Beyond his fame as an actor, Joe Mantegna is a devoted father. Meet his two daughters, one who followed in his footsteps and the other who faced health challenges from birth before later being diagnosed with autism. Joe Mantegna rose to fame playing Special Agent David Rossi on “Criminal Minds,” but beyond the camera, he is a loving husband and father. When he and his wife welcomed their first daughter, it was the beginning of a journey marked by both unexpected challenges and deep family bonds.
While his eldest faced early health struggles, his second child became her sister’s protector. Take a closer look at the actor’s long-lasting marriage and how both of his daughters have since gone on to carve their own paths and make their father proud. Joe’s path to acting began with a high school dare in 1963. A friend challenged him to try out for “West Side Story” at Morton East High, and while didn’t get the role, he found a thrill in performing that changed his life.
After high school, he joined a rock band called the Apocry phals, sharing the Chicago music scene with bands like the future rock group Chicago. But it was in theater that Joe found both his calling and his partner, Arlene Vrhel. They met in 1969 when both were cast in a local production of “Hair.” Friendship turned to romance, and they began a journey together that would span more than fifty years. Joe and Arlene didn’t rush into marriage, living as free spirits for nearly a decade before officially tying the knot in 1975. “We just had a lot of fun, but we didn’t get married for the longest time because we were hippies,” Arlene revealed.
Just weeks before their wedding, the couple exchanged private vows at the Eiffel Tower. In 2023, the former “Criminal Minds” star, who celebrated his 77th birthday in October, was asked about the secret to his lasting marriage. “The way I like to put it is that marriage is like being on a roller coaster,” He stated. “It’s fun, but then these scary turns happen. The trick is, at least for me, is that we hung on during those scary turns. Then things smoothed out again. For us, the ride keeps getting better and better.”
On June 5, 1987, Joe and his wife welcomed their first daughter, Mia. Arlene’s pregnancy initially seemed smooth, but when she noticed a sudden drop in movement, doctors quickly diagnosed an umbilical cord infection, forcing an early delivery. Mia arrived three months premature, weighing only one pound and 15 ounces, one of California’s smallest newborns that year. Joe recalled the shock of seeing his tiny daughter for the first time, feeling both overwhelmed and determined, saying, “Here’s our daughter, and she’ll be fine.” In those early days, Mia’s health was fragile. She often stopped breathing, prompting the famous actor to replace their home’s white porch light with a red bulb to help ambulance drivers locate their house in case of emergencies.
