empire of the Dark | Guy Zupan | ||
| 1993 | The Evil Inside Me | Fulvio | |
| 1994 | Pulp Fiction | Dean Martin Impersonator | Credited as "Josef Pilato" |
| Married People, Single Sex | Artie | ||
| Witch Hunt | Uncredited role | ||
| 1995 | The Demolitionist | "Boxer" | Credited as "Josef Pilato" |
| 1996 | Visions | NSA Agent | |
| Neon Signs | Boto | ||
| Big Bad Beetleborgs | Vexor (voice) | Credited as "Joey Pal" | |
| 1997 | Wishmaster | Mickey Torreli | |
| 1998 | Music from Another Room | Carlo | |
| 1999 | The Last Seduction II | Marvin Dishman | |
| Digimon Adventure | MetalGreymon (voice: English dub) | Recurring role | |
| 2000 | Digimon: The Movie | MetalGreymon (voice: English dub) | |
| Digimon Adventure 02 | MetalGreymon (voice: English dub) | Recurring role | |
| 2003 | The Ghouls | Uncredited role | |
| 2009 | Someone's Knocking at the Door | Dr. Ottie | |
| 2010 | Underground Entertainment: The Movie | Himself | |
| 2014 | 9am | Bernie | Short |
| 2014 | Shhhh | "Red" Harling | |
| 2015 | Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D | Harry Cooper (voice) | |
| 2016 | Ilhailed | ||
| 2016 | Parasites | Wilde | |
| 2016 | The Chair | Security Guard | |
| 2018 | Attack in LA | Wilde | Final film role |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | WarHawk: The Red Mercury Missions | Kreel |
| 1996 | Angel Devoid: Face of the Enemy | Dr. Garnett / Mayor Waterford |
| 1997 | Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | Emdervoss / Klingon Spokesman |
| 2002 | Might and Magic IX | Additional voices |
| 2003 | Lords of EverQuest | Additional voices |
References
- "A Friendly Fucking Chat With Horror Icon Joseph Pilato". Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- R.I.P. ‘Day of the Dead’ Scene-Stealer Joseph Pilato Has Died at 70 Bloody Disgusting, March 25, 2019
External links
- Joseph Pilato at IMDb
- Joe Pilato Preservation Page at the Wayback Machine (archived October 26, 2009)
- Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine