Joe Minjares, Twin Cities actor, playwright, comedian and restaurateur, dies

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Twin Cites creative staple and local restaurateur Joe Senkyr Minjares, known for roles in the "Truman Show," "Roseanne", as well as creating several locally-produced plays, died on Monday after being hospitalized with pneumonia.

Minjares, a Minneapolis native, was 79 years old and made his talents known through various roles in Hollywood and the Twin Cities. 

His work as an actor, playwright, and comedian led to his involvement in multiple creative ventures.

Minjares' commercial pursuits include owning Pepito's restaurant as well as being a one-time proprietor of the adjacent Parkway Theater in south Minneapolis. 

His official cause of death has not yet been confirmed. 

Joe Minjares dies at 79 

Big picture view:

Minjares leaves behind a sprawling legacy across that includes local broadcasts, theater, comedy as well as TV and movie appearances. 

He was the host of Prism, a public affairs program on the NBC affiliate KARE-TV in the 1980s.

Joe thrived in the Twin Cities theater scene, often cast in leading or key supporting roles at Mixed Blood Theatre, where he worked with Artistic Director Jack Reuler. 

Two of his earliest plays have been frequently produced: Minnecanos, the story of a Mexican family's experience in Minnesota, and King of the Kosher Grocers, which follows a northside Minneapolis grocery store in a mixed-race and religious neighborhood. 

Another one of Joe's works, a musical biography called River Road Boogie: The Augie Garcia Story, ran for a month at the History Theatre in 2015 and earned positive reviews for its story and staging.

Minjares also worked with Roseann Barr, opening for her at the Comedy Gallery during her first Twin Cities appearance in 1985. He later played small roles on Roseanne in 1993.

Joe was also a regular standup comedian in L.A., where he performed at the Comedy Store and later the Improv throughout the 1980s. 

Minjares' last major comedy appearance was days after he got a life-saving lung transplant in late November 2017. Joe made a cameo through Facetime, wearing a floppy hospital gown from his hospital bed for a fundraiser that was held at the Parkway on his behalf. That fundraiser starer Louie Anderson and Joel Hodgson from Mystery Science Theater 3000. 

Joe is survived by the Senkyr Minjares family including:

• Susan (nee Dalquist, wife)
• Joey (son, recently deceased)
• Lenny (son, wife Jenn)
• Kenny (son, wife Laurie)
• Paul (son, wife Olga)
• Pamela (daughter, husband Gary Stenberg)
• 11 grandchildren
• 6 great-grandchildren

What they're saying:

Lizz Winstead, a Minneapolis-based comedian, writer and co-founder of The Daily Show, said this on her Facebook page: "We lost the wonderful Joe Minjares, another great from the Twin Cities comedy community. "[He was] a hilarious human, a kind and generous man who took the Parkway Theater and created a comedy home for me in Minneapolis that is still where I hang my hat when I perform in town. I owe a lot to Joe for his commitment to taking a chance on bringing edgy and innovative shows to that stage that spoke truth to power. Thanks Joe for your friendship and for creating such a warm space to perform."