Joseph Sirola

Sirola was born in Carteret, New Jersey to Croatian parents Anton, a carpenter and Ana (née Dubrovich), who ran a boardinghouse at 363 West 19th Street in Chelsea. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1947 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business from Columbia University in 1951.^[4][5] He then worked as a sales promotion manager at the multinational personal care corporation Kimberly-Clark, at the age of 28.^[6] He served in the U.S. Military for the Korean War before getting his career in acting.^[7]

Sirola began his acting career in 1959, appearing as Peter Nino in the television soap opera The Brighter Day.^[8] In 1960 he co-starred in the Broadway play, The Unsinkable Molly Brown.^[9][10] Sirola co-starred in another Broadway play, Golden Rainbow, in 1968.^[11][10] During the 1960s he also appeared in a few films and television programs including Gunsmoke, Hang 'Em High, The Andy Griffith Show,^[12][13] Chuka, Get Smart, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Perry Mason, Strange Bedfellows and The Greatest Story Ever Told.^[6][14][15] His work on television commercials, for which he won over 20 Clio Awards, led to The Wall Street Journal nicknaming him “The King of the Voice-Overs” in 1970.^[6]

Over the next 30 years Sirola appeared and guest-starred in numerous film and television programs including Hawaii Five-O; The Super Cops; Mannix; Kolchak: The Night Stalker; Wonder Woman; Quincy, M.E.; Seizure; The Rockford Files; Spin City; Love, American Style; Charlie's Angels; Terrible Joe Moran; Diagnosis: Murder; The Ellen Burstyn Show and Washington: Behind Closed Doors.^[14][15] He was recurring in the short-lived TV series, The Magician, and he also starred in two short-lived television programs, The Montefuscos^[16] and Wolf.^[17] Sirola continued in voice-over work for television commercials including ads for Ford, Mobil, Wendy's and Nyquil.^[1]

In the 21st century Sirola began producing Broadway plays, including Time Stands Still, Stick Fly, The Trip to Bountiful, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder and Love Letters.^[10] He also won and was nominated for Drama Desk Awards and Tony Awards.^[10][18] Sirola retired in 2015.^{[citation needed]}

Sirola died on February 10, 2019, of complications from respiratory failure at a hospital in Manhattan; he was 89.^{[1][6][19][14][20]}