Joe Napolitano
Also recorded as Joseph Ralph Napolitano
Joe Napolitano
- Born
- 1948 · New York City.
- Died
- 2016 · Los Angeles.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- film director · television director
In this article
Key facts
• Name — Joe Napolitano
• Birth Name — Joseph Ralph Napolitano
• Born — 1948 11 22
• Birthplace — Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
• Died — 2016 7 23
• Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S.
• Other Names — J. R. Napolitano
• Occupation — Television director
• Years Active — 1974–2016
Joseph Ralph Napolitano (November 22, 1948 – July 23, 2016) was an American television director who worked on multiple episodic series. He previously was a film assistant director.
Career
Napolitano's television credits include directing twelve episodes of Quantum Leap, two episodes of The X-Files, two episodes of Picket Fences, three episodes of The Pretender, two episodes of L.A. Doctors, two episodes of Dawson's Creek, four episodes of Boston Public, and fourteen episodes of Strong Medicine, as well as the 1991 TV film Earth Angel. The TV film Contagious earned an American Latino Media Arts Award for actress Elizabeth Peña for 'Outstanding Actress in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series'.
In the 1980s, Napolitano's work included acting as assistant director on feature film projects, working on films with directors Brian Hutton, Danny DeVito, Stuart Rosenberg, Donald P. Bellisario, Ron Howard, Howard Zieff, Terry Gilliam, Antoine Fuqua, and on multiple projects directed by Brian De Palma.
Television
Source:
• The Big Blue Marble (unknown episodes)
• Earth Angel (1991) (TV film)
• Reasonable Doubts (1 episode, 1991)
• I'll Fly Away (1 episode, 1992)
• Quantum Leap (12 episodes, 1990–1992)
• Covington Cross (1 episode, 1992)
• Going to Extremes (1 episode, 1992)
• Northern Exposure (1 episode, 1993)
• Class of '96 (1 episode, 1993)
• SeaQuest 2032 (1 episode, 1993)
• The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1 episode, 1993)
• The X-Files (2 episodes, 1993–1994)
• M.A.N.T.I.S. (1 episode, 1994)
• Medicine Ball (1995)
• Earth 2 (3 episodes, 1994–1995)
• Chicago Hope (1 episode, 1995)
• Picket Fences (2 episodes, 1995–1996)
• Murder One (1 episode, 1996)
• Viper (1 episode, 1996)
• Contagious (1997) (TV film)
• The Practice (1 episode, 1997)
• JAG (4 episodes, 1995–1997)
• Ally McBeal (1 episode, 1997)
• Hotel del Sol (1998)
• The Pretender (3 episodes, 1997–1998)
• Mercy Point (1998)
• Wasteland (1 episode, 1999)
• L.A. Doctors (2 episodes, 1999)
• Cold Feet (1999)
• Martial Law (1 episode, 1999)
• Snoops (1 episode, 1999)
• Dawson's Creek (2 episodes, 1998–2000)
• The Huntress (2000)
• FreakyLinks (1 episode, 2001)
• Kate Brasher (2001)
• For the People (2002)
• Birds of Prey (1 episode, 2003)
• Boston Public (4 episodes, 2001–2003)
• The District (1 episode, 2003)
• Strong Medicine (14 episodes, 2000–2006)
• Bones (1 episode, 2006)
• Runaway (1 episode, 2006)
• Cashmere Mafia (1 episode, 2008)
Video games
• Zork: Nemesis (1996)
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
New York City.
Birth place
Los Angeles.
Death place
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Joe Napolitano, revision 1366486713 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record.
Film
Source:
• The First Deadly Sin (1980) – Director: Brian Hutton
• Blow Out (1981) – Director: Brian De Palma
• Scarface (1983) – Director: Brian De Palma
• The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) – Director: Stuart Rosenberg
• Body Double (1984) – Director: Brian De Palma
• Wise Guys (1986) – Director: Brian De Palma
• The Untouchables (1987) – Director: Brian De Palma
• Throw Momma from the Train (1987) – Director: Danny DeVito
• Last Rites (1988) Also as second unit director – Director: Donald P. Bellisario
• Parenthood (1989) – Director: Ron Howard
• The Dream Team (1989) – Director: Howard Zieff
• The Fisher King (1991) – Director: Terry Gilliam
• Brooklyn's Finest (2008) Also co-producer – Director: Antoine Fuqua
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Birth reference via intelius.com & stevenmorse.org
- 2.McClendon, Lamarco. Joe Napolitano, 'Quantum Leap,' 'X-Files' Director Dies at 67. variety.com. 26 July 2016.
- 3.Jerry Roberts. Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors, Volume 1. Scarecrow Press. 411. 2009. 978-0-8108-6138-1.
- 4.Joe Napolitano filmography. The New York Times.
- 5.Yahoo! TV. Joe Napolitano credits.
- 6.Yahoo! Movies. Joe Napolitano (II).
- 7.Elizabeth Pena: 1998 - ALMA Award - Outstanding Actress in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series for Contagious. OneIndia.
- 8.Movies:The Fisher King (1991). The New York Times. 2009.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 29 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
35,675 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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- Joe NussbaumPerson
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- Joe PasternakPerson
- Joe PichlerPerson
Best supported in this field
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