Joe Santos made a police contact feel like a man with a working day of his own. We value his unshowy resistance to a leading man's charm, most clearly in the put-upon Dennis Becker of The Rockford Files.
Fi1m perspective
James Garner's Jim Rockford can be charming, but Joe Santos's Dennis Becker has work to do. In The Rockford Files (1974), Santos makes the police contact substantial enough to resist the lead, which gives Garner someone worth persuading. We grew fond of Becker because Santos let him be annoyed with Rockford without making the friendship seem doubtful. Santos allows that irritation and loyalty to coexist without making a fuss, and the series is better for it.
The Panic in Needle Park (1971), in which he played Detective DiBono, and The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) placed him in urban crime films suited to his blunt diction and unshowy presence. The miniseries The Blue Knight (1973) brought wider attention and helped make police work a casting habit. Becker became his defining part; the sturdy physical presence and Brooklyn speech made him a natural choice for a man who expected a difficult working day.
That casting was useful, but The Rockford Files shows how much depended on the other actors. Noah Beery Jr.'s unfussy Rocky and Stuart Margolin's more disruptive Angel Martin give the series distinct kinds of company, while Garner leaves room for each supporting player to establish himself. Some mysteries are routine, and the pleasure often lies in spending time with these people. Santos helps keep it from becoming a programme in which everyone waits for the star to speak.
Blue Thunder (1983), in which he plays Montoya, gives the helicopter more attention than the people. John Badham's aerial action makes it an entertaining thriller, but the predictable writing limits the characters. We recommend it on those terms, rather than as the place to discover Santos. His 2004 role as Angelo Garepe, a mob consigliere in The Sopranos, marked a later departure from decades of good-cop casting. For Santos himself, start with The Rockford Files and give him a few episodes to become familiar.
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.
