Joseph Mascolo

Joseph Mascolo (born March 13, 1929) is an American musician and former dramatic actor. During his long career, he has acted in numerous motion pictures and television series. He is best known for playing Stefano DiMera, a role he originated in 1982 on NBC's long running drama Days of Our Lives.

Personal life

Mascolo was born and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut. His parents were immigrants from Italy, Peter Mascolo (1901–2008) and Anna Mascolo (née DeTuccio) (1910–2010), who had their 80th wedding anniversary shortly before his father died. Mascolo has one sister, Marie LaVoie. He attended the University of Miami and then the United States Military Academy. He originally trained in classical music. Mascolo married Rose Maimone in 1953 and they have a son named Peter. Rose died in 1986. In 2005, Mascolo married for the second time when he married Patricia Schultz.

Career

Mascolo appeared in the 1978 film Jaws 2 as Len Peterson, a property developer who confronted Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) when the Chief brought forth the underwater photograph of what he believed was another great white shark. He also appeared in Sharky's Machine (1981) and Heat (1986), both starring Burt Reynolds. His other movie appearances included Shaft's Big Score (1972), Happy Mother's Day, Love George (1973), The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973), Gangster Wars (1981) and Yes, Giorgio (1982), starring Luciano Pavarotti.