- Was close friends with Sylvester Stallone. He provided Stallone with money and food when Stallone was a current and struggling actor.
- Was said to have accidentally cut himself and bled to death in his apartment.
- Was a hemophiliac.
- Was known as an unselfish person who helped out fellow actors by getting them roles in movies.
- Was close friends with legendary directors William Friedkin and Francis Ford Coppola.
- Worked as a taxi driver, a post office clerk, and a liquor store clerk during Christmas holidays to make ends meet.
- In 1980, has appeared in three films revolving around serial killers terrorizing New York City: Cruising (1980), The First Deadly Sin (1980) and Maniac (1980). Spinell played the serial killer in the latter film.
- Has appeared in four films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), Rocky (1976) and Taxi Driver (1976). Of those, only Taxi Driver was not a winner in the category.
- Also worked as a dialogue director during the making of the B movie cult classic Starcrash (1978). He dubbed his own voice using a different accent to hide his distinctive New York accent.
- Has appeared in three Best Picture Academy Award winners: The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974) and Rocky (1976). Talia Shire also appeared in all three films.
- Has appeared with Sylvester Stallone in four films: Farewell, My Lovely (1975), Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979) and Nighthawks (1981).
- Worked for nine years with the Joe Papp's Shakespeare Festival Theater group, also known as the Theater of the Forgotten, which also put on plays for prison inmates.
- Following his sudden death, he was interned at 1st Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens, New York.
- He had lifelong struggles with hemophilia and severe chronic asthma.
- Was a cousin of Steve Spagnuolo, former St. Louis Rams coach and Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator of the New York Giants and current team Kansas City Chiefs.
- He acted alongside Caroline Munro in three films: Starcrash (1978), Maniac (1980) and The Last Horror Film (1982).
- Attended the Madison Square Boys Club located on 29th Street in Manhattan when he was age nine.
- Son of Pelegrino Spagnuolo and Filomena Spagnuolo.
- The main character of the 2001 film "Maniacts" is named after Spinell. The film is also dedicated to him.
- His father, Pelegrino Spagnuolo (1892-1950), died from liver and kidney disease.
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