Take A Walk On The Wild Side With Joseph Angelo D'Allesandro

He currently manages a hotel in the heart of Hollywood, where he lives with his cat Booky. Joe Dellesandro: "I've lived such a full life. I've had such great things. There were some hardships, but overall everything has been great."

Joe Dallesandro, a.k.a. “Little Joe,” was the greatest of the Warhol Superstars, the only one to really break out of the film underground & have a career in cinema. I would have credited his success to his looks, but what I really went for was his cool attitude. Dallesandro could also, he just acted like he couldn’t. He identifies himself as bisexual.

Dellesandro did his first bit in Warhol’s The Loves of Ondine (1968), after accidentally walking onto the set & getting cast on the spot. He appeared in other Warhol films, including Lonesome Cowboys (1968). When Paul Morrissey began to direct Warhol’s films, Joe starred in almost every one: Flesh (1968), Trash (1970), Heat (1972), Flesh for Frankenstein (1973), & Andy Warhol’s Dracula (1974).

Dellesandro later moved to Italy, where he starred in European art films, working with directors like Louis Malle, & Serge Gainsbourg. He also led a rather wild life there. Then, after the death of his brother Bobby, who had worked for Andy Warhol as a chauffeur, Joe moved back to the U.S. in the 1980s & worked on a variety of Hollywood films &TV series: Steven Soderbergh's The Limey, Sunset with Bruce Willis & James Garner, Critical Condition with Richard Pryor, Gun Crazy with Drew Barrymore, Wiseguy, Miami Vice & Matlock.

He was definitely mysterious, & he had obviously been around. In Flesh, he played a male hustler. Lou Reed was talking about Joe in his lyrics for Walk On The Wild Side: “Little Joe never once gave it away/Everybody had to pay & pay.” He hustled well enough to make it as a movie star. John Waters: "Joe Dellesandro forever changed male sexuality in cinema.”

I always felt a connection to Joe. I wanted to work with Andy at the Factory & star in his underground films. A photograph of his crotch bulge encased in a tight fitting pair of jeans is featured on the cover of the Rolling Stones 1971 album, Sticky Fingers. It was taken by Andy Warhol. He filled the jeans very nicely & a 17 year old Stephen got a lot of use from that album cover.