Joseph Bologna (born December 30, 1934) is an American actor. Bologna was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Brown University, where he majored in art history. After a hitch with the Marines, Bologna was hired to produce and direct Manhattan-based TV commercials. The actor has a long history in film and television. His breakthrough film, Lovers and Other Strangers, written with his wife Renée Taylor, was based on the true-life circumstances of organizing a wedding on short notice with the involvement of his Italian extended family and Renee's Jewish clan. Several relatives performed as extras in the final cut. A year later, in 1971, the couple again collaborated to write and perform in the movie Made for Each Other. Bologna stayed close with his old-neighborhood aunts and uncles after becoming successful.