Thursday, December 8, 2011

Al Pacino

Al Pacino
Name: Alfredo James Pacino
DOB: April 25, 1940
Where: East Harlem, New York
Occupation: Actor, director, screenwriter, producer
Years Active: 1968-present
Children: 2 daughters, 1 son

-Most famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Tony Montana in Scarfacce, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy, Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way.
-Also has appeared on the other side of the law, as a cop, detective and lawyer. His role as Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman won him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1992
Early Life/Education
-Born in East Harlem to Italian American parents Rose and Salvatore Pacino.
When he was 2, his mother moved to the South Bronx near the Bronx Zoo to live with her parents Kate and James Gerardi who moved from Corleone, Italy.
-During his teen years, his nickname was Sonny and wanted to become a baseball player.
-Failed almost all his classes except English class and dropped out at 17.
-Worked a string of low paying jobs, such as messenger boy, busboy, janitor, and post clerk to pay for acting school.
-Started smoking at age 9, and drinking and smoking marijuana at age 13, but never took hard drugs. Growing up in a poor neighborhood, he occasionally got into fights and was considered a troublemaker at school
-Was arrested by New York police in 1961 for having a concealed weapon
Early Films

-First film debut: Me, Natalie.

1970s
-In 1971, he starred in Needle Park, where he played a heroin addict.
-In 1972, Francis Ford Coppola casted him as Michael Corleone in The Godfather. While on the set, he was often teased because of his short height.
-In 1975, he starred in Dog Day Afternoon, based on the story of bank robber John Wojotowicz. A few years earlier, he starred in Serpico, playing the title character, who was a New York police officer fighting to expose corruption in the NYPD

Dog Day Afternoon


Playing Frank Serpico

1980s
-In 1983, he was cast into a role he would be forever known for. In 1983, he was cast as Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee who becomes one of the top cocaine dealers in all of Miami.

1990s
-In 1990, he received an academy Award for playing mobster Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy.
-In 1992, he starred as Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman. His character was a blind Lt. Col.
-He starred, yet again, as another mobster, this one a Puerto Rican mobster named Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way in 1993.
-One of the police officer roles he starred in was the movie Heat in 1995. He played an LAPD Det. named Vincent Hanna and this was the first movie where him and actor Robert de Niro, who played a bank robber named Neil McAuley, starred together in.
-In 1997, he starred in the critically acclaimed movie Donnie Brasco with Johnny Depp. Pacino portrayed the real life figure Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggiero.

2000s
-In 2002, he starred in Insomnia, where he played an LAPD det. named Will Dormer who goes to Alaska to investigate the murder of a 17 year old named Kay Connell
-In 2007, he starred in the 3rd addition to the Ocean series, Ocean's Thirteen. He played a business man named Willy Bank
-Recently, he appeared in 88 Minutes in 2008. This was about a forensic psychiatrist named Jack Gramm being taunted by a murderer known as the Seattle Slayer
-Most recently, he starred alongside Robert De Niro in Righteous Kill. They both played detectives looking for a serial killer.

Personal Life
-Has never been married, but does have 3 kids from 2 relationships. His first child, Julie Marie(b. 1989) is daughter with acting coach Jan Tarrant. Also has twins, son Anton James and daughter Olivia Rose with actress Beverly D'Angelo


















Filmography

The Godfather
Serpico


Insomnia

The Devil's Advocate

Dog Day Afternoon

88 Minutes

Righteous Kill

Scarface

Heat

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