Joe Penny

Joseph Edward Penny Jr. (born June 24, 1956) is a retired American actor best known for his roles as Nick Ryder on the detective series Riptide from 1984 to 1986, and as Jake Styles in the CBS television series Jake and the Fatman from 1987 to 1992.

Joe Penny
Born	Joseph Edward Penny Jr. (1956-06-24) June 24, 1956 (age 69) Uxbridge, London, England
Nationality	American
Education	Marina High School
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1977–2016
Known for	Riptide Jake and the Fatman Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star Jane Doe
Spouse	Cindy M. Penny ​ (m. 2004)​ [1]

Biography

Early life

Penny was born in Uxbridge, London to an American father, Joseph Edward Penny Sr., and an Italian mother, Anne Teresa Rita Cox. He was brought up in Marietta, Georgia, United States.^[1] After his parents divorced, he moved to California with his mother. He attended Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California, where he played football and basketball.^[1]

Career

Starting with a minor role on Forever Fernwood in 1977, Penny has appeared in numerous TV films and television series, including in major roles on Riptide and Jake and the Fatman. He has also made many guest appearances on television shows including Touched by an Angel, T. J. Hooker, Vega$, Matt Houston, Lou Grant, CHiPs, Flamingo Road, The Sopranos, Diagnosis: Murder, Matlock, Walker, Texas Ranger, Archie Bunker's Place, 7th Heaven, Tucker's Witch, Boomtown, The Gangster Chronicles, and CSI.^[1][2] In 2005, he co-starred with Lea Thompson in the mystery series Jane Doe on the Hallmark Channel.

Filmography

Feature films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	Our Winning Season	Dean Berger
1981	Bloody Birthday	Mr. Harding
1981	S.O.B.	Officer Phil Buchwald
1981	Gangster Wars	Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
1981	Lifepod	G.W. Simmons
1999	BitterSweet	Carl Peckato	Direct-to-video
1999	Jack of Hearts	Arden Cook
2000	The Prophet's Game	Walter Motter
2001	The Little Unicorn	Tiny	Direct-to-video
2016	The Last Night Inn	Sam

Television films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977	Delta County, U.S.A.	Joe Ed
1978	Deathmoon	Rick Bladen
1979	The Girls in the Office	Beau Galloway
1980	The Gossip Columnist	Paul Cameron
1986	Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star	Robert McCay
1987	Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife	Edward Moran
1987	Roses Are for the Rich	Lloyd Murphy
1988	A Whisper Kills	Dan Walker
1990	The Operation	Dr. Ed Betters
1992	The Danger of Love: The Carolyn Warmus Story	Michael Carlin
1994	Terror in the Night	Lonnie Carter
1994	The Disappearance of Vonnie	Ron Rickman
1995	Young at Heart	Michael Garaventi
1996	Double Jeopardy	John Dubroski
1996	She Woke Up Pregnant	Dr. Roger Nolton
1997	Family of Cops II	Ben Fein
1997	Stranger in My Home	Ned Covington
1999	Family of Cops III: Under Suspicion	Ben Fein
2002	Two Against Time	George Tomich
2002	The Red Phone: Manhunt	Jack Darrow
2003	The Red Phone: Checkmate	Jack Darrow
2005	Vanishing Act	Frank Darnell	Jane Doe (film series)
2005	Now You See It, Now You Don't	Frank Darnell
2005	Til Death Do Us Part	Frank Darnell
2005	The Wrong Face	Frank Darnell
2006	Yes, I Remember It Well	Frank Darnell
2006	The Harder They Fall	Frank Darnell
2007	Ties That Bind	Frank Darnell
2007	Reign of the Gargoyles	Major John Gustafson
2007	How To Fire Your Boss	Frank Darnell	Jane Doe (film series)
2008	Eye of the Beholder	Frank Darnell
2011	Betrayed at 17	John Taylor

Television series

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977	The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries	Brandon	Episode: "The Mystery of Pirate's Cove"
1977	Forever Fernwood	Sal DiVito	8 episodes
1978	CHiPs	Officer Brent Delaney	Episode: "Flashback!"
1978	Mother, Juggs & Speed	Speed	TV pilot episode
1979	Samurai	Lee Cantrell	TV pilot episode
1979	Lou Grant	Dave Tynan	Episode: "Cop"
1980	Paris	Mike Fitz	Episode: "Fitz's Boys"
1980	Homefront	Rocco Spinelli	TV pilot episode
1981	The Gangster Chronicles	Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel	13 episodes
1981	Flamingo Road	Nick Walker	Episode: "The Hostages" (Parts 1 & 2)
1981	Vega$	Nickie Andreas	Episode: "The Andreas Addiction"
1983	Tucker's Witch	Justin St. Peter	Episode: "Dye Job"
1983	Archie Bunker's Place	Rick Baxter	Episode: "I'm Torn Here"
1983	Savage: In the Orient	Det. Peter Savage	TV pilot episode
1983	Lottery!	Douglas Matson	Episode: "Denver: Following Through"
1983	Matt Houston	Eric Jason	Episode: "The Centerfold Murders"
1983	T.J. Hooker	Miles Dickson	Episode: "The Cheerleader Murder"
1984–1986	Riptide	Nick Ryder	56 episodes
1986–1990	Matlock	Paul Baron	3 episodes
1986	The Twilight Zone	Ricky Frost	Episode: "The Convict's Piano"
1987–1992	Jake and the Fatman	Det. Jake Styles	106 episodes
1995	Touched by an Angel	Zack Bennett	Episode: "Trust"
1998	Diagnosis: Murder	Det. Reggie Ackroyd	Episode: "The Last Resort"
1999	Twice in a Lifetime	Flash Jericho / David Lazarus	Episode: "Blood Brothers"
1999	Walker, Texas Ranger	Sonny Tantero	Episode: "Suspicious Minds"
2000	Chicken Soup for the Soul	David	Episode: "The Surprise"
2000	The Sopranos	Victor Musto	2 episodes
2002	Boomtown	Les Van Buren	Episode: "Insured by Smith & Wesson"
2003	7th Heaven	Nick	Episode: "Baggage"
2005	Threshold	Robert Sprague	Episode: "Shock"
2007	Jane Doe: How to Fire Your Boss	Frank	Hallmark Movie
2007	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Jack Oakley	Episode: "The Good, the Bad and the Dominatrix"
2008	Days of Our Lives	Martino Vitali	6 episodes
2008	CSI: Miami	Travis Drake	Episode: "Wrecking Crew"
2009–2010	Cold Case	Hank Butler	3 episodes