The Biography

Character actor Carmen Filpi was born on March 22, 1923 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The son of Remigio and Rosa Gatto Filpi, Carmen graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1942. Moreover, Filpi served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific during World War II. As Hobo Joe, his rendition of "Jimmy Crack Corn" puts Pee-wee over the edge and sends him jumping off a moving train. Filpi, who also had small parts in Burton's films Beetlejuice and Ed Wood, died in 2003 from cancer-related illnesses at 80.