Pacino made his directorial debut with the documentaryLooking for Richard (1996). He directed and starred inChinese Coffee (2000),Wilde Salomé (2011), andSalomé (2013). In 2006, he allowed for his likeness to be used in the video gameScarface: The World Is Yours. Since 1994, he has been the joint president of the Actors Studio.
Alfredo James Pacino was born in theEast Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on April 25, 1940, the only child ofSicilianItalian-American parents Rose (née Gerardi) and Salvatore Pacino. His father had emigrated fromSan Fratello.[13]: xix [14]: 2 His parents divorced when he was two years old.[15][14]: 2 His mother took him to theSouth Bronx and they lived with her parents, Kate and James Gerardi. They had emigrated fromCorleone when young.[16][14]: 1–2 Pacino's father moved to California to work as an insurance salesman and restaurateur inCovina, California.[15][17]
In his teenage years, Pacino was known as "Sonny" to his friends.[13]: xix He had ambitions to become abaseball player and was also nicknamed "The Actor".[13]: xix He attendedHerman Ridder Junior High School,[18] but soon dropped out of most of his classes except for English. He subsequently attended theHigh School of Performing Arts,[19] after gaining admission by audition. His mother disagreed with his decision and, after an argument, he left home. To finance his acting studies, Pacino took low-paying jobs as a messenger, busboy, janitor, and postal clerk,[15] as well as once working in the mailroom forCommentary.[20]
Pacino began smoking and drinking at age nine, and usedmarijuana casually at age 13, but he abstained fromhard drugs.[13]: 9 His two closest friends died fromdrug abuse at the ages of 19 and 30.[13]: 8 Growing up in the South Bronx, Pacino got into occasional fights and was considered something of a troublemaker at school.[13]: 6 He acted in basement plays in New York's theatrical underground, but was rejected as a teenager by theActors Studio a membership organization of professional actors, theater directors, and playwrights based in theHell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.[21][13]: xix Instead, Pacino joined theHB Studio, where he met acting teacher Charlie Laughton,[b] who became his mentor and best friend.[13]: xix In this period, he was often unemployed or homeless, and sometimes slept on the street, in theaters, or at a friend's home.[13]: 14 [16]
In 1962, Pacino's mother died at the age of 43.[13]: 10 The following year, his maternal grandfather also died.[15] Pacino recalled it as the lowest point of his life and said, "I was 22 and the two most influential people in my life had gone, so that sent me into a tailspin."[17]
After four years at HB Studio, Pacino successfully auditioned for the Actors Studio.[13]: xix Pacino studied "method acting"[15] under acting coachLee Strasberg, who appeared with Pacino in the filmsThe Godfather Part II and in...And Justice for All.[16] During later interviews, he spoke about Strasberg and the Studio's effect on his career. "The Actors Studio meant so much to me in my life. Lee Strasberg hasn't been given the credit he deserves ... Next to Charlie, it sort of launched me. It really did. That was a remarkable turning point in my life. It was directly responsible for getting me to quit all those jobs and just stay acting."[13]: 15 In another interview, he added, "It was exciting to work for him [Lee Strasberg] because he was so interesting when he talked about a scene or talked about people. One would just want to hear him talk, because things he would say, you'd never heard before ... He had such a great understanding ... he loved actors so much."[22]
In 1967, Pacino spent a season at the Charles Playhouse inBoston, performing inClifford Odets'Awake and Sing! (his first major paycheck: US$125 a week); and inJean-Claude Van Itallie'sAmerica Hurrah. He met actressJill Clayburgh on this play. They had a five-year romance and moved back to New York City.[14] In 1968, Pacino starred inIsrael Horovitz'sThe Indian Wants the Bronx at theAstor Place Theatre, playing Murph, a street punk. The play opened January 17, 1968, and ran for 177 performances; it was staged in a double bill with Horovitz'sIt's Called the Sugar Plum, starring Clayburgh. Pacino won anObie Award for Best Actor for his role, withJohn Cazale winning for Best Supporting Actor and Horowitz for Best New Play.[24]Martin Bregman saw the play and became Pacino's manager, a partnership that became fruitful in the years to come, as Bregman encouraged Pacino to doThe Godfather,Serpico, andDog Day Afternoon.[25] About his stage career, Pacino said, "Martin Bregman discovered me ... I was 26, 25 ... he discovered me and became my manager. And that's why I'm here. I owe it to Marty, I really do".[26]
Pacino took the production ofThe Indian Wants the Bronx to Italy for a performance at theFestival dei Due Mondi inSpoleto. It was Pacino's first journey to Italy; he later recalled that "performing for an Italian audience was a marvelous experience".[14] Pacino and Clayburgh were cast in "Deadly Circle of Violence", an episode of theABC television seriesNYPD, premiering November 12, 1968. Clayburgh at the time was also appearing on the soap operaSearch for Tomorrow, playing the role of Grace Bolton. Her father would send the couple money each month to help with finances.[27]
Francis Ford Coppola cast him asMichael Corleone in what became a blockbusterMafia film,The Godfather (1972).[30] AlthoughJack Nicholson,Robert Redford,Warren Beatty, and the little-knownRobert De Niro tried out for the part, Coppola selected Pacino, to the dismay of studio executives who wanted someone better known.[16][31] Pacino's performance earned him anAcademy Award nomination, and offered a prime example of his early acting style, described byHalliwell's Film Guide as "intense" and "tightly clenched". Pacino boycotted theAcademy Award ceremony, insulted at being nominated for the Supporting Acting award, as he noted that he had more screen time than co-star andBest Actor winnerMarlon Brando—who also boycotted the awards, but for unrelated reasons.[32] In 1973, Pacino co-starred inScarecrow withGene Hackman, which won thePalme d'Or at theCannes Film Festival. That same year, Pacino was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor after starring inSerpico, based on the true story of New York City policemanFrank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of fellow officers.[32] In 1974, Pacino reprised his role as Michael Corleone inThe Godfather Part II, which was the first sequel to win theBest Picture Oscar; Pacino was nominated a third time for an Oscar, this second nomination for the Corleone role being in the lead category.[32]Newsweek has described his performance inThe Godfather Part II as "arguably cinema's greatest portrayal of the hardening of a heart".[33]
Pacino as Frank Serpico in 1973
In 1975, he enjoyed further success with the release ofDog Day Afternoon, based on the true story of bank robberJohn Wojtowicz.[16] It was directed bySidney Lumet, who had directed him inSerpico a few years earlier, and Pacino was again nominated for Best Actor.[34] In 1977, Pacino starred as a race-car driver inBobby Deerfield, directed bySydney Pollack, and received aGolden Globe nomination forBest Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his portrayal of the title role. His next film was the courtroom drama...And Justice for All. Pacino was lauded by critics for his wide range of acting abilities, and nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for a fourth time.[34] He lost out that year toDustin Hoffman inKramer vs. Kramer—a role that Pacino had declined.[34] During the 1970s, Pacino had five Oscar nominations, including four for Best Actor for his performances inSerpico,The Godfather Part II,Dog Day Afternoon, and...And Justice for All.[16]
Pacino's career slumped in the early 1980s; his appearances in the controversialCruising, a film that provoked protests from New York's gay community,[35] and the comedy-dramaAuthor! Author!, were critically panned.[15]However, his performance inScarface (1983), directed byBrian De Palma, proved to be a career highlight and a defining role.[16] Upon its initial release, the film was critically panned due to violent content, but later received critical acclaim.[36] The film did well at the box office, grossing over US$45 million domestically.[37] Pacino earned aGolden Globe nomination for his role as Cuban drug lordTony Montana.[38]
In 1983, Pacino became a major donor forThe Mirror Theater Ltd, alongsideDustin Hoffman andPaul Newman, matching a grant fromLaurance Rockefeller.[39] The men were inspired to invest by their connection with Lee Strasberg, as Strasberg's daughter-in-law Sabra Jones was the founder and Producing Artistic Director of The Mirror. In 1985, Pacino offered the company his production ofHughie byEugene O'Neill, but the company was unable to do it at the time due to the small cast.[39] In 1985, Pacino worked on his personal project,The Local Stigmatic, a 1969off-Broadway play by the English writerHeathcote Williams. He starred in the play, remounting it with director David Wheeler and the Theater Company of Boston in a 50-minute film version. The film was not released theatrically, but was later released as part of thePacino: An Actor's Vision box set in 2007.[16]
His 1985 filmRevolution about a fur trapper during theAmerican Revolutionary War, was a commercial and critical failure, which Pacino blamed on a rushed production,[40] resulting in a four-year hiatus from films. At this time Pacino returned to the stage. He mounted workshop productions ofCrystal Clear,National Anthems and other plays; he appeared inJulius Caesar in 1988 in producerJoseph Papp'sNew York Shakespeare Festival. Pacino remarked on his hiatus from film: "I remember back when everything was happening, '74, '75, doingThe Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui on stage and reading that the reason I'd gone back to the stage was that my movie career was waning! That's been the kind of ethos, the way in which theater's perceived, unfortunately."[41] Pacino returned to film in 1989'sSea of Love,[16] when he portrayed a detective hunting aserial killer who finds victims through the singles column in a newspaper. The film earned solid reviews.[42] Pacino received an Academy Award nomination for playingBig Boy Caprice in the box office hitDick Tracy in 1990, of which criticRoger Ebert described Pacino as "the scene-stealer".[43] Later in the year he followed this up in a return to one of his most famous characters, Michael Corleone, inThe Godfather Part III (1990).[16]
Pacino starred alongsideSean Penn in the crime dramaCarlito's Way in 1993, in which he playedCarlito Brigante, a gangster released from prison with the help of his corrupt lawyer (Penn) and vows to go straight.[46] Pacino starred inMichael Mann'sHeat (1995), in which he and Robert De Niro appeared on-screen together for the first time (though both Pacino and De Niro starred inThe Godfather Part II, they did not share any scenes).[16][47] In 1996, Pacino starred in his theatrical docudramaLooking for Richard, a performance of selected scenes ofWilliam Shakespeare'sRichard III and a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture. The cast brought together for the performance includedAlec Baldwin,Kevin Spacey, andWinona Ryder.[48]
Pacino won three Golden Globes since 2000; the first being theCecil B. DeMille Award in 2001 for lifetime achievement in motion pictures.[54] In 2000, Pacino starred alongsideJerry Orbach in a low-budget film adaptation ofIra Lewis' playChinese Coffee, which was released to film festivals.[55] Shot almost exclusively as a one-on-one conversation between two main characters, the project took nearly three years to complete and was funded entirely by Pacino.[55]Chinese Coffee was included with Pacino's two other rare films he was involved in producing,The Local Stigmatic andLooking for Richard, on a special DVD box set titledPacino: An Actor's Vision, which was released in 2007. Pacino produced prologues and epilogues for the discs containing the films.[56] Pacino turned down an offer to reprise his role as Michael Corleone in the computer game version ofThe Godfather (2006). As a result,Electronic Arts was not permitted to use Pacino's likeness or voice in the game, although his character does appear in it.[57] He did allow his likeness to appear in the video game adaptation of 1983'sScarface, the quasi-sequelScarface: The World is Yours.[58]
He played a publicist inPeople I Know (2002), a small film that received little attention despite Pacino's well-received performance.[66] Rarely taking a supporting role since his commercial breakthrough, he accepted a small part in the critical and box office flopGigli, in 2003, as a favor to directorMartin Brest.[66][67]The Recruit, released in 2003, featured Pacino as a CIA recruiter and co-starsColin Farrell. The film received mixed reviews,[68] and has been described by Pacino as something he "personally couldn't follow".[66] Pacino next starred as lawyerRoy Cohn in the 2003HBO miniseriesAngels in America, an adaptation ofTony Kushner'sPulitzer Prize winningplay of the same name.[16] For this performance, Pacino won his third Golden Globe, forBest Performance by an Actor, in 2004.[69]
Pacino starred inSteven Soderbergh'sOcean's Thirteen (2007), alongsideGeorge Clooney,Brad Pitt,Matt Damon,Elliott Gould, andAndy García, as the villain Willy Bank, a casino tycoon targeted byDanny Ocean and his crew. The film received generally favorable reviews.[75]88 Minutes was released on April 18, 2008, in the United States, after having been released in various other countries in 2007. The film co-starredAlicia Witt and was critically panned,[76] although critics found fault with the plot, and not Pacino's acting.[77] InRighteous Kill, Pacino and Robert De Niro co-star as New York detectives searching for a serial killer. The film was released to theaters on September 12, 2008. While it was an anticipated return for the two stars, it was not well received by critics.[78]
He was presented withJaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award on September 4, 2011, prior to the premiere ofWilde Salomé, a 2011 American documentary-drama film written, directed by and starring Pacino.[87] Its US premiere on the evening of March 21, 2012, before a full house at the 1,400-seatCastro Theatre in San Francisco'sCastro District, marked the 130th anniversary of Oscar Wilde's visit to San Francisco. The event was a benefit for theGLBT Historical Society.[88][89][90] Pacino, who plays the role ofHerod in the film, describes it as his "most personal project ever".[87] In February 2012, PresidentBarack Obama awarded Pacino theNational Medal of Arts.[10][91] Pacino starred in the 30th-anniversary Broadway revival ofDavid Mamet's play,Glengarry Glen Ross, which ran from October 2012 to January 20, 2013.[92] He starred on Broadway inChina Doll, a play written for him by Mamet, which opened on December 5, 2015, and closed on January 21, 2016, after 97 performances.[93] The previews were done in October 2015.[94]
Pacino has four children. The eldest,Julie Marie (born October 16, 1989), is his daughter with acting coach Jan Tarrant. He has twins, son Anton James and daughter Olivia Rose (born January 25, 2001), with actressBeverly D'Angelo, with whom he had a relationship from 1997 until 2003. He has a son, Roman (born June 15, 2023) with his producer girlfriendNoor Alfallah, who is 53 years younger than he is.[112] Pacino, at age 83, isone of the oldest fathers on record.[113] He has never been married.[114][115]
Pacino has admitted to abusingdrugs andalcohol early in his career, partly because he found his sudden fame afterThe Godfather difficult to cope with.[120][121] He achievedsobriety in 1977.[120]
Pacino has won and been nominated for many awards during his acting career, including nineOscar nominations (winning one) and fiveBAFTA nominations (winning one) for his film work; 19Golden Globe nominations (winning four) and sevenSAG Award nominations (winning two), each recognizing both his film and TV work; threePrimetime Emmy Award nominations (winning two) solely for his work on television; and threeTony Award nominations (winning two) for his stage work. In 2007, the American Film Institute awarded Pacino with a lifetime achievement award and, in 2003, British television viewers voted Pacino as the greatest film star of all time in a poll forChannel 4.[123]
^Colaciello, Robert (August 19, 1971)."Turn-offs that turn on".The Village Voice.Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. RetrievedOctober 21, 2014.
^"AFI Lifetime Achievement Award: Al Pacino".Archived from the original on July 20, 2010.Al Pacino is an icon of American film. He has created some of the great characters in the movies—from Michael Corleone to Tony Montana to Roy Cohn. His career inspires audiences and artists alike, with each new performance a master class for a generation of actors to follow. AFI is proud to present him with its 35th Life Achievement Award.
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