Soap star Joe Marinelli, best known for his roles in "General Hospital," "Santa Barbara," and "The Morning Show," died Sunday from stomach cancer at 68, his wife told The Hollywood Reporter.
"I really loved him and what he stood for," his "Morning Show" castmate Mark Duplass said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "We didn't spend 10,000 hours together, but we were spiritually aligned in many ways."
Duplass went on to recall working with Marinelli.
"The great Joe Marinelli acted in my very first movie at film school 40 years ago and again in Sideways," Payne said. "Aside from being an extraordinary artist, he was a uniquely magnificent human being with a heart as big as the ocean."
Marinelli, born on Jan. 21, 1957, in Meriden, Connecticut, relocated to Southern California at the age of 4. He later attended high school in Los Angeles and Reno, Nevada. He went on to study at Loyola Marymount University and pursued formal acting training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), according to People.
After returning to the U.S., Marinelli began performing in small theater productions around Los Angeles while supporting himself with carpentry jobs. His early acting break came in the mid-1980s with guest roles on popular TV dramas like "Hill Street Blues," "Cagney & Lacey," "Paper Dolls," and "L.A. Law," which led to a connection with executive producer Jill Farren Phelps, who later cast him in “Santa Barbara” as the cross-dressing mobster Bunny Tagliatti.
Marinelli appeared in "Santa Barbara" from 1988-90, when his contract came to an end. In 1993, he joined "Guiding Light" as bank robber Pauly Hardman and later portrayed another criminal character, Joseph Sorel, on "General Hospital" from 1999 to 2001.
Marinelli landed more than 50 roles across film and television, with appearances in projects such as "One Last Ride," "Hunter," "ER," "The King of Queens," "NYPD Blue," "The West Wing," "The Practice," "House," "Castle," "Desperate Housewives," "Parenthood," "The Offer," and "Ray Donovan."
He is survived by Jean Marinelli, his wife of 34 years, and their sons Vincent Marinelli and David Marinelli.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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