Al Pacino's Biography, Awards and Trivia

 

Birth Name:

Alfredo James Pacino

Birthdate:

April 25, 1940

Birthplace:

New York, NY

Occupation:

Actor, Director, Producer

Education:
High School for the Performing Arts, NYC; left before graduating at age 17
HB Studio, NYC; studied with Charles Laughton
Actors Studio, NYC

Family:
Father: Salvatore Pacino, insurance salesman; left home when Pacino was two
Mother: Rose Pacino
Daughter: Julie Marie; mother, Jan Tarrant; born in 1989
TWINS (a baby boy and a girl): Mother, Beverly D'Angelo. Born in Jan 2001

Significant Others:
Jill Clayburgh: actress; met while acting together at Charles Street Repertory Company, Boston (1966); no longer together
Marthe Keller: actress; no longer together
Diane Keaton: actress; no longer together
Jan Tarrant: mother of Pacino's daughter Julie; no longer together
Lyndall Hobbs: newscaster; Australian; born in 1953 in London; no longer together
Penelope Ann Miller: actress; became involved during the filming of Carlito's Way (1993); no longer together
Beverly D'Angelo: actress; dating since 1997. Mother of his twins.


With Beverly D'Angelo

Awards:
1967/68: Obie: Best Actor, The Indian Wants the Bronx
1969: Tony: Best Supporting Actor in a Play, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
1969: Drama Desk: Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
1969: Theater World: Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
1972: National Board of Review: Best Supporting Actor, The Godfather
1972: National Society of Film Critics: Best Actor, The Godfather
1973: National Board of Review: Best Supporting Actor, Serpico

1973:
Golden Globe: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (drama), Serpico
1974: BAFTA: Best Actor, The Godfather, Part II
1975: Los Angeles Film Critics: Best Actor, Dog Day Afternoon
1975: BAFTA: Best Actor, Dog Day Afternoon
1977: Tony: Best Actor in a Play, The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel
1992:
Golden Globe: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (drama), Scent of a Woman
1992:
Oscar: Best Actor, Scent of a Woman
1996: Independent Feature Project: Gotham Award, Lifetime Achievement
1996: Directors Guild of America: Documentary Direction, Looking for Richard
1997: Boston Society of Film Critics: Best Actor, Donnie Brasco
2001:
Cecil B. De Mille Lifetime Achievement Award (Presented at Golden Globe Awards 2001)





After winning his Golden Globe

 


Holding his OSCAR for "Scent of a Woman"



AL PACINO was born April 25 1940 in East Harlem, New York, and was raised in the Bronx. It wasn't that long before Pacino discovered his acting ability.  Pacino was rather poor, and he lived in a poor neigborhood with his Grandmother. Growing up Pacino acted in lots of stage performences. Before his first movie was ever made he won a "Tony" for a stage play he'd done.Pacino recieved his great acting ability from the HERBERT BERGHOF STUDIO and the ACTORS STUDIO, both in New York. Pacino starred in a couple of award winning plays. Then he won the lead in the film "The Panic in Needle Park," in which Pacino played a drug addicted crook. "The Panic in Needle Park" pasted his way to Francis Ford Coppola and the role of Michael Corleone in "The Godfather, ( 1972)." The Godfather gave him his first OSCAR nomination. The film is about the fictional mafia crime family known as the Corleone crime family. Than came an almost unforgettable role in Serpico, a film were Pacino plays a cop who fights against coruption. After Serpico Pacino took on the role of Micheal Corleone once again in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather Part II", Pacino is the don of the family, and we watch his rise as "don." "The Godfather Part II" earned Pacino another OSCAR nomination. Next Pacino stars as the homosexual bank robber Sunny in "Dog Day Afternoon" a film which co-starred John Cazel. Pacino did a few not to hot flicks, then came back with "Scarface." "Scarface" got some mixed reviews, but it brought Pacino back in a way. His next good movie was "Sea of Love." "Sea of Love" which got some good reviews, mostly about Pacino's great performence. Pacino was again nominated this time for his role in "Dick Tracy." Mostly because he did such a good job acting with all that make-up on. Once again Pacino returned to his role as Micheal Corleone in "The Godfather Part III." Pacino has now had a bit of a film streak. In 1992 and 1993, he gave his two great performances in "Scent of a Woman" and "Carlito's Way". He won his first OSCAR for his leading role in "Scent of a Woman". He's been starring in much more movies now. Like the obsessed cop in "Heat" trying to track down Robert De Niro. Playing the mayor in "City Hall." And writing and directing his own love letter to William Shakspere called "Looking for Richard". Pacino came out with some more movies in 1997. One starring  Johnny Depp called "Donnie Brasco." his second in 1997 was "Devil's Advocate" with Keanu Reeves.

We couldn't see Pacino in action in the year 1998. In the end of 1999, two pacino movies were released. Those were "The Insider" directed by Micheal Mann with whom Pacino gave one of my favorites..."Heat"(1995) and 2nd is "Any Given Sunday" with great director/producer Oliver Stone. More info on his movies is available at this site's
Filmography Page.

 

Interesting facts about Pacino's life

Rhode Island Mugshot from Al Pacino's January 7, 1961 arrest for carrying a concealed weapon. Pacino, aged 21 and living in New York City, stayed in jail for three days. The three occupants of the car at the time were all wearing black masks and gloves, and had been seen by police circling their vehicle in a suspicious manner. hehehe



-Pacino's parents divorced when he was two years old, after that he lived with his mother and grandparents in the
Bronx

-Pacino has had an interest in acting since he was very young, when he was 3 years old he would act out scenes to
his grandfather that he had recently seen in movies

-Al participated in school plays, and was voted "most likely to succeed," by his peers for his acting abilities

-Pacino struggled with academics though, he dropped out of the High School of Performing Arts in New York at age
17 to pursue an acting career

-He left home at age 17 to pursue his acting career, and struggled to stay out of poverty over the next ten years

-Pacino had to pick up many different jobs to make money during that time, including theater usher and janitor

-Pacino was arrested in 1961 for carrying a concealed weapon

-During this time he was also honing his acting skills by taking classes at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio, he would
later work with Strasberg in the Godfather films

-Pacino's mother died when he was 22 years old

-Soon after, things started to pick up for Pacino, he won an Obie Award in 1968, and a Supporting Actor Tony in
1969 for ""Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?"

-Pacino later said that he enjoys theater work more than acting in movies

-Pacino began getting a lot of critic's praise for his theater roles, and his success on Broadway landed him in the
film The Panic in Needle Park

-Francis Ford Coppola learned of Pacino through that role, and he was soon cast in The Godfather and on his way
to superstardom

-One of the more interesting movie mishaps occured in The Godfather, in the scene after Michael shoots
McCluskey and Sollozzo Pacino jumps from the sidewalk into the getaway car, but he actually miscaluculated the
leap in real life, twisting his ankle and straining a ligament

-Pacino was payed only $40,000 for his role in The Godfather

-Al's youth nickname was "Sonny," he later did Dog Day Afternoon with the name "Sonny"

-Pacino stands only 5' 7"

-His huge success in the mid-seventies went sour with a string of mostly commercial failures of 1977-1985 (with the
possible exceptions of ...And Justice For All and Scarface)

-Al took four years away from movie acting after that before returning in 1989 with Sea of Love

-Pacino has been riding high since then with several successful films (The Godfather: Part III, Dick Tracy, Scent of
a Woman, Carlito's Way, Heat, Donnie Brasco, Devil's Advocate)

-Pacino has turned down roles in Pretty Woman, Kramer vs. Kramer, Crimson Tide, Apocalypse Now, and Born on
The Fourth of July

-Pacino was actually nominated for two Oscars in the same year (1992), one for Scent of a Woman and the other for
Glengarry Glen Ross

-Scent of a Woman director Martin Brest gave Pacino the name "El Diablo" (the devil in Spanish), just like with
"Sonny" he later did The Devil's Advocate as "The Devil"

-Pacino was once wore a fake beard and sun glasses at a Yankees game with Beverly D'Angelo, it did not work
though as Pacino was easily recognized

-Pacino's asking price is currently 9 million per film .

 


 

 

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