Joe Regalbuto

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BIRTHDAY

August 24, 1949

Brooklyn, New York, USA

RECENT CREDITS

Criminal Minds (TV) Dec. 10, 2008

The Ghost Whisperer (TV) Oct. 24, 2008

Bottle Shock (FILM) Aug. 6, 2008

Wizards of Waverly Place (TV) Oct. 26, 2007

A Side Order of Life (TV) Sep. 16, 2007

View all Joe Regalbuto Credits

BIOGRAPHY

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American character actor with thinning hair and a pained expression on his face, known primarily for his work on TV, Regalbuto made his TV debut as an alien intent on killing the title characters on "Mork and Mindy". He was then cast as the ambitious junior partner of a law firm whose only goal was to take over the firm in the short-lived series "The Associates" (ABC, 1979-80), with Martin Short. In 1983, he was Tim Conway's assistant on "Ace Crawford, Private Eye" (CBS) and on ABC's "Street Hawk", a 1985 short-lived series, he was the engineer who had developed Rex Smith's super-charged motorcycle. But it wasn't until he was cast as the socially insecure newsman, Frank Fontana, on CBS' "Murphy Brown" (1988-98) that Regalbuto had an outlet to showcase his considerable comic talents. "Murphy Brown" also helped Regalbuto gain larger roles in TV-movies. He was particularly memorable in "Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean" (1990) as the one associate Helmsley (Suzanne Pleshette) couldn't buffalo. He was the lead opposite Morgan Fairchild in "Winter Block" (USA, 1991).

Regalbuto has worked sporadically in feature films, beginning with the forgettable "Schizoid" (1980). He was Frank Teruggi, a friend of Sissy Spacek's, whose body Spacek and Jack Lemmon find in "Missing" (1982), and a priest in "The Sicilians" (1987). On stage, Regalbuto starred in the Broadway and Los Angeles productions of "Division Street".

Regalbuto's "Murphy Brown" fame has also spilled over into TV commercials, where he has become a frequent spokesperson for products since the mid-90s.

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