JumpStart featuring special guest Joe Mantegna and Friends

Chicago native Joe Mantegna has a strong background in both theater and film. After making his Broadway debut in Stephen Schwartz's musical of Studs Terkel's Working, Joe was awarded the Tony and Joseph Jefferson Award for his acclaimed performance as cynical real-estate agent Richard Roma in David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Glengarry Glen Ross.

Closely associated with Mamet's work, Joe starred in the theatrical premiere of A Life in the Theater, The Disappearance of the Jews at the Goodman Theater, and in the Broadway production of Speed the Plow with Ron Silver and Madonna. In addition, Joe directed a critically acclaimed stage production of Mamet's Lakeboat, starring Ed O'Neil and George Wendt, in a successful Los Angeles theatrical run.

Always the baseball fan, Joe conceived and co-wrote the Off-Broadway play Bleacher Bums, inspired by countless afternoons watching the Chicago Cubs play in Wrigley Field. Once the Chicago PBS affiliate picked it up for production, the play both earned Joe an Emmy Award and gave him the opportunity to direct an updated version in a successful run at Chicago's Organic Theater.

Joe made his feature film debut in 1985 as the womanizing dentist in Frank Perry's Compromising Positions, based on Susan Isaacs' best seller. His early films include co-starring roles in The Money Pit, Weeds and Suspect. He also starred in the critically acclaimed David Mamet films House of Games (now a cult classic) and Things Change , for which he and co-star Don Ameche both received the coveted Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival. In 1991, Joe starred in the highly praised police thriller, Homicide.

Joe has also starred in Woody Allen's Alice and Celebrity , Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather III, Barry Levinson's Liberty Heights and Bugsy, Steven Zaillian's Searching for Bobby Fischer and Billy Crystal's Forget Paris. Other stand-out roles include Up Close and Personal, Baby's Day Out, Airheads, Queens Logic, Wait Until Spring Bandini, Eye for an Eye, The Runner, and Stephen King's Thinner.

Joe had a starring role in the CBS miniseries of Mario Puzo's best-selling novel The Last Don, which garnered him an Emmy Award nomination. He also enjoys appearing regularly as the voice of Fat Tony on The Simpsons . Joe's original feature films for cable include starring roles in State of Emergency, A Call to Remember, My Little Assassin, The Water Engine, The Comrades of Summer, Persons Unknown, Boy Meets Girl, and The Rat Pack, for which he was nominated for both another Emmy and a Golden Globe Award. In later films like Hoods and Jerry and Tom, Joe both starred and served as Executive Producer.

During his career Joe has portrayed several real people, such as George Raft in Bugsy, Fidel Castro in My Little Assassin, and most notably, as Dean Martin in The Rat Pack. His role as Josh Waitzkin's father in Searching for Bobby Fischer was based on Fred Waitzkin, who wrote the book upon which the film was based. In fact, Joe's TV-movie debut was as Joe Esposito, Elvis' road manager and close friend in the 1979 miniseries Elvis starring Kurt Russell.

In 2000, Joe completed production on his feature film directorial debut, Lakeboat, written for the screen by David Mamet from his original play. Starring Charles Durning, Peter Falk, Robert Forster, Andy Garcia, Denis Leary and George Wendt, the film opened the L.A. Film Festival to critical acclaim last fall and made its theatrical release in June 2001.

Joe headlined a series of original films for the A&E Network, based on Robert Parker's popular Spenser detective novels. The first, Small Vices, premiered in summer of 1999 with the second, Thin Air, following in fall 2000. His last entry to the Spenser series, Walking Shadow, continues to play on A&E.

Spring of 2001 found Joe staring as Justice Joseph Novelli in the CBS series First Monday.

Summer 2002 found Joe in his home town of Chicago filming a wonderful slice of life film called Uncle Nino.

In 2002 Joe co-starred in Stateside a drama based on a true story. The film stars Johnathan Tucker and co-stars Val Kilmer, Carrie Fisher, Penny Marshall and Diane Venora.

Joe stared for two seasons as police chief Will Girardi in Joan of Arcadia. Joan received several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations during its run and is now available on DVD. For fall of 2005 Joe Co-stars in "Nine Lives" a film by Rodrigo Garcia. The film was accepted in Sundance in 2005 and also stars Glenn Close, Amy Brenneman, Holly Hunter, Dakota Fanning, Sissy Spacek and Kathy Baker. In 2006 Joe was as busy as ever with roles in "Elvis and Anabelle", "West of Brooklyn" and the USA Network Mini Series "Starter Wife" with Debra Messing. In 2010 Joe lent his voice to the upcoming Disney/PIXAR film, CARS2 and has several projects in the works including a web-series. In April of 2011 Joe received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Currently stars as David Rossi in Criminal Minds as well as hosting and producing duties on "Gun Stories" for the Outdoor Channel.

Charity Work

For the past nine years Joe has participated in the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington DC, and the last four been the co-host with Gary Sinise. With a rich family history in the military Joe has always been a supporter of our men and women who serve. In 2005 he was appointed the Honorary Chairman for The Salute to Hospitalized Veterans and has often lent his time to charities that benefit our military, their families and the USO.

In 2007 he was instrumental in raising thousands of dollars for Operation Iraqi Children. A charity formed by Gary Sinise to give school supplies to children in Iraq and Afghanistan delivered by US Military troops. When possible he visits wounded service men and women at the VA Hospital, taking the time to sit and talk with them and their families with hopes that he can briefly take their minds off the long road to recovery.

Over his career Joe has helped raise millions of dollars for charities all over the world, including Autism, The Barbara Sinatra Children's Center, Pediatric Aids Research, The National Kidney Foundation, Easter Seals, Melanoma Research, The Tom Sullivan Blind Children's Charity and Breast Cancer Awareness to name a few. It would be impossible to list them all, but it's safe to say that Joe has had a very positive affect on the lives of thousands of people through his philanthropic endeavors.

JumpStart featuring special guest Joe Mantegna and Friends

Chicago native Joe Mantegna has a strong background in both theater and film. After making his Broadway debut in Stephen Schwartz's musical of Studs Terkel's Working, Joe was awarded the Tony and Joseph Jefferson Award for his acclaimed performance as cynical real-estate agent Richard Roma in David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Glengarry Glen Ross.

Closely associated with Mamet's work, Joe starred in the theatrical premiere of A Life in the Theater, The Disappearance of the Jews at the Goodman Theater, and in the Broadway production of Speed the Plow with Ron Silver and Madonna. In addition, Joe directed a critically acclaimed stage production of Mamet's Lakeboat, starring Ed O'Neil and George Wendt, in a successful Los Angeles theatrical run.

Always the baseball fan, Joe conceived and co-wrote the Off-Broadway play Bleacher Bums, inspired by countless afternoons watching the Chicago Cubs play in Wrigley Field. Once the Chicago PBS affiliate picked it up for production, the play both earned Joe an Emmy Award and gave him the opportunity to direct an updated version in a successful run at Chicago's Organic Theater.

Joe made his feature film debut in 1985 as the womanizing dentist in Frank Perry's Compromising Positions, based on Susan Isaacs' best seller. His early films include co-starring roles in The Money Pit, Weeds and Suspect. He also starred in the critically acclaimed David Mamet films House of Games (now a cult classic) and Things Change , for which he and co-star Don Ameche both received the coveted Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival. In 1991, Joe starred in the highly praised police thriller, Homicide.

Joe has also starred in Woody Allen's Alice and Celebrity , Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather III, Barry Levinson's Liberty Heights and Bugsy, Steven Zaillian's Searching for Bobby Fischer and Billy Crystal's Forget Paris. Other stand-out roles include Up Close and Personal, Baby's Day Out, Airheads, Queens Logic, Wait Until Spring Bandini, Eye for an Eye, The Runner, and Stephen King's Thinner.

Joe had a starring role in the CBS miniseries of Mario Puzo's best-selling novel The Last Don, which garnered him an Emmy Award nomination. He also enjoys appearing regularly as the voice of Fat Tony on The Simpsons . Joe's original feature films for cable include starring roles in State of Emergency, A Call to Remember, My Little Assassin, The Water Engine, The Comrades of Summer, Persons Unknown, Boy Meets Girl, and The Rat Pack, for which he was nominated for both another Emmy and a Golden Globe Award. In later films like Hoods and Jerry and Tom, Joe both starred and served as Executive Producer.

During his career Joe has portrayed several real people, such as George Raft in Bugsy, Fidel Castro in My Little Assassin, and most notably, as Dean Martin in The Rat Pack. His role as Josh Waitzkin's father in Searching for Bobby Fischer was based on Fred Waitzkin, who wrote the book upon which the film was based. In fact, Joe's TV-movie debut was as Joe Esposito, Elvis' road manager and close friend in the 1979 miniseries Elvis starring Kurt Russell.

In 2000, Joe completed production on his feature film directorial debut, Lakeboat, written for the screen by David Mamet from his original play. Starring Charles Durning, Peter Falk, Robert Forster, Andy Garcia, Denis Leary and George Wendt, the film opened the L.A. Film Festival to critical acclaim last fall and made its theatrical release in June 2001.

Joe headlined a series of original films for the A&E Network, based on Robert Parker's popular Spenser detective novels. The first, Small Vices, premiered in summer of 1999 with the second, Thin Air, following in fall 2000. His last entry to the Spenser series, Walking Shadow, continues to play on A&E.

Spring of 2001 found Joe staring as Justice Joseph Novelli in the CBS series First Monday.

Summer 2002 found Joe in his home town of Chicago filming a wonderful slice of life film called Uncle Nino.

In 2002 Joe co-starred in Stateside a drama based on a true story. The film stars Johnathan Tucker and co-stars Val Kilmer, Carrie Fisher, Penny Marshall and Diane Venora.

Joe stared for two seasons as police chief Will Girardi in Joan of Arcadia. Joan received several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations during its run and is now available on DVD. For fall of 2005 Joe Co-stars in "Nine Lives" a film by Rodrigo Garcia. The film was accepted in Sundance in 2005 and also stars Glenn Close, Amy Brenneman, Holly Hunter, Dakota Fanning, Sissy Spacek and Kathy Baker. In 2006 Joe was as busy as ever with roles in "Elvis and Anabelle", "West of Brooklyn" and the USA Network Mini Series "Starter Wife" with Debra Messing. In 2010 Joe lent his voice to the upcoming Disney/PIXAR film, CARS2 and has several projects in the works including a web-series. In April of 2011 Joe received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Currently stars as David Rossi in Criminal Minds as well as hosting and producing duties on "Gun Stories" for the Outdoor Channel.

Charity Work

For the past nine years Joe has participated in the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington DC, and the last four been the co-host with Gary Sinise. With a rich family history in the military Joe has always been a supporter of our men and women who serve. In 2005 he was appointed the Honorary Chairman for The Salute to Hospitalized Veterans and has often lent his time to charities that benefit our military, their families and the USO.

In 2007 he was instrumental in raising thousands of dollars for Operation Iraqi Children. A charity formed by Gary Sinise to give school supplies to children in Iraq and Afghanistan delivered by US Military troops. When possible he visits wounded service men and women at the VA Hospital, taking the time to sit and talk with them and their families with hopes that he can briefly take their minds off the long road to recovery.

Over his career Joe has helped raise millions of dollars for charities all over the world, including Autism, The Barbara Sinatra Children's Center, Pediatric Aids Research, The National Kidney Foundation, Easter Seals, Melanoma Research, The Tom Sullivan Blind Children's Charity and Breast Cancer Awareness to name a few. It would be impossible to list them all, but it's safe to say that Joe has had a very positive affect on the lives of thousands of people through his philanthropic endeavors.