[2] His first big acting break came when he landed a starring role in the police drama Felony Squad, which ran from 1966 to 1969.

Cole made guest appearances in numerous television series, such as Medical Center, Police Story, Charlie's Angels, Vega$, The Feather and Father Gang, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, The Love Boat, The Streets of San Francisco, Fantasy Island, Three's Company, Divorce Court, and Murder, She Wrote.

(1983), Wheels of Fire (1985), Pretty Smart (1987), and the horror film Zombie Death House (1987), directed by John Saxon.

[1][5] Joe Cole, his only son from his first marriage with Sally Bergeron, was shot dead in 1991, at the age of 30, during a home-invasion robbery attempt in the Venice section of Los Angeles.

[11][3][12] Cole died at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on November 15, 2009, aged 69, from kidney failure, and was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.