Joseph Charles Bellan

Joseph Charles Bellan, loving husband and brother, passed into eternal life on May 15, 2022 at the age of 90. Joe was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1932 to Eshaya and Hala Bellan, who emigrated from Lebanon. He was the fourth of five children. Joe is predeceased by his brothers Charles and George (Mary), his sister, Rosemary, and parents, Eshaya and Hala. He leaves behind Joanne, his wife of fifty years, her son Mark, his beloved sister Marion, nieces and nephews Elaine (Andy), Philip (Patti), Yvette, and Joe, and great nieces and nephews Solomon, Eric, Emma, and Fina.

From his earliest years, Joe was known for his kind heart, infectious smile, and his quick wit. Always with a story at the ready, he kept family and friends warmed by laughter.

He began his acting career at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco, where Joe received a BS in accounting.

In his senior year, he was Student Yell Leader and Judge. “If elected, I promise to be the best Judge money can buy!”

After a tour with the Army in Counterintelligence, he got a Real Estate Broker License.

Joe is one of the first members of the San Francisco Mime Troup which was founded in 1959 by R. G. Davis. It is a theater of political satire which performs free shows in various parks in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In 1973, Joe played God, a dog, and “Turkey Lurkey” in Story Theatre, produced and directed by Paul Sills. His first television role was that of a bus ticket seller in The Streets of San Francisco. His first film role was Freddie the Fainter in

The Enforcer, a Clint Eastwood “Dirty Harry” film. In 1974, Joe and Sandra Archer were hired under CETA, the federal government’s Comprehensive Education Act. They organized a group of San Francisco musicians who worked with low-income seniors to write and produce shows which they produced at senior housing centers. They called themselves “The Tale Spinners.”

In 1978, Joe played the lead in Good Soldier Schweik,

where he utilized the comic tradition of Chaplin, Marx, Langdon, Corey, Canton, Keaton, and Stan Laurel. In 1989, Joe went to New York to appear in Dario Fo’s About Face, in a double role he had performed earlier with the Eureka Theater in San Francisco.

Joe and Dennis Moyer wrote and produced a successful play, The Vaudevillian, about a couple during the blacklisted period.

Joe’s work, in addition to stage, screen, and television roles, included voiceovers, industrial films, and commercials. More notable roles have been in two Dirty Harry films, a Columbo episode, Foul Play, and Mrs. Doubtfire. In 1973, and again in 1993, Joe and John Robb played the tramps, Gogo and Didi, in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, directed both times by Dennis Moyer.

Joe has worked in many Bay Area Theaters: The Eureka Theater Co., ACT, Marin Theater Co., Berkeley Rep., San Jose Rep., San Jose Stage, Center Rep., and San Francisco Playhouse. He received a Bay Area Critics Circle Award (BATTC) for Waiting for Godot and Upstart Stage’s The Professional, and a Drama-Logue Award for About Face at the Eureka.

Joe has been a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Actors Equity Association, and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists for many years. He served on the SAG Executive Council in Northern California.

Joe will be dearly missed by cherished family and countless fans for the humanity and mirth he brought to their lives.

A Celebration of Life is planned for a later date.