Joseph Pilato

Joseph Pilato (March 16, 1949 – March 24, 2019) was an American film and voice actor. He was perhaps best known for his performance as Captain Rhodes in the 1985 film Day of the Dead.

He was born in Fitchburg in 1949 to an Italian-American family. His father was a professional trombonist with the Les Brown Orchestra. Joseph was enrolled into Catholic school and became an altar boy, where his talent for acting was developed.

Joe Pilato died in his sleep on March 24, 2019, eight days after his 70th birthday.

Day of the Dead and success

In 1984, six years after the release of Dawn of the Dead, director George A. Romero, was planning a new zombie film called Day of the Dead. Pilato had appeared as a cameo in Dawn of the Dead as a police officer, which had been his first feature film role. Pilato was selected to play United States Army Captain Rhodes. He is perhaps best known for his performance, and the film, along with its predecessors, has become a classic.

Later career and other projects

He would later land minor roles in such films as Wishmaster, Pulp Fiction, Digimon: The Movie, and Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D.