Biography
Joe Viola (1938–2024) was an American screenwriter, director and producer. Born in The Bronx, he began his career directing television commercials before collaborating with Jonathan Demme on the films Angels Hard as They Come (1971), which he directed, The Hot Box (1972) and Black Mama, White Mama (1973). He later served as first assistant director on Demme's Stop Making Sense (1984) and contributed to Beah: A Black Woman Speaks (2003).
Viola wrote extensively for television. He was a story editor on T. J. Hooker and Cagney & Lacey, for which he also wrote episodes in 1987. His credits include episodes of MacGyver (1985), Law & Order (1990–1991, story and teleplay), Melrose Place (1992) and others such as The Bionic Woman and One Day at a Time. He produced series including Equal Justice, WIOU and Dellaventura, and wrote the segment "Manhattan Miracle" for the anthology film Subway Stories (1997).
