Joe grew up in Park Ridge and Wheaton, Illinois, for 27 years, immersed in a childhood that would shape his future aspirations. Witnessing Evel Knievel's death-defying stunts at the age of eight, and later being inspired by the 1978 film Hooper, sparked a passion in him to become a Hollywood stuntman.
As a young boy, Joe would often climb local water towers, hop freight trains, skateboard, BMX race, and participate in various sports, skills that would prove invaluable in facilitating his dream. He attended Wheaton Central High School, graduating in 1982, and was a 2-sport athlete in high school and college.
College, however, was short-lived, as Joe's focus shifted to his passion for stunts. He became legendary for his impressive wheelies on his Ninja 900 and for hurdling over the roofs of stationary cars. After working various odd jobs, sales became his niche, but stunts always lingered in the background.
When a stunt school opened in Chicago in 1988, Joe seized the opportunity to hone his skills and learn about the motion picture industry. He worked as an extra on films such as Uncle Buck, The Package, and Flatliners, and eventually landed his first break when Universal Studios cast him as a stuntman/actor for their Wild West Stunt Show in Orlando.
After a two-year stint in Florida, Joe moved to Las Vegas to work on the stunt Pirate show at the MGM Grand. Feeling restless, he decided to take a chance and head to Los Angeles, where he hustled sets and landed the role of doubling for Steven Seagal.
Since then, Joe has doubled for numerous A-list celebrities, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Will Ferrell, John Cusack, Jeff Goldblum, David Hasselhoff, and Dan Marino. He has also stunt coordinated and doubled for Vince Vaughn on 22 projects and currently doubles for Gerard Butler.
Regarded as one of Hollywood's elite all-around stuntmen, Joe has been nominated twice for the World Stunt Awards and has won two Emmy Awards for best action sequences on television. When he's not performing stunts, you can find him on the golf course (USGA 3 handicap) or riding various motorcycles. He is happily married to his wife Lisa and has two children, Ryder and Raquel, and is living out his childhood dream.
