Joe Seneca (January 14, 1919 – August 15, 1996)[1] was an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for having played Willie Brown in Crossroads (1986), Dr. Meadows in The Blob (1988), and Dr. Hanes in The Cosby Show.
Joe Seneca | |
|---|---|
 Seneca during filming of 1986's Crossroads | |
| Born | Joel McGhee Jr. January 14, 1919 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | August 15, 1996 (aged 77) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1940s–1996 |
Life and career
editSeneca was born Joel McGhee Jr. in Cleveland, Ohio. Before his acting career, he belonged to the R&B singing group The Three Riffs, which was active from the late 1940s and performed at upscale supper clubs in New York City.[2]
He was also a songwriter and had big hits with "Talk to Me", sung by Little Willie John, and "Break It to Me Gently," which was a smash hit by Brenda Lee in 1962 and by Juice Newton in 1982.
In the 1982 film, The Verdict, Seneca played Dr. Thompson, a small-town women's hospital physician brought in by attorney Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) to support his belief that two famous doctors' incompetence left his client alive but in a coma. Arguably his most well-known roles are that of bluesman Willie Brown in Crossroads (1986) and Dr. Meddows in The Blob (1988), the evil head of a government team sent to contain the title creature.[citation needed]
Seneca also made multiple appearances on The Cosby Show as Hillman President Dr. Zachariah J. Hanes. He also played Alvin Newcastle, a man suffering from Alzheimer's disease, on an episode of The Golden Girls titled "Old Friends".[3] Seneca appeared in Spike Lee's School Daze as Mission College President McPherson.[citation needed]
Seneca played Eddie Haynes on Matlock in the May 9, 1989 episode "The Blues Singer." He later played a murder witness in the October 13, 1993 Law & Order episode "Profile".[citation needed]
Seneca appeared in Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" music video in 1987. Seneca played "Blind Otis Lemon", based on Muddy Waters,[4] a homeless blues legend who gets one last chance to sing and play in a club the night before an operation that may leave him deaf, on Doogie Howser, M.D., season 2 episode 6, "Doogie Sings the Blues", October 17, 1990.
Death
editHe died from cardiac arrest or asthma August 15, 1996 at the age of 77. He was married to his wife, Betty Seneca, until his death.[5]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | Police Sergeant | |
| 1979 | The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh | Mr. Sweets | |
| 1979 | Kramer vs. Kramer | Partygoer #6 | |
| 1982 | The Verdict | Dr. Thompson | |
| 1984 | The Evil That Men Do | Santiago | |
| 1985 | Heart of the Garden | ||
| 1985 | Silverado | Ezra | |
| 1986 | Crossroads | Willie Brown | |
| 1987 | Big Shots | Ferryman | |
| 1987 | A Gathering of Old Men | Clatoo | |
| 1987 | Moments Without Proper Names | ||
| 1988 | School Daze | President McPherson | |
| 1988 | The Blob | Dr. Meddows | |
| 1988 | 227 | Wailing Eddie Tompkins | |
| 1989 | Matlock | "The Blues Singer" | |
| 1989 | In the Heat of the Night | Rev. John Carter | |
| 1990 | Mo' Better Blues | Big Stop's Friend | |
| 1991 | Mississippi Masala | Williben Williams | |
| 1992 | Malcolm X | Toomer | |
| 1993 | The Saint of Fort Washington | Spits | |
| 1993 | Law and Order | ||
| 1996 | A Time to Kill | Reverend Isaiah Street |
References
edit- ^ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 255. ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ "The Three Riffs ", VocalGroupHarmony.com. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ The Golden Girls Season 3 episode 52; air date September 19, 1987.
- ^ Ramakers, Johan (May 11, 2016). "Muddy Waters 4/1983 -". rockandrollparadise.com. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Crocker, Catherine (August 17, 1996). "Obituaries | Joe Seneca, Singer, Composer, Actor". The Seattle Times. Associated Press.
External links
edit- Joe Seneca at IMDb
- New York Times: Joe Seneca, a Character Actor In 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'
- Joe Seneca at Find a Grave
- Joe Seneca discography at Discogs
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