Joe Regalbuto (born August 24, 1949) is an American actor and director known for his role as Frank Fontana on the CBS television sitcom Murphy Brown (1988–1998, 2018).
Life and Career[]
Regalbuto graduated from New Milford High School in New Milford, New Jersey, in 1967.
In 1982 Joe Regalbuto played a supporting role in the critically acclaimed film Missing. Also in 1982, Regalbuto played Darius, in the cult sci-fi/fantasy The Sword and the Sorcerer and on television he played Kalnik, an evil alien, in three episodes of Mork & Mindy.
He starred in the CBS series Knots Landing in the 1984-1985 and 1985-1986 season as a character called Harry Fisher who had taken possession of the Ewing twins illegally which centered on the Black Market storyline.
In 1986 Regalbuto also starred in the TV movie Fuzz Bucket and the short-lived series Street Hawk.
In 1988, he played the part of Rebecca Devereaux's verbally abusive boyfriend, Jeremy in the TV series The Golden Girls.
Joe starred in Murphy Brown for the entire run of the acclaimed series from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998. On February 26, 2018, Regalbuto would return for a revival series.
Late in the series, Regalbuto directed more than 20 episodes of Murphy Brown. He also has directed episodes of Titus, George Lopez, Wizards of Waverly Place and other television programs. Regalbuto also was an early spokesman for DirecTV when it first came out.
In 2002, he appeared on the final season (5th) of the Ally McBeal TV series, episode 10, "One Hundred Tears", as Harvey Hall, a man who believed he could fly, using wings of his own making.
In 2008, he had a small role in the movie Bottle Shock. In 2008, he also had guest roles in the TV series Ghost Whisperer and Criminal Minds. In 2009, Regalbuto had a guest appearance on NCIS.
In 2012, he played the critically acclaimed part of Mr Rogers in the TV Series Southland: "his character feigned grief in what Det. Lydia Adams (Regina King) called 'an Academy Award-winning performance.' He's not eligible for an Oscar, but Regalbuto might just get an Emmy".
He has also directed episodes of Hot in Cleveland - Season 3, Episode 5 in 2011 and Season 4, Episodes 6 and 7 in 2013.
In 2015, he had a guest role as Stuart "Stu" Sloan in episode 4, "Turn Down", of season 4 in the TV series Major Crimes.
Gallery[]
.jpg "MB Reunion (1).jpg (50 KB)")
External links[]
- Joe Regalbuto on Wikipedia
- Joe Regalbuto on IMDb