Joe Dorsey

Veteran supporting character actor Joe Dorsey started acting in the early 1970s in major films and television shows including small parts in WarGames (1983) and The Longest Yard (1974). Though his acting career in films had just started, he had actually begun his acting career on stage decades earlier having modeled as the first official 'Marlboro Man' in summer stock theater before moving into off- Broadway productions in the 1960's such as 'Fortune and Men's Eyes' opposite Sal Mineo and a then-unknown Tommy Lee Jones. Dorsey eventually relocated to Atlanta, Georgia and received a major supporting role in the cult action/horror film Grizzly (1976) playing the arrogant and selfish National Park Supervisor Charlie Kittridge opposite Christopher George. Grizzly (1976) became a box office hit and was the top grossing independent film of 1976. It was also during this time that Dorsey became the first President of Georgia's Screen Actors Guild and played an instrumental role lobbying work from Hollywood to benefit actors living within the state of Georgia. Dorsey's presence as a reliable character actor in Georgia eventually catapulted him to a successful career in a handful of memorable supporting roles that filmed within the state such as Norma Rae (1979) opposite Sally Field, The Million Dollar Dixie Deliverance (1978), The Lincoln Conspiracy (1977), a humorous role as Coach Spinks in The Great Santini (1979) with Robert Duvall, Colonel Conley in WarGames (1983) with Matthew Broderick and Real Genius (1985) with Val Kilmer. Dorsey eventually took work in film and television outside Georgia as well. One of Dorsey's most memorable roles was playing scientist Hal Abrahamson in the major science fiction film Brainstorm (1983) starring Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood, who unfortunately died under tragic circumstances during filming. Dorsey also worked on location in Malaysia playing Gene Hackman's commanding officer Colonel Douglass in [linktt0094712]. His many television credits include Roots (1977), The Dukes of Hazzard (1979), L.A. Law (1986), Dallas (1978), Simon & Simon (1981), General Hospital (1963), The Incredible Hulk (1977), Remington Steele (1982) and Coach (1989). By the mid 1990's, Dorsey occasionally took breaks from acting for golfing, going on a vacation and visiting family. His son Alexander Dorsey, directed the film Killing Midnight (1997) which was one of Dorsey's last acting credits. After retiring from acting, Dorsey built a ranch in Arizona with his father and later relocated to his native Florida, having lived on Grant's Island and then Okeechobee. Today, Joe Dorsey lives with his family on the coast of Colon, Republic of Panama.