| Joseph Mascolo | |
| Birth Name: | Joseph Peter Mascolo |
| Birth Date: | 13 March 1929 |
| Birth Place: | West Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Santa Clarita, California, U.S. |
| Resting Place: | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1957–2016 |
| Children: | 1 |
Joseph Peter Mascolo (March 13, 1929 – December 8, 2016) was an American musician and dramatic actor. During his long career, he acted in numerous motion pictures and television series. He played villain Stefano DiMera on NBC's soap opera Days of Our Lives from 1982 to 2016.[1] He also starred as Massimo Marone on the CBS' soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful from 2001 to 2006.
Mascolo was born on March 13, 1929,[2] and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut. His parents, Anna Mascolo (née DeTuccio; 1910–2010) and Peter Mascolo (1901–2008), were immigrants from Naples, Italy, and had their 80th wedding anniversary shortly before his father died.[3] Mascolo had one sister, Marie LaVoie.[4] He attended the United States Military Academy after graduating high school.[5] Mascolo attended the University of Miami.[6] To support himself financially, he studied acting under famed acting coach Stella Adler in New York City.[7] He originally was trained in classical music and opera.[8]
Mascolo was in the 1962 production of Night Life as Kazar and the understudy of Neville Brand. He was in the 1966 production of Dinner at Eight as Ricci. Mascolo was in the 1969 production of The Time of Your Life as Blick. His final theatrical appearance was in 1972's That Championship Season as Phil Romano.
Mascolo's first film appearance was in 1968's Hot Spur as Carlo. He was in 1972's neo-noir action crime–drama film Shaft's Big Score! as Gus Mascola. Mascolo was in 1973's The Spook Who Sat by the Door and 1978's Jaws 2 as Len Peterson. He was in 1981's Sharky's Machine as JoJo Tipps and 1982's Yes, Giorgio Mascolo's last film appearance was in 1986's Heat as Baby.
Mascolo was best known in the recurring role of Stefano DiMera on Days of Our Lives from 1982 to 1985, returning briefly in 1988, again from 1993 to 2001, and making appearances again since 2007 until Stefano's death in 2016, making his final appearance on February 9, 2017, airing 2 months after his death,[9] and won three Soap Opera Digest Awards.[10] He has also played a wide range of roles on many different series including (but not limited to) a Stefano-like villain named Nicholas Van Buren on General Hospital, and Carlos Alvarez on Santa Barbara. Before achieving his fame, he was seen in the earlier soap operas Where the Heart Is and From These Roots. He also made primetime television appearances on All in the Family, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, Lou Grant and The Rockford Files.[11]
Mascolo portrayed Massimo Marone on CBS's The Bold and the Beautiful beginning August 2001.[12] He decided not to renew his contract with the show in July 2006, due to a lack of storyline and decided to return to Days of Our Lives, where his character Stefano DiMera was resurrected after six years.[13]
Mascolo also appeared in The Incredible Hulk in October 1979, as Mr. Arnold in the episode "Brain Child". 10 years later, he would appear again in NBC's The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, as Albert G. Tendelli, a police confidant of Daredevil.He also appeared in an episode of Hart to Hart on 1/3/84 as villain Mr. Rhodes.
Mascolo married Rose Maimone in 1953. They had a son named Peter. Maimone died in 1986. In 2005, Mascolo married his second wife, Patricia Schultz.[14] In January 2016, he told Soap Opera Digest that he had suffered a stroke in the spring of 2015. "During my rehab, I thought this would be a good time for Stefano to leave."
Mascolo died on December 8, 2016, in Santa Clarita, California at 87 after years of battling Alzheimer's disease. He was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).
| Year | Title | Venue | Role | Dates | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Night Life | Brooks Atkinson Theatre | Kazar | October 23, 1962 – December 15, 1962 | [15] | ||
| 1966 | Dinner at Eight | Alvin Theatre | Ricci | September 27, 1966 – January 14, 1967 | Directed by Tyrone Guthrie, written by George S. Kaufman & Edna Ferber, and produced by Elliot Martin, Lester Osterman, Jr., Alan King & Walter A. Hyman, Ltd. | [16] [17] | |
| 1968 | West Side Story | Lincoln Center | Schrank | June 24, 1968 – September 7, 1968 | Directed and choreography by Lee Theodore and produced by The Musical Theater of Lincoln Center & Richard Rodgers. | [18] | |
| 1969 | The Time of Your Life | Vivian Beaumont Theatre | Blick | November 6, 1969 – December 20, 1969 | Directed by John Hirsch, written by William Saroyan, and produced by Jules Irving. | [19] | |
| 1970 | Camino Real | Officer | January 8, 1970 – February 21, 1970 | Directed by Milton Katselas, written by Tennessee Williams, and produced by Jules Irving. | [20] | ||
| Operation Sidewinder | Colonel Warner | March 12, 1970 – April 25, 1970 | Directed by Michael Schultz, written by Sam Shepard, music composed and performed by The Holy Modal Rounders, and produced by Jules Irving. | [21] | |||
| The Good Woman of Setzuan | Policeman | November 5, 1970 – December 13, 1970 | Directed by Robert Symonds, written by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Ralph Manheim, featuring songs by John Lewin & Herbert Pilhofer, and produced by Jules Irving. | [22] | |||
| 1971 | Murderous Angels | Playhouse Theatre | Col. Alcibiade Zbyre | December 20, 1971 – January 9, 1972 | [23] [24] | ||
| 1972 | That Championship Season | Booth Theatre | Phil Romano | September 14, 1972 – April 21, 1974 | [25] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Hot Spur | Jason O'Hara | Western film written and directed by R.L. Frost.[26] | |
| 1972 | Shaft's Big Score! | Gus Mascola | Neo-noir action crime–drama film directed by Gordon Parks.[27] | |
| 1973 | Happy Mother's Day, Love George | Piccolo | ||
| The Spook Who Sat by the Door | Senator Hennington | |||
| 1978 | Jaws 2 | Len Peterson | Horror thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc.[28] | |
| 1981 | Gangster Wars | Salvatore Maranzano | ||
| Sharky's Machine | Detective Joe "Joe-Joe" Tipps | |||
| 1982 | Yes, Giorgio | Dominic Giordano | ||
| 1986 | Heat | "Baby" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | True Story | Tony Brenner | Episode: "The Accident" (S 1:Ep 3) | |
| 1961 | From These Roots | Jack Lander | American soap opera | |
| True Story | Tony Brenner | Episode: "6 May 1961" (S 5:Ep 11) | ||
| 1967 | Coronet Blue | Bodyguard | Episode: "A Dozen Demons" (S1:Ep 3) | |
| 1969 | The Good Guys | Chauffeur | Episode: "The World's Second Greatest Lover" (S 1:Ep 18) | |
| The Doctors | Policeman | Episode: "Episode #1.1668" (S 6:Ep 96) April 30th 1969 | ||
| Episode: "Episode #1.1669" (S 6:Ep 97) May 1st 1969 | ||||
| 1973 | The Resolution of Mossie Wax | Made-for-TV-Movie and drama film directed by Bob Walsh. | ||
| Where the Heart Is | Ed Lucas | Episode: "Episode #1.868" | ||
| Episode: "Episode #1.873" | ||||
| 1974 | All in the Family | Pat Bushmill | Episode: "Gloria's Boyfriend" (S 4:Ep 19) | |
| Dominic's Dream | Dominic Bente | Pilot sitcom written and directed by Garry Marshall.[29] | ||
| 1975 | Baretta | Frank Cassell | Episode: "He'll Never See Daylight" (S 1:Ep 1–Pilot) | |
| 1975–1976 | Bronk | Mayor Pete Santori | Contract role | |
| 1976 | NBC Special Treat | Papa | Episode: "Papa and Me" (S 1:Ep 5) | |
| Kojak | Detective Jeff Braddock | Episode: "A Summer Madness" (S 4:Ep 2) | ||
| Monster Squad | Lawrence of Moravia | Episode: "Lawrence of Moravia" (S 1: Ep 12) | ||
| ABC Afterschool Special | Mr. Singleton | Episode: "Mighty Moose and the Quarterback Kid" (S 5:Ep 3) | ||
| 1977 | Switch | Phillip Aspen / Martin Lorrimer | Episode: "Portraits of Death" (S 2:Ep 13) | |
| Max Pierce | Made-for-TV-Movie and mystery film directed by Russ Mayberry.[30] | |||
| The Rockford Files | Gibby | Episode: "Crack Back (S 3:Ep 21) | ||
| 1978 | The Eddie Capra Mysteries | Joe Callen/Dr. David Weller | Episode: "Dirge for a Dead Dachshund" (S 1:Ep 6) | |
| Lou Grant | McIntyre | Episode: "Babies" (S 2:Ep 10) | ||
| 1979 | The Incredible Hulk | Mr. Arnold | Episode: "Brain Child" (S 3:Ep 3) | |
| 1981 | The Gangster Chronicles | Salvatore Maranzano | Miniseries directed by Richard C. Sarafian.[31] | |
| 1982–2017 | Days of Our Lives | Stefano DiMera | ||
| 1984 | Hart to Hart | Nick Rhodes | Episode: "Harts on the Run" (S 5:Ep 12) | |
| Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter | Richards | Made-for-TV-Movie and biographical film directed by Lamont Johnson[32] and written by April Smith.[33] | ||
| 1985 | Comedy Factory | Peter Wagner | Episode: "Side by Side" (S 1:Ep 1–Pilot) | |
| Brothers | Howard Dovall | Episode: "A House Divided" (S 2:Ep 10) | ||
| Crazy Like a Fox | Episode: "Fox in 3/4 Time" (S 2:Ep 5) | |||
| Santa Barbara | Carlo Alvarez | |||
| 1986 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Ed Martinson | Episode: "Have You Tried Talking to Patty?" (S 3:Ep 2) | |
| Hill Street Blues | Melvin Jardino | Episode: "I Want My Hill Street Blues" (S 6:Ep 15) | ||
| Joe Bash | Captain Charles Taylor | Episode: "Joe's First Partner (S 1:Ep 5) | ||
| 1987 | Hunter | Mick Shaughnessy | Episode: "Shades" (S 3:Ep 22) | |
| It's Garry Shandling's Show | Lieutenant Gerard | Episode: "The Fugitive" (S 2:Ep 3) | ||
| Rags to Riches | Viktor Leskov | Episode: "Russian Holiday" (S 2:Ep 10) | ||
| 1988 | The Equalizer | Tony Costa | Episode: "Always a Lady" (S 3:Ep 22) | |
| 1989 | General Hospital | Nicholas Van Buren | ||
| The Trial of the Incredible Hulk | Albert G. Tendelli | Made-for-TV-Movie and superhero film directed by Bill Bixby.[34] | ||
| 2001–2006 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Massimo Marone IV | Contract role: 2001–06 |