RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Mr. Joe Mantegna is a successful actor, producer, writer, director, and voice actor; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his accomplishments by the Honorable Michele Smith, Alderman of the 43rd Ward; and
WHEREAS, Joe Mantegna was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 13, 1947, and graduated from Morton East High School and Morton Junior College in Cicero, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, After graduation, Joe began his acting and music career, starting a rock band in the 1960's called The Apocryphals that toured throughout the Midwest, later playing with another local group, The Missing Links, who went on to form the band Chicago, Joe's favorite band; and
WHEREAS, Joe went on to attend the Goodman School of Drama in the late 1960's, and made his acting debut in the 1969 stage production of Hair and debuted on Broadway in Working. He later earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for portraying Richard Roma in the first American production of David Mamet's play, Glengarry Glen Ross; and
WHEREAS, Joe wrote Bleacher Bums, a play about the beloved Chicago Cubs, while he was a member of Chicago's Organic Theater Company, and was a member of its original cast; and
WHEREAS, He married the love of his life, Arlene Vrhel, in 1975; the couple has two daughters, Mia and Gia; and
WHEREAS, Joe also demonstrates a commitment to his community, participating in the National Memorial Day Concert since 2002. He and his wife are also proud supporters of the Easter Seals Chicago and their Therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research. In 2015, Joe received the Saint Pio Award from the Saint Pio Foundation, in recognition of his outstanding contributions a "providing relief from suffering to those in need;" and
WHEREAS, He has received many awards, including a Tony Award, three Emmy nominations, and a Golden Globe Award nomination. Joe received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 at the Los Angeles Italian Film Festival and has led the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch multiple times at Wrigley Field; and
WHEREAS, Joe currently lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife Arlene, but they remain Chicagoans at heart, and own a restaurant in Burbank, California called "Taste Chicago," so they would never want for a good beef sandwich or deep dish pizza; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this 29'h day of March, 2017, do hereby commend Mr. Joe Mantegna for his accomplishments.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City Council of the City of Chicago hereby dedicates the southeast corner of North Hudson Avenue and West Armitage Avenue as "Joe Mantegna
Way.
MICHELE SMITH Alderman, 43rd Ward
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution are presented to Mr. Joe Mantegna as a sign of our honor, gratitude, and respect.