Career

Campanella appeared in such television shows as Decoy, The Eleventh Hour, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, Alias Smith and Jones , The Untouchables, Police Story, The Road West, The Invaders, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rockford Files, The Golden Girls, and Mama's Family. He had a recurring role from 1959 to 1962 as a criminal named Joe Turino on the long-running CBS daytime drama The Guiding Light. He had a role in 1967 as Lew Wickersham in the television series Mannix as Joe Mannix's boss and friend, before the P.I. went solo and started his own firm. Campanella appeared as attorney Brian Darrell from 1969 to 1972 in The Bold Ones: The Lawyers. Campanella played Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Captain Monty Ballard in the crime drama TV movie "Sky Heist" in 1975. He played Ann Romano's ex-husband, Ed Cooper, in eight episodes of One Day at a Time (1975-1984) and Barbara Stanwyck's love interest in the first season (1985-1986) of the Aaron Spelling's short-lived Dynasty spinoff, The Colbys. He also appeared in a second season episode of The Golden Girls as a detective. The actor had a prominent role as Harper Deveraux on the soap opera Days of Our Lives from 1987 to 1988 and from 1990 to 1992, and a recurring role on The Bold and the Beautiful from 1996 to 2005.

Campanella hosted the Canadian educational programme Science International between 1976 and 1979 which aired on Nickelodeon as What Will They Think Of Next? He appeared in the independent comedy, For Heaven's Sake.

On Broadway, Campanella was featured in three productions. His first The Captains and the Kings opened in January 1962 and ran lasted only seven performances. In February 1962, he was cast in A Gift of Time with Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland. The show was written and directed by Garson Kanin and Campanella received a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actor in a Play. His last Broadway performance was in the musical Hot Spot in 1963. The show was not well-received and delayed its opening four times resulting in a run of 58 previews and 43 regular performances.

Campanella formerly provided the voiceover for BMW commercials in the United States, intoning, "BMW... the ultimate driving machine." He also narrated the Discover Magazine science series on the Disney Channel from 1992-1994. For several years beginning in the 1970s Campanella was a spokesman for Napa Auto Parts.

His distinctive voice has been heard often in the narration of numerous documentaries.

Personal life

Campanella's father, an immigrant from Sicily, was an early member of the American Federation of Musicians. Campanella himself served in the United States Navy during World War II, becoming one of its youngest commanders. He later graduated from Manhattan College in 1948, and later attended Columbia University.

Campanella is the younger brother of actor Frank Campanella, who died in December 2006.

Filmography

• The Young Lovers (1964)
• The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)
• Ben (1972)
• The President's Plane is Missing (1973) (TV movie)
• Skyway to Death (1974) (TV movie)
• Terror on the 40th Floor (1974) (TV movie)
• Hit Lady (1974) (TV movie)
• Child Under a Leaf (1974)
• Sky Heist (1975) (TV movie)
• Meteor (1979)
• Defiance (1980)
• Hangar 18 (1980)
• Earthbound (1981)
• My Body, My Child (1982) (TV movie)
• Great Transport (1983)
• Steele Justice (1987)
• Club Fed (1990)
• A Show of Force (1990)
• Down the Drain (1990)
• Last Call (1991)
• Christmas at Cadillac Jack's (2007)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]