Joseph Mascolo was an actor best known for playing villainous Stefano DiMera on the long-running NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives.

The Connecticut native studied with famed acting teacher Stella Adler in New York City and began his career in the early 1960s.

His first television credits included the series From These Roots, True Story and Coronet Blue. He continued to work steadily throughout the 1970s, with appearances in episodes of such shows as All in the Family, Baretta, Kojak and The Rockford Files. He also had a role in the miniseries The Gangster Chronicles and played mayor Pete Santori on the detective drama Bronk, starring Jack Palance.

Mascolo made his most enduring impact on daytime television, which began in 1982, when he debuted on Days of Our Lives. He would play crime boss Stefano on and off until 2016 — more than 1,600 episodes in all. He also did stints on the daytime dramas Santa Barbara, General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful.

His feature film resume included Shaft's Big Score!, Jaws 2, Sharky's Machine and Heat.

He also performed on Broadway, including productions of Dinner at Eight and That Championship Season, and played clarinet with New York's Metropolitan Opera.

Mascolo died on December 8, 2016, in Santa Clarita, California. He was 87.