Joseph James di Reda.

• Position: DEATHS

SHREWSBURY Joseph James di Reda, veteran character actor and screenwriter, passed away peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his loving family on Saturday, June 16th, in UMass Memorial Hospital, Worcester, of melanoma.

He was born September 16, 1928 in Worcester to Grazia (Ricchiuti) and Salvatore di Reda. Joseph appeared in numerous films and television shows.

After serving briefly in the US Navy aboard a repair ship during World War II, Joseph migrated to New York where he garnered a role in the touring company in Elia Kazan's production of "Tea and Sympathy" with Deborah Kerr. The tour landed him in Hollywood where he remained for the rest of his acting career. His many motion picture credits include "The Black Orchid" with Sophia Loren and Anthony Quinn, "Parallax View" with Warren Beatty, "The Hindenburg" with George C. Scott, Michael Crichton's "The Andromeda Stain", and "The Sand Pebbles" with Steve McQueen. In addition to his playing the role of "Red Dog Shanahan" in the "Sand Pebbles", Joseph was known for his off-screen antics. Robert Wise, director and producer created a special movie credit entitled "Diversions: Irving Schwartz" in honor of Joseph, who kept the crew's spirits up during the arduous location shoot in China.

His numerous Television credits included "Perry Mason", "Gunsmoke", "The Streets of San Francisco", "M.A.S.H."...