Joe Seneca
Joe Seneca ( born January 14, 1919 in Cleveland, Ohio; † August 15, 1996 in New York City, New York; actually Joel McGhee ) was an American composer and actor.
Life
Seneca began his career as a singer in a doo wop group called The Three riffs, but with no significant commercial success. He then devoted himself to composing. His songs were, among others, Al Green, The Beach Boys, James Brown ( talk to me ), Doris Day ( Here We Go Again ), Aretha Franklin, Brenda Lee (Break It to Me Gently ), Ike & Tina Turner ( It's Gonna Work Out Fine ) and Tom Jones ( Darling ) interpreted.
In the early 1970s he turned to acting and had after appearances at smaller theaters in 1974 made his Broadway debut in a production of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men with James Earl Jones in the lead role. In 1981, he starred opposite Elizabeth Taylor in a Broadway production of The Little Foxes. Between 1984 and 1985 he was part of the original cast of August Wilson's Ma Rainey 's Black Bottom of the blues singer Ma Rainey.
His feature film debut was in 1974 in Seneca a small supporting role in Stop the Death Ride the Subway 123, followed by more subordinate roles in Kramer vs. Kramer, The Verdict - The truth and nothing but the truth, and Silverado. He played a bigger role in 1986 in Walter Hill Cross Road Blues - pact with the devil as Willie Brown, he had a more important role in Streets of New York alongside Danny Glover and Matt Dillon. In addition to his film appearances, he was also seen as a guest star in various television series, including, among others, Golden Girls, Matlock and Law & Order.
Joe Seneca was married, he died of an asthma attack.