Joe had two sons and a daughter.
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Santos’ son, Perry, told TMZ that his father suffered a heart attack on March 16 at his Los Angeles home.
Santos died Friday in Santa Monica, California, after a heart attack earlier in the week, according to his agent Alicia Beekman.
From 1974-80 he played Becker, the friend of the easygoing ex-convict-turned-private investigator Jim Rockford (played by James Garner) in “The Rockford Files”.
Notes TVLine, “In 1979, Santos was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal [as Becker], a role he inhabited for six seasons and several subsequent TV movies”.
Santos racked up dozens of film and television credits over the course of his 40 year career, but he’s best remembered for playing the very different roles of Sgt. Becker on The Rockford Files and Consigliere Angelo Garepe on The Sopranos. He’s so good and so professional, and he’s got so much enthusiasm.
Success was long in coming, and he paid his dues for years in a number of blue-collar jobs including railroad worker, tree trimmer, cabbie and barkeep while taking acting classes.
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His big screen appearances included Panic in Needle Park, where he starred opposite Al Pacino, and the 1968 Frank Sinatra film The Detective. It was a football injury that led to him becoming an actor.
