Director/producer Joseph Zito was born on May 14, 1946 in New York City. He began his cinematic career in film distribution. Zito made his debut picture in the mid 70s with the sleazy Patty Hearst-inspired exploitation feature "Abduction." Joseph then did the equally trashy "Bloodrage," the brutal slasher item "The Prowler," and the superior slice'n'dice sequel "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter." He collaborated with martial arts action star Chuck Norris on two pictures: the exciting smash hit "Missing in Action" and the gloriously outrageous "Invasion U.S.A.". Zito's other films are the solid Dolph Lundgren vehicle "Red Scorpion," the lackluster "Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol," and the crummy disaster/conspiracy thriller clinker "Power Play." Joseph was interviewed in the excellent documentary "Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film." In the mid 80s Joseph Zito tried to make a cinematic adaptation of "Spider Man" for Cannon Films (he directed both "Missing in Action" and "Invasion U.S.A." for this particular studio), but alas said movie never came to be.
