Joe Dorsey
Encyclopedia
Joe Dorsey is an American character actor
. This familiar supporting player is probably best known for his portrayals of tough roles in films, even though most of his work in films and in television has been brief.
Dorsey is perhaps best known for his role as the mean and greedy National Park Supervisor Kitteridge in the 1976 hit cult classic horror/adventure film Grizzly
(1976). Dorsey also had a rather short but memorable role as Coach Spinks, alongside Robert Duvall
in The Great Santini
(1979), as well as co-starring as Christopher Walken's close scientist friend in Brainstorm
(1983). Dorsey has also been seen in numerous television shows and another thirty films from the 1970s into the 1990s that also included Norma Rae
(1979), WarGames
(1983), Real Genius
(1985), and Code of Vengeance
(1985) before making his final film appearance in the independent film Killing Midnight (1997) which was directed by his son Alexander. Dorsey is now retired.
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
. This familiar supporting player is probably best known for his portrayals of tough roles in films, even though most of his work in films and in television has been brief.
Dorsey is perhaps best known for his role as the mean and greedy National Park Supervisor Kitteridge in the 1976 hit cult classic horror/adventure film Grizzly
Grizzly (film)
Grizzly is a 1976 horror film directed by William Girdler. The film is about an 18-foot man-eating Grizzly bear that terrorizes a National Forest. The film stars Christopher George, Andrew Prine and Richard Jaeckel...
(1976). Dorsey also had a rather short but memorable role as Coach Spinks, alongside Robert Duvall
Robert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
in The Great Santini
The Great Santini
The Great Santini is a 1979 film which tells the story of a Marine officer whose success as a military aviator contrasts with his shortcomings as a husband and father. The film explores the high price of heroism and self-sacrifice...
(1979), as well as co-starring as Christopher Walken's close scientist friend in Brainstorm
Brainstorm (1983 film)
Brainstorm is a 1983 science fiction film directed by Douglas Trumbull and starring Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood...
(1983). Dorsey has also been seen in numerous television shows and another thirty films from the 1970s into the 1990s that also included Norma Rae
Norma Rae
Norma Rae is a 1979 American drama film that tells the story of a factory worker from a small town in North Carolina, who becomes involved in the labor union activities at the textile factory where she works...
(1979), WarGames
WarGames
WarGames is a 1983 American Cold War suspense/science-fiction film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film stars Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy....
(1983), Real Genius
Real Genius
Real Genius is a 1985 satirical comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge. The film's screenplay was written by Neal Israel, Pat Proft and Peter Torokvei. It stars Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret....
(1985), and Code of Vengeance
Code of Vengeance
Code of Vengeance is the umbrella title for a series of American television programs, produced by Universal Television, that aired on NBC in 1985 and 1986. Charles Taylor stars as David Dalton, a Vietnam veteran who has become a drifter, travelling across the United States in a camper van with only...
(1985) before making his final film appearance in the independent film Killing Midnight (1997) which was directed by his son Alexander. Dorsey is now retired.