Glenn Christopher Scarpelli (born July 6, 1966) is an American actor and singer. He played Alex Handris from 1980 to 1983 on the sitcom One Day at a Time.
Early life Glenn is of Italian descent and was born in the Staten Island borough of New York City. He is the son of long time Archie Comics artist Henry Scarpelli and Claire (Lagana) Scarpelli, who married in 1961 in Staten Island, New York (Marriage License # 000247). Glenn attended private Catholic school St. Joseph Hill Academy from kindergarten to the 8th grade.
Glenn was featured in issue No. 330 of Archie, dated July 1984.
Career
In 1977, at the age of 10, Scarpelli made his Broadway debut, appearing in the play Golda with Anne Bancroft. He returned to the stage in 1979 with the role of Richard, Duke of York in the Broadway revival of Richard III starring Al Pacino.
Scarpelli's role as Alex Handris (1980–83) on the long-running television situation comedy One Day at a Time is his most prominent. After learning that for the show's 9th season he would be reduced to only appearing in six episodes, he chose to leave the series to appear in the NBC sitcom Jennifer Slept Here. Other television appearances include 3-2-1 Contact, Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories, MacGyver and The Love Boat. He was also a co-host in summer 1983 of the NBC game show/human interest show Fantasy.
He released a self-titled pop album in 1983, which included the single "Get a Love On".
Scarpelli had a cameo role in the Netflix revival of One Day at a Time during its third season, released in 2019.
Personal life Scarpelli came out as gay in adulthood. In 1986 when he was 20 years old, he started dating Gary Scalzo, a 30-year-old talent agent, and the two became partners. In 1987, Scalzo was diagnosed with AIDS. He died at age 36 on July 29, 1992. Scarpelli resides in Sedona, Arizona, where he and his then-partner Jude Belanger established the Sedona Now Network, a community television station, in 2003.About Us , Sedona Now Network Scarpelli and Belanger were married in California in 2008, but filed for divorce in 2012.Cohen, Neil. His current partner is former game show producer Jerry Gilden.
"Reel Thoughts Interview: One Day in Sedona" , Movie Dearest blog, February 15, 2012.
He remained close friends with One Day at a Time co-stars Mackenzie PhillipsTV Land Award, April 29, 2012 and Bonnie Franklin until her death in 2013.
In 2021, he began dating television producer John Ricci Jr. whom he met during a benefit for the Hollywood Museum. On April 19, 2023, Scarpelli announced via Instagram that he and Ricci had eloped. They share time between Sedona and Los Angeles, along with their dog, Poco.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1975 Forced Entry Glenn Ulman Alternative title: The Last Victim 1978 Nunzio Georgie 1980 One-Trick Pony Acappella Singer 1981 Rivkin: Bounty Hunter Keith 1981 They All Laughed Michael Niotes 1989 The Favorite Mustafa Alternative title: Intimate Power 2016 Sacred Journeys Marco Short film Television Year Title Role Notes 1980 3-2-1 Contact Cuff Episode: "Noisy/Quiet: Production & Processing of Sound" 1980–83 One Day at a Time Alex Handris 60 episodesNominated – Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a Comedy Series 1983 The Love Boat Mark HammondAlan Stevens Episode: " Vicki's Dilemma"Episode: "Youth Takes a Holiday" 1983–84 Jennifer Slept Here Marc 13 episodesNominated – Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a New Television Series 1985 The Love Boat Boomer Panner Episode: "Getting Started" 1986 Amazing Stories Jeffrey Gelb Episode: "Mirror, Mirror" 1990 MacGyver Tony Milani Episode: "Live and Learn" 1995 ABC Afterschool Special Eddie Laporte Episode: "Fast Forward" 2005 The One Day at a Time Reunion Himself TV special 2012 Interns: The Web Series Suit Episode: "Accepted" 2019 One Day at a Time Hotel clerk Episode: "The First Time"
Stage productions Broadway Year Title Role Theatre 1977–78 Golda Menachem as a Boy / Nahum Morosco Theatre 1979 Richard III Richard, Duke of York Cort Theatre
Discography Year Title Label 1983 Glenn Scarpelli Estate Record Corporation / CBS
Comic book appearances Date Title and Issue # StoryJuly 1984Archie #330"Star-Struck" (first comic book appearance, cover and full story)January 1985Pep Comics #398"Glenn Scarpelli in Hollywood" (1 page gag feature: continues in various Archie titles)April 1985Archie's TV Laugh-Out #100"Nightmare" (5 pages)June 1985Archie's TV Laugh-Out #101"Joker is Wild" (5 pages)August 1985Archie's TV Laugh-Out #102"The Visitor" (5 pages)October 1985Archie's TV Laugh-Out #103"No Place Like Home" (5 pages)
References
External links
Sedona Now Network website