Joseph Evan "Joe" Perkins is a fictional character from the American soap opera Santa Barbara. Actor Dane Witherspoon originated the role in the first episode of the series aired on July 30, 1984. Following a disagreement with the show's producers, Witherspoon was fired and last seen on the show on October 30, 1984, when Joe was supposed to be killed, but the storyline was changed in order to recast the character. Mark Arnold took over the role on October 31, 1984 and played it until March 1, 1985, when Joe was killed off. Arnold himself chose not to renew his contract after only a few months, because he wanted to do something different with his career. Following the death of the character, the entire Perkins family was removed from the show not long after that.