New Jersey native Joe Abbate's first interest in acting was sparked when his teacher persuaded him to play the lead role of Moses in a grammar school stage production of The Exodus. Joe wasn't immediately sure that acting was what he wanted to do in the long run until much later in life .
Acting would go on a temporary hiatus while he focused on playing high school sports and going to College. Then, while attending a college film course, he was again chosen for a role. This time in a short, independent film project upon which his final grade was based.
A stint as a background extra followed when Joe went along with a friend to an open call for a TV pilot and he was cast. This time the idea of being an actor stuck with him. He obtained representation along the way first through freelancing with a few agents and then a manager.
From there, the opportunities began to pour in; a role in the independent feature film This Thing of Ours, as well as various roles in The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, theater, commercials, voice-overs and a variety of print ads. His voice-over acting skills can be heard in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Early on, Joe appeared as Louie the inmate in the "Slomin's Shield" commercial , in Alicia Keys' first music video Fallin', as well as A Song for the Lonely with Cher.
Joe has studied the craft of acting and its various methods, most notably with Richard Scanlon (Stella Adler method), Bob McAndrew and Dan Grimaldi (Lee Strasberg method) and Joe Paradise (Sanford Meisner method). He credits each of them for their influence on his career.
Joe continues to accept various, challenging roles in feature films, television and theater. He resides in New Jersey with his wife and family.
