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Joe Dallesandro

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Joe Dallesandro
Dallesandro in 2009
Born
Joseph Angelo D'Allesandro III

(1948-12-31) December 31, 1948 (age 75)
Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Other names
  • Joe Catano
  • Little Joe
Occupations
  • Actor
  • model
Years active1967–present
Spouses
Leslie
​
​
(m. 1967; div. 1969)​
Theresa
​
​
(m. 1970; div. 1978)​
Kim Dallesandro
​
(m. 1987)​
Children2

Joseph Angelo D'Allesandro III (born December 31, 1948) is an American actor and Warhol superstar. He was a sex symbol of gay subculture in the 1960s and 1970s, and of several American underground films before going mainstream.[1]

Dallesandro starred in the Andy Warhol-produced film Flesh (1968) as a male prostitute. Rolling Stone magazine declared Dallesandro's second starring film Trash (1970) as the "Best Film of the Year", making him a star of the youth culture, sexual revolution, and subcultural New York City art collective in the early 1970s. Dallesandro also starred in the Factory films Heat (1972), Andy Warhol's Frankenstein (1974), and Andy Warhol's Dracula (1974), which were directed by Paul Morrissey. Dallesandro later lived in Europe for several years where he starred in both genre and art films. Having returned to the United States, he also crossed over into mainstream roles such as mobster Lucky Luciano in the film The Cotton Club (1984).

Early life

[edit]

Joe Dallessandro was born on December 31, 1948 in Pensacola, Florida, to Joseph Angelo D'Allesandro II, who was in the U.S. Navy. His mother, Thelma Testman, was 16 years old.[2] His parents separated soon after they moved to New Jersey when he was 2 years old.[3] Dallesandro and his younger brother Robert "Bobby" Dallesandro were placed in foster care of Mr. and Mrs. Gary Silano in North Babylon, New York.[3]

By the time Dallessandro was five years old, his mother was serving fifteen years in a U.S. federal penitentiary for interstate auto theft.[citation needed] He was later reunited with his mother in 1970.[2]

Dallesandro was initially content living with his foster parents, but as he became a teenager he reportedly began to resent them, thinking that they were preventing him from living with his father.[4] He became aggressive and repeatedly ran away from his foster home until his father finally relented and allowed Joe to live with him.[4]

At age 13, Dallesandro and his brother moved to Queens, New York to live with their paternal grandparents and their father.[5] "I was very rebellious," he recalled.[3] "I hated the Queens school. They were so far behind the Long Island school that I just lost interest."[3] He was expelled from school for punching the school principal.[3] After this, he began hanging out with gangs and stealing cars. At age 15, Dallesandro drove a stolen car through the Holland Tunnel without paying the toll.[3] He was stopped by a police roadblock and was shot once in the leg by police who mistakenly thought he was armed. Dallessandro managed to escape being caught by police, but was later arrested when his father took him to the hospital for his gunshot wound. He was sentenced to Camp Cass Rehabilitation Center for Boys in the Catskills in 1964.[6] In 1965, aged 16, he ran away from the camp, and went to live with his father in Florida.[3] Dallessandro made his way to the West Coast with a friend and briefly worked at a pizza shop.[3] He supported himself by nude modeling for Bob Mizer's Athletic Model Guild.[7]

Career

[edit]

Underground film career

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Dallesandro and Louis Waldon in Flesh (1968)

By 1967, Dallessandro had returned to New York. He was married at the age of eighteen, and he was hustling around Times Square to pay for his drug habit.[8]

He met pop artist Andy Warhol and film director Paul Morrissey while they were shooting Four Stars (1967) in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, and they cast him in the film on the spot.[9] Dallesandro began working at the Factory as Warhol's bodyguard, general factotum, and occasional actor.[8]

Dallesandro appeared in Lonesome Cowboys (1968) before starring in the film Flesh (1968), a story of a male hustler—based on Dallesandro's experience—where he had several nude scenes. Flesh became a crossover hit with mainstream audiences, and Dallesandro became the most popular of the Warhol stars. Warhol would later comment "In my movies, everyone's in love with Joe Dallesandro."[10]

The Warhol and Morrissey films did not usually have a script so the actors improvised while the camera were rolling.[11] In 1970, Dallesandro told After Dark: "Sometimes they yell at me and say, 'Joe, you're really messing it up. Stop trying to act,' and then I usually do a good job. But if you watch carefully you'll see that my best performing comes when I have my clothes off. When I'm dressed I really don't give very good performances, but when I am not I really do a great job."[11]

After starring in Trash (1970), Dallesandro's underground fame began to cross over into the popular culture and he was viewed as a sex symbol.[11] New York Times film critic Vincent Canby wrote of him: "His physique is so magnificently shaped that men as well as women become disconnected at the sight of him."[12] Newsday film critic Jerry Parker wrote that "Joe Dallesandro, who is a mere 21 is to Andy Warhol what Clark Gable once was to Louis B. Mayer."[3] Dallesandro appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in April 1971. He was also photographed by some of the top celebrity photographers of the time: Francesco Scavullo, Annie Leibovitz, Richard Avedon.[13]

According to Dallesandro, Francis Ford Coppola wanted him to screen test for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972).[8] However, the offer fell through when Warhol told Coppola's entourage that Dallesandro was a drug addict.[8]

Dallesandro also starred in the films Heat (1972), Andy Warhol's Frankenstein (1973), and Andy Warhol's Dracula (1974), directed by Morrissey. The latter two were filmed in Rome. After filming was complete, he remained in Europe and capitalized on his reputation as a cult figure in a series exploitation films in France and Italy.[8][14] He appeared in Serge Gainsbourg's Je t'aime moi non plus (1976), which starred Gainsbourg's girlfriend, British actress Jane Birkin.

Mainstream career

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The death of Dallesandro's brother in 1977 sent him into a deep decline and his marriage dissolved in 1978.[8] After his return to the U.S. in 1979, he resided in a trailer park close to Seattle with his estranged mother and indulged in excessive drinking.[8] After relocating to Los Angeles, he cleaned himself and got a job as a taxi driver before returning to acting.[8]

He made several mainstream films during the 1980s and 1990s. One of his first notable roles was that of 1920s gangster Lucky Luciano in Francis Coppola's The Cotton Club (1984). Working with manager/attorney Stann Findelle, his career enjoyed a resurgence.

He had roles in Critical Condition (1987) opposite Richard Pryor, Sunset (1988) with Bruce Willis and James Garner, Cry-Baby (1990) with Johnny Depp, Guncrazy (1992) with Drew Barrymore, and Steven Soderbergh's 1999 film The Limey. He has also worked in television. In 1986, he co-starred in the ABC drama series Fortune Dane. The series lasted only five episodes. Dallesandro was also a regular for the first season (1987-1988) of the CBS crime drama series Wiseguy, appeared in three episodes of NBC's Miami Vice, and a two-hour episode of ABC's Matlock in 1990.[15]

A biography, Little Joe: Superstar by Michael Ferguson was released earlier in 2001, and a filmed documentary, Little Joe (2009), was released with Dallesandro serving as writer and producer. His adopted daughter, Vedra Mehagian, also served as a producer of the film.[citation needed]

In February 2009, Dallesandro received the Teddy Award, an honor recognizing those filmmakers and artists who have contributed to the further acceptance of LGBT people, culture and artistic vision.

He appeared in the Dandy Warhols' official video for "You are Killing Me" in 2016.[16]

In 2018 he starred as himself in Ulli Lommel's Factory Cowboys: Working with Warhol. The film was based on Lommel's own biography and partly on Dallesandro's memories of the period during which he worked with Andy Warhol.[17]

Personal life

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Dallesandro is openly bisexual.[18] He has been married three times and has two children.[19]

Aged 18, he married his first wife, Leslie, the daughter of his father's girlfriend, in 1967. Their son, Michael, was born December 19, 1968. The marriage was dissolved in 1969. His second marriage was to Theresa ("Terry") in 1970. Their son, Joseph A. Dallesandro, Jr., was born November 14, 1970. The couple divorced in early 1978. In 1987, Dallesandro was married a third time, to Kimberly ("Kim").[citation needed] Dallesandro has a grandson and a granddaughter by his son Michael, as well as a grandson by his son Joseph.[20]

Dallesandro's younger brother Robert Dallesandro died in 1977.[8] He had worked for Warhol as a chauffeur, also appeared in the films Flesh and Trash.[11][21]

Semi-retired from acting, as of 2009 Dallesandro managed a residential hotel building in Los Angeles.[22]

[edit]
  • In Lou Reed's song, "Walk on the Wild Side", about the characters Reed knew from Warhol's studio, The Factory, the verse about Dallesandro used his nickname, Little Joe.[23]
  • A Warhol photograph of the crotch bulge of Dallesandro's tight blue jeans is on the famous cover of the Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers. Dallesandro explained to biographer Michael Ferguson, "It was just out of a collection of junk photos that Andy pulled from. He didn't pull it out for the design or anything, it was just the first one he got that he felt was the right shape to fit what he wanted to use for the fly;" the first editions of that album cover physically incorporated a functional metal zipper fly into the photo.[24]
  • The 1980s British band The Smiths used a still photograph of Dallesandro from the film Flesh as the cover of their eponymous debut album.[25]
  • Norwegian pop band Briskeby had a 2005 single called "Joe Dallesandro".[26]

Selected filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1967 Four Stars College Wrestler Alternative title: The 24 Hour Movie
1968 San Diego Surf Joe
1968 The Loves of Ondine College Wrestler
1968 Flesh Joe, The Hustler Alternative title: Andy Warhol's Flesh
1968 Lonesome Cowboys Joe "Little Joe" Alternative title: Ramona and Julian
1970 Trash Joe Smith Alternative title: Andy Warhol's Trash
1972 Heat Joey Davis
1973 Andy Warhol's Frankenstein Nicholas, The Stableboy Alternative title: Flesh for Frankenstein
1974 Blood for Dracula Mario Balato, The Servant Alternative title: Andy Warhol's Dracula
1974 The Gardener Carl, The Gardener Alternative titles: Garden of Death, Seeds of Evil
1975 The Climber Aldo, The Climber Alternative title: L'ambizioso
1975 Black Moon Brother Lily
1975 Savage Three Ovidio Mainardi Alternative title: Fango bollente
1975 Season for Assassins Pierro Giaranaldi Alternative title: Il tempo degli assassini
1976 Je t'aime moi non plus Krassky Alternative title: I Love You, I Don't or I Love You ... Neither Do I
1976 La Marge Sigismond Alternative title: The Streetwalker
1978 Safari Rally Joe Massi Alternative title: 6000 km di paura
1978 Killer Nun Dr. Patrick Roland Alternative titles: Suor Omicidi
Deadly Habits
1980 Madness Joe Brezzi Alternative title: Vacanze per un massacro
1981 Merry-Go-Round Ben
1982 Queen Lear Joseph Kunz, The Father
1984 The Cotton Club Charlie "Lucky" Luciano
1984 Miami Vice Vinnie DeMarco Episode: "One Eyed Jack"
1986 Fortune Dane Tommy "Perfect Tommy" Nicautri 5 episodes
1987 Critical Condition Stucky
1987 Miami Vice Alfredo Giulinni Episode: "Down for the Count: Part 2"
1987 Wiseguy Paul "Pat The Cat" Patrice 5 episodes
1988 Sunset "Dutch" Kieffer
1988 The Hitchhiker Gerard Episode: "Fashion Exchange"
1988 Double Revenge Joe Halsey
1989 The Hollywood Detective Eddie Northcott Television movie
1990 Matlock Bobby Boyd 2 episodes
1990 Almost an Angel Bank Hood Leader
1990 Cry-Baby Mr. Hackett
1991 Inside Out Richard Segment: "The Diaries"
1991 Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue Jules
1992 Guncrazy Rooney
1992 Love Is Like That The Boss
1994 Sugar Hill Tony Adamo
1995 Theodore Rex Rogan Direct-to-video release
1998 L.A. Without a Map Michael
1999 The Limey John "Uncle John", The Hitman Credited as Joe Dallessandro
2000 Beefcake Cameos, old footage
2002 Pacino Is Missing Sal Colletti
2008 3 Stories About Evil Jean Maries Short film
2022 Babylon Charlie the Photographer

References

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Citations
  1. ^ Morris, Gary (January 13, 2000). "Book Review: Little Joe, Superstar: The Films of Joe Dallesandro". Bright Lights Film Journal. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Garner, Joe (October 13, 1973). "Long-Lost Son Is X-Rated Star Of Warhol Films". The Sacramento Bee. p. 16. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Parker, Jerry (November 2, 1970). "The 'Trash' Man Cometh Off Square". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). pp. 3A, 29A. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Watson 2003, p. 22
  5. ^ Watson 2003, p. 23
  6. ^ Watson 2003, p. 1962
  7. ^ Watson 2003, pp. 237–238
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Warhol's Curse". The Sydney Morning Herald. May 10, 1997. pp. 6s. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  9. ^ "Interview with Joe Dallesandro". Manner of Man (4). December 2013.
  10. ^ Greenberg, Jan; Jordan, Sandra (March 25, 2009). Andy Warhol, Prince of Pop. Random House. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-307-51306-9.
  11. ^ a b c d Zaden, Craig (December 1970). "Factory Brothers". After Dark: 22–25.
  12. ^ Canby, Vincent (October 6, 1970). "Film: Andy Warhol's 'Trash' Arrives:Heroin Addict's Life Is Theme of Film Techniques of 30's on View at Cinema II". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  13. ^ Borhan, Pierre (October 1, 2007). Man to Man: A History of Gay Photography (1st ed.). Vendome Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-8656-5186-9.
  14. ^ Ferguson, Dr. Michael (2003). Idol Worship: A Shameless Celebration of Male Beauty in the Cinema (2 ed.). STARbooks Press. p. 162. ISBN 978-1-8918-5548-1.
  15. ^ Joe Dallesandro at IMDb
  16. ^ "The Dandy Warhols - "You Are Killing Me" (Official Music Video)". YouTube.
  17. ^ "Factory Cowboys: Working with Warhol". Crew United. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  18. ^ Ferguson & Dallesandro 1998, p. 82
  19. ^ Lyons, Tina (March 1998). "Joe Dallesandro,1998". Index Magazine (13). Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  20. ^ Ferguson & Dallesandro 1998, pp. 19–20
  21. ^ O'Brien, Glenn (July 6, 2009). "Joe Dallesandro". Interview Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  22. ^ O'Brien, Glenn (July 6, 2009). "Joe Dallesandro". Interview. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  23. ^ Roberts, Chris (2004). Lou Reed: Walk On The Wild Side: The Stories Behind the Songs. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-6340-8032-6.
  24. ^ "Album Cover Joe". Joedallesandro.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  25. ^ Grønstad, Asbjørn; Vagnes, Oyvind (2010). Cover Scaping: Discovering Album Aesthetics. Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-8-7635-0774-5.
  26. ^ Fagerheim, Freddy S.; Rune Jensen (December 1, 2005). "Sex-ikon er gull for Briskeby" [Sex icon is gold for Briskeby]. Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (in Norwegian). Retrieved February 8, 2021.
Bibliography
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