Joseph J. Dawson
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Transportation Department
Raised on a dairy farm in Montrose, Pennsylvania. His parents sold
their farm in the '60 where Joe's teens were spent living closer to the
Philadelphia area. He attended various high schools in the surrounding
counties of Philadelphia and even received a scholarship to Saturday
art classes at Philadelphia Museum College of Art from his high school.
After high school graduation in 1966 he attended Bucks County Technical
School for commercial art and then was drafted 1968 into the United
States Army where he became a drill instructor at Ft. Bragg, North
Carolina. Part of his army tour of duty required training at the Arctic
Test Center in Fort Greely, Alaska with winter training at 40 below
zero minimum temperature in the frozen forests. After an honorable
discharge as a sergeant he went to Philadelphia College of Art at night
on the GI bill from 1970 through 1973 and during this period became an
Art Director of a packaging printing company. Also in 1973 he went into
his own business of advertising and packaging and relocated his
business to Phoenix, Arizona in 1974. There he continued his commercial
art business and began a fine art endeavor into western art oil
painting. In 1977 and 1978 he took evening classes at Glendale College
and also received 6 credits in theater arts and acting courses. In 1979
he relocated to Sun Valley, California near Los Angeles and continued
an art business but became interested in an exotic animal rescue
facility for a few years before getting more interested in the motion
picture business and its various facets. The middle 1980 were spent
working in the movie business in various capacities from production
assistant to the transportation of picture vehicles, all the while
working at his fine art interest in western oil painting an bronze
sculpture and still keeping an eye on the acting profession and
participating in acting classes. A speaking part on General Hospital
resulted in 1981 and a few others in various productions but finding
acting work was difficult in the competitive market and resulted in a
relocation to Taos, New Mexico to put together a bronze foundry and
pursue an outlet for his fine art craving to produce cowboy theme oil
paintings, prints and bronze sculpture. The fine art, bronze sculpture
and limited edition prints became fairly successful and is still sold
on his web site of Joe Dawson Cowboy Art at www.cowboyart.net. During
this period in the first half of the 1990s, addition college credits
were attained at Northern New Mexico University. Some work was still
found in various motion pictures and television productions in Santa
Fe, NM such as the Lazarus Man movie and television series. Acting
classes were attended in Taos at the Sherry Jackson actor's workshop
and during this time he made trips to Los Angeles for auditions which
became very expensive to continue resulting in renting out his property
in New Mexico and relocating for a while to Los Angeles in 1997.
Presently Joseph Dawson continues his fine art commissioned oil
paintings in Taos, New Mexico and works toward acting opportunities
where ever and when ever possible through the Mannequin Talent Agency
in Albuquerque, New Mexico.