---
name: "Joe Santos"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/joe-santos"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "9 June 1931"
died: "18 March 2016"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T16:51:28.546308+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Joe Santos

Actor. Born 9 June 1931 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. Died 18 March 2016.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 9 June 1931, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 18 March 2016
- **Also known as:** Joseph John Minieri Jr.

## Biography

Joe Santos, born Joseph John Minieri Jr., was an American actor. He was best known for playing Police Sgt. (later Lt.) Dennis Becker on the NBC series *The Rockford Files* (1974–1980). The role earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He reprised the character in eight *The Rockford Files* television movies between 1994 and 1999.

Santos appeared in films including *The Panic in Needle Park* (1971), *The Last Boy Scout* (1991), *The Postman* (1997) and *The Man from Elysian Fields* (2001). On television he had recurring roles as Angelo Garepe on *The Sopranos* and Lt. Frank Harper on *Hardcastle and McCormick* (1985–1986). Born in Brooklyn, New York, on 9 June 1931, he died on 18 March 2016 in Santa Monica, California.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, hollywoodreporter.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Rockford Files* (1974), Fi1m 83, as Dennis Becker — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-rockford-files.md)

## Also known for

- *The Sopranos* (1999), Angelo Garepe — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-sopranos.md)
- *The Last Boy Scout* (1991), Bessalo
- *The Postman* (1997), Getty
- *The A-Team* (1983), Rudy Garcia - Plant Foreman
- *MacGyver* (1985), Jimmy 'The Eraser' Kendall / Lou Rizzo, Jimmy 'The Eraser' Kendall / Louie
- *Quantum Leap* (1989), Tony
- *Blue Thunder* (1983), Montoya
- *Miami Vice* (1984), Oscar Carrera — [page](https://film.one/tv/miami-vice.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/joe-santos