- Campanella was one of the youngest-ever skippers in the Navy during WWII. An alumnus of Manhattan College (the Bronx, NY), after the war, using the GI Bill, he attended Columbia University, then began his acting career on the New York stage and in TV soap operas. His namesake son, Joe, also attended Columbia University, playing college basketball.
- Younger brother of actor Frank Campanella.
- A popular narrator for PBS over the years.
- Honorary sheriff of Toluca Lake, California
- Received a 1962 Tony nomination as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) for his performance in "A Gift of Time", which was written and directed by Garson Kanin, and which starred Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland.
- He appeared in both Superboy (1988) and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993).
- Campanella's father, a Sicilian immigrant, was an early member of the American Federation of Musicians. As a result, Joseph Campanella remained active in liberal political causes all his life.
- Has eight grandchildren.
- Two of his sons, Dominic and Rob Campanella, performed with the L.A. psychedelic rock band, "The Quarter After".
- Campanella was cremated. His ashes were given to his widow.
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