Joe Zaso
Encyclopedia
Joseph Zaso is an American actor and filmmaker.
He is a b-movie
regular and has been involved in the low budget science fiction
and horror
industry since 1990. Zaso, an avid bodybuilder, is usually cast as husky villains.
-Italian and Russian
ancestry.
-inspired Five Dead on the Crimson Canvas.
He teamed up with New York
director Kevin Lindenmuth on several pictures, including Alien Agenda: Endangered Species (1998), Rage of the Werewolf (1999), and Addicted to Murder 3: Blood Lust (2000). He also worked with German horror director Andreas Schnaas
on both Demonium (2001) and Nikos
(2003).
Zaso has also appeared as an extra in the film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
(1993) and on the popular daytime TV series
, Days of our Lives
.
Zaso appeared as the Jersey Devil in a special promotional video created for the New Jersey Devils
hockey team, which played in the Prudential Center before all 2007/2008 games.
According to his MySpace profile, Zaso admires the work of film directors Dario Argento
, Woody Allen
, Robert Altman
, and Alfred Hitchcock
.
He is a b-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
regular and has been involved in the low budget science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
industry since 1990. Zaso, an avid bodybuilder, is usually cast as husky villains.
Biography
Joe Zaso is of SicilianSicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
-Italian and Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
ancestry.
Movie career
He formed his own film production company Cinema Image Productions in 1986 and since then he has primarily produced and acted in horror films. Zaso broke into the film industry with the horror musical It's Only a Movie (1990), which he wrote, directed, and appeared in. He followed it up with several producing jobs, including the Italian gialloGiallo
Giallo is an Italian 20th century genre of literature and film, which in Italian indicates crime fiction and mystery. In the English language it refers to a genre similar to the French fantastique genre and includes elements of horror fiction and eroticism...
-inspired Five Dead on the Crimson Canvas.
He teamed up with New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
director Kevin Lindenmuth on several pictures, including Alien Agenda: Endangered Species (1998), Rage of the Werewolf (1999), and Addicted to Murder 3: Blood Lust (2000). He also worked with German horror director Andreas Schnaas
Andreas Schnaas
Andreas Schnaas is a German director and actor, working exclusively in the horror genre. Since he first appeared on the film scene in 1989, Schnaas has become a leader in Germany's ultra-violent low-budget horror film industry.- Early years :Andreas Schnaas was born in Hamburg and embraced cinema...
on both Demonium (2001) and Nikos
Nikos (film)
Nikos the Impaler is a b-grade splatter film directed by and starring German arteur Andreas Schnaas. It follows a reincarnated barbarian as he wreaks havok on modern day New York City.- Synopsis :...
(2003).
Zaso has also appeared as an extra in the film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a 1993 American semi fictionalized biographical martial arts action film telling the story of actor and martial arts expert Bruce Lee, starring Jason Scott Lee as Bruce Lee, Lauren Holly and Robert Wagner...
(1993) and on the popular daytime TV series
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
.
Zaso appeared as the Jersey Devil in a special promotional video created for the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
hockey team, which played in the Prudential Center before all 2007/2008 games.
According to his MySpace profile, Zaso admires the work of film directors Dario Argento
Dario Argento
Dario Argento is an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, particularly in the subgenre known as giallo, and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies....
, Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
, Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
, and Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
.
Filmography
- It's Only a Movie! (1990)
- Five Dead on the Crimson Canvas (1996)
- Guilty Pleasures (1997)
- Creaturealm: From the Dead (1998)
- Evil Streets (1998)
- Alien Agenda: Endangered Species (1998)
- Rage of the Werewolf (1999)
- Addicted to Murder 3: Blood Lust (2000)
- Date with a Vampire (2001)
- Demonium (2001)
- NikosNikos (film)Nikos the Impaler is a b-grade splatter film directed by and starring German arteur Andreas Schnaas. It follows a reincarnated barbarian as he wreaks havok on modern day New York City.- Synopsis :...
(2003) - The Adventures of Young Van Helsing: The Quest for the Lost ScepterThe Adventures of Young Van Helsing: The Quest for the Lost ScepterThe Adventures of Young Van Helsing: The Quest for the Lost Scepter is a 2004 direct-to-video film starring Keith Jordan, Joe Zaso, and Tomm Bauer. It was directed by Kevin Summerfield and distributed exclusively through UAV Entertainment and Wal-Mart.- Plot :...
(2004) - And Then They Were Dead... (2004)
- Red Midnight (2005)
- Demon Resurrection (2005)
- Angel's Blade (2006)
- BarricadeBarricade (2007 film)Barricade - Welcome to Hell is a 2007 horror/splatter feature film from German director Timo Rose, it stars American actors Raine Brown and Joseph Zaso and Germany's André Reissig, Thomas Kercmar, Manoush, and Andreas Pape. It was written by Timo Rose and Ted Geoghegan.-Plot:The film follows three...
(2007) - Darkness Surrounds Roberta (2007)
- Timo Rose's Beast (2008)