From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Joseph Vito DeSantis June 15 1909 August 30 1989 was an American radio television movie and theatrical actor and sculptor Joe De Santis was born Joseph Vito Marcello De Santis to Italian immigrant parents in New York City De Santis played in numerous films the high point of his career came in 1962 with A Cold Wind in August He was also featured in I Want to Live and The Brotherhood With the advent of television Joe became known as a skilled character actor who could play convincing dialect characters mugs suave heavies and emotional leads He was active in such early television series as Playhouse 90 Studio One Sheriff of Cochise and he appeared regularly on the programs of Red Buttons Martha Raye and Sid Caesar shows In addition to many single performances on other series like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Joe had a recurring presence in such shows as The Untouchables 77 Sunset Strip Perry Mason Mission Impossible and in the westerns such as Sugarfoot Daniel Boone Gunsmoke Sara and Bonanza De Santis retired to Provo Utah in 1978 to be close to family and resided there until his death in 1989 He died in 1989 at the age of eighty of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease