Robert Costanzo (born 20 October 1942; age 82) is a veteran character actor who appeared as Slade Bender in the Star Trek: The Next Generation second season episode "Manhunt". Hailing from Brooklyn, Costanzo has amassed a career spanning over four decades and over two hundred film and television credits.
Film work[]
Costanzo has dozens of feature films to his credit. Small roles in films such as Dog Day Afternoon (1975, featuring Chris Sarandon and Carol Kane), The Goodbye Girl (1977), and Saturday Night Fever (1977) gave way to larger supporting roles in films like Fatso (1980), Two of a Kind (1983), and The Lightship (1986). He found his greatest success in features during the 1990s, beginning with a key supporting role in Total Recall (1990), featuring Marc Alaimo, Roy Brocksmith, Ronny Cox, Mel Johnson, Jr., Frank Kopyc, Lycia Naff, and the voice of Robert Picardo. In addition, Jon Povill was credited with the film's story.
Also in 1990, Costanzo appeared twice with Next Generation co-star (and later Star Trek: Deep Space Nine regular) Colm Meaney: Dick Tracy (with Kathy Bates, Hamilton Camp, Seymour Cassel, Tony Epper, Ed McCready, Michael J. Pollard, Bert Remsen, John Schuck, Paul Sorvino and Ian Wolfe) and Die Hard 2 (with William Sadler and Sheila McCarthy).
Costanzo's subsequent films include City Slickers (1991, with David Paymer, Tracey Walter and Noble Willingham), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992, with Seymour Cassel and Keone Young), North (1994, with Jason Alexander, Kathy Bates, Lauren Tom, Rosalind Chao and Keone Young), and For Better or Worse (1996, starring and directed by Jason Alexander). He was the second male lead in Man's Best Friend (1993) and also co-starred with Star Trek: The Original Series actor James Doohan in 1995's Storybook.
Costanzo also had small roles in such films as Alex & Emma (2003, with Jordan Lund) and Searching for Bobby D (with Michael Nouri) and supporting roles in In the Mix (2009) and Flyboys (2009). In addition, he starred in the 2007 independent film Banished, which he also associate produced. He also appeared in Dark Room Theater (2009) and Wild Ride (2010).
Television work[]
Besides The Next Generation, Costanzo has made guest appearances on numerous television series, including The Bob Newhart Show, Barney Miller, Charlie's Angels, Who's the Boss?, The Golden Girls, Family Ties, Murder, She Wrote, The Fall Guy, Night Court (starring John Larroquette), Beverly Hills, 90210, Ally McBeal, ER, Will & Grace, and CSI: NY. He also had recurring roles on St. Elsewhere and three series from creator Steven Bochco: Hill Street Blues (starring Barbara Babcock, Barbara Bosson and James B. Sikking), L.A. Law (starring Corbin Bernsen), and NYPD Blue (starring Gordon Clapp and Sharon Lawrence).
He was a regular on several short-lived programs, including The Last Resort (1979-80) and CBS' Checking In (1981). He is known for playing Joey Tribbiani Sr., the father of Matt LeBlanc's character, on an episode of Friends and an episode of Joey. Perhaps his best-known television role, however, is the voice of Detective Harvey Bullock on the various Batman animated series and movies of the 1990s.
Costanzo's other TV credits include a number of shows co-starring actors who had been or would become regulars on a Star Trek series. In 1985, he appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone which also featured Star Trek: Voyager's Tim Russ (albeit, in a separate segment). In 1989, Costanzo appeared on Quantum Leap, starring Star Trek: Enterprise's Scott Bakula and Enterprise guest Dean Stockwell, and Early Edition (1998, with The Original Series's George Takei).
Costanzo is one of the many Star Trek actors who appeared in HBO's 61*. His co-stars included Seymour Cassel, J.D. Cullum, Charles Esten, Bob Gunton, Robert Joy, Christopher McDonald, Bruce McGill, Michael Nouri, Dell Yount and Connor Trinneer.
Costanzo voiced in an episode of The Zeta Project (2002, with Michael Dorn and Voyager guest star Michael McKean). He also supplied the voice of Philoctetes on Hercules: Zero to Hero (1999), the series House of Mouse, and the video games Arcade Frenzy, Kingdom Hearts, and Kingdom Hearts II. In addition, he lent his voice to a 2006 episode of Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy.
In 2007, Costanzo appeared in an episode of the FX series Dirt, along with Jeffrey Nordling, Mariette Hartley and Randy Oglesby. He then appeared on Boston Legal, starring Original Series actor William Shatner and Deep Space Nine's René Auberjonois.
Other Trek connections[]
Additional projects in which Costanzo worked with other Star Trek alumni include:
Features[]
- Between the Lines (1977, starring Lindsay Crouse, with Stephen Collins, Joe Morton and Michael J. Pollard)
- Bloodbrothers (1978, with Bruce French and Paul Sorvino)
- Shoot the Moon (1982, with George Murdock and Peter Weller)
- The Star Chamber (1983, with Michael Ensign, Larry A. Hankin, and James B. Sikking)
- Up the Creek (1984, with James B. Sikking)
- The Boss' Wife (1986, with Christopher Plummer)
- Underworld (1996, with Jimmie F. Skaggs)
- With Friends Like These... (1998, with Michael McKean)
- The Last Producer (2000, with Marnie McPhail)
TV movies[]
- A Question of Guilt (1978, directed by Robert Butler)
- The Ratings Game (1984, with Michael Ensign, Gerrit Graham, and Vincent Schiavelli)
- Call Me Clause (2001, with Whoopi Goldberg)
TV series[]
- Lou Grant episode "Romance" (1979, with Craig Wasson)
- Gimme a Break! episode "Greenlawn Street Blues" (1983, with Miriam Flynn and John Hoyt)
- Hill Street Blues episodes:
- "Hair Apparent" (1984, with Barbara Babcock, Barbara Bosson, and James B. Sikking; directed by Corey Allen)
- "Lucky Ducks" (1984, with Babcock, Bosson, and Sikking)
- "Eva's Brawn" (1984, with Babcock, Bosson, Clayton Rohner, and Sikking)
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman episodes:
- "Foundling" (1994, with K Callan, Teri Hatcher, Tony Jay, Tracy Scoggins, and David Warner)
- "Tempus Fugitive" (1995, with K Callan and Teri Hatcher)
- Caroline in the City (1997, starring Lea Thompson, with Alan Oppenheimer)
- NCIS (2004, directed by Terrence O'Hara)
- Tulsa King (2024, with Neal McDonough)