Joe Mantegna
Joseph Anthony Mantegna (, ; born November 13, 1947) is an American actor best known for starring on CBS's ''Criminal Minds'' since 2007 as FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi. He has voiced the recurring role of mob boss Fat Tony on th ...
portrayed
Robert B. Parker
Robert Brown Parker (September 17, 1932 – January 18, 2010) was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works include the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ...
's detective "
Spenser
Spenser is an alternative spelling of the British surname Spencer. It may refer to:
Geographical places with the name Spenser:
* Spenser Mountains, a range in the northern part of South Island, New Zealand
People with the surname Spenser:
* Dav ...
" in three TV films on the
A&E cable network between 1999 and 2001.
Production
Robert B. Parker had a significant role in the development of the TV movies (all three films were adapted by Parker, with his wife co-authoring ''Walking Shadow'') as opposed to the earlier ''
Spenser: For Hire''. Nonetheless, he felt that the movies didn't get it right, not because of the performances but because of the limited budget. Parker had a small role in the first film, and cameos in the latter two. His son, Daniel, and wife, Joan, appear in ''Thin Air''. Spenser's ally, Hawk, was played by
Sheik Mahmud-Bey in "Small Vices", and returns in "Walking Shadow" portrayed by
Ernie Hudson
Earnest Lee Hudson (born December 17, 1945) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. Hudson has also acted in the films ''Leviathan'' (1989), '' The Hand That Rocks the Cradle'' (19 ...
.
All three movies were filmed in locations in Canada.
Films
''Spenser: Small Vices''
In this movie Spenser tries to solve the murder of a college student.
It was broadcast in 1999 and is based on the 1997
novel of the same name.
*
Joe Mantegna
Joseph Anthony Mantegna (, ; born November 13, 1947) is an American actor best known for starring on CBS's ''Criminal Minds'' since 2007 as FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi. He has voiced the recurring role of mob boss Fat Tony on th ...
as
Spenser
Spenser is an alternative spelling of the British surname Spencer. It may refer to:
Geographical places with the name Spenser:
* Spenser Mountains, a range in the northern part of South Island, New Zealand
People with the surname Spenser:
* Dav ...
*
Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an American actress. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards.
Harden's breakthrough came in 1990 with the Coen brothers' film '' Miller's ...
as Susan Silverman
*
Joanna Miles
Joanna Miles is an American actress. She received two Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Laura Wingfield in the 1973 film production of Tennessee Williams's '' The Glass Menagerie''.
Early life and education
Miles was born in Nice, France, the da ...
as Evans
*
R. D. Reid as Quirk
* Scott Wickware as Captain Healy
* Sheik Mahmud-Bey as Hawk
*
Robert B. Parker
Robert Brown Parker (September 17, 1932 – January 18, 2010) was an American writer, primarily of fiction within the mystery/detective genre. His most famous works include the 40 novels written about the fictional private detective Spenser. ...
as Ives
''Thin Air''
In this movie, Spenser searches for the wife of his longtime associate, Sgt. Belson.
It was broadcast in 2000 and is based on the 1995
novel of the same name.
*
Joe Mantegna
Joseph Anthony Mantegna (, ; born November 13, 1947) is an American actor best known for starring on CBS's ''Criminal Minds'' since 2007 as FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi. He has voiced the recurring role of mob boss Fat Tony on th ...
as
Spenser
Spenser is an alternative spelling of the British surname Spencer. It may refer to:
Geographical places with the name Spenser:
* Spenser Mountains, a range in the northern part of South Island, New Zealand
People with the surname Spenser:
* Dav ...
*
Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an American actress. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards.
Harden's breakthrough came in 1990 with the Coen brothers' film '' Miller's ...
as Susan Silverman
*
Joanna Miles
Joanna Miles is an American actress. She received two Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Laura Wingfield in the 1973 film production of Tennessee Williams's '' The Glass Menagerie''.
Early life and education
Miles was born in Nice, France, the da ...
as Evans
*
R. D. Reid as Quirk
*
Jon Seda
Jon Seda (born October 14, 1970) is an American actor. Seda was an amateur boxer who auditioned for and was given a role in the 1992 boxing film ''Gladiator''. He played the role of Chris Pérez alongside Jennifer Lopez in the movie ''Selena'', ...
as Luis DeLeon
*
David Ferry as Frank Belson
''Walking Shadow''
In this movie, Spenser tries to solve the on-stage murder of an actor.
It was broadcast in 2001 and is based on the 1994
novel of the same name.
It is directed by
Po-Chih Leong
Leong Po-Chih (born 31 December 1939) is a British-Chinese film director. He has worked in England, Hong Kong, and the United States.
Early life
On 31 December 1939, Leong was born in England to parents from Taishan, Guangdong. His father wa ...
.
*
Joe Mantegna
Joseph Anthony Mantegna (, ; born November 13, 1947) is an American actor best known for starring on CBS's ''Criminal Minds'' since 2007 as FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi. He has voiced the recurring role of mob boss Fat Tony on th ...
as
Spenser
Spenser is an alternative spelling of the British surname Spencer. It may refer to:
Geographical places with the name Spenser:
* Spenser Mountains, a range in the northern part of South Island, New Zealand
People with the surname Spenser:
* Dav ...
*
Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an American actress. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards.
Harden's breakthrough came in 1990 with the Coen brothers' film '' Miller's ...
as Susan Silverman
* Scott Wickware as Captain Healy
*
Ernie Hudson
Earnest Lee Hudson (born December 17, 1945) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. Hudson has also acted in the films ''Leviathan'' (1989), '' The Hand That Rocks the Cradle'' (19 ...
as Hawk
*
Eric Roberts
Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. He has amassed more than 700 film and television credits since his debut in 1978, making him one of the most prolific English-speaking screen actors of all time.
Roberts' career ...
as Police Chief DeSpain
*
Christopher Lawford
Christopher Kennedy Lawford (March 29, 1955 – September 4, 2018) was an American author, actor, and activist. He was a member of the prominent Kennedy family, and son of English actor Peter Lawford and Patricia "Pat" Kennedy Lawford, who was ...
as Jimmy Christopholous
*
Tamlyn Tomita
Tamlyn Naomi Tomita (born January 27, 1966) is an American actress. She made her screen debut as Kumiko in '' The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986) and reprised the character for the streaming series '' Cobra Kai'' (2021). She is also well known for ...
as Rikki Wu
Audiobooks
Joe Mantegna has also narrated a number of Spenser novels;
List of Spenser Novels read by Joe Mantegna
/ref>
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Small Vices
' at the Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
{{Spenser
1999 American television series debuts
1990s American crime drama television series
2000s American crime drama television series
American mystery television series
Television shows set in Boston
Television shows based on American novels
A&E (TV network) original films
Adaptations of works by Robert B. Parker