Al Pacino's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Angels in America Roy Cohn Tonight with Jonathan Ross (UK) Al Pacino

Main Movie Roles 2009 - I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale 2008 - Righteous Kill 2007 - Ocean's Thirteen 2007 - 88 Minutes 2005 - Two for the Money 2003 - Gigli 2003 - The Recruit 2002 - Insomnia 2002 - S1m0ne 1999 - Any Given Sunday 1999 - The Insider 1997 - Donnie Brasco 1997 - The Devil's Advocate 1996 - Looking For Richard 1996 - City Hall 1995 - Heat 1995 - Two Bits 1993 - Carlito's Way 1992 - Scent of a Woman 1992 - Glengarry Glen Ross 1991 - Madonna: Truth or Dare 1991 - Frankie and Johnny 1990 - Dick Tracy 1990 - The Godfather: Part III 1989 - Sea of Love 1985 - Revolution 1983 - Scarface 1982 - Author! Author! 1980 - Cruising 1979 - ...And Justice for All. 1977 - Bobby Deerfield 1975 - Dog Day Afternoon 1974 - The Godfather: Part II 1973 - Serpico 1973 - Scarecrow 1972 - The Godfather 1971 - The Panic in Needle Park

BIOGRAPHY:

One of the greatest actors in all of film history, Al Pacino established himself during one of film's greatest decades, the 1970s, and has become an enduring and iconic figure in the world of American movies. Born on April 25, 1940, in the Bronx, New York, Pacino's parents (Salvatore and Rose) divorced when he was young. His mother moved them into his grandparents' house. Pacino found himself often repeating the plots and voices of characters he had seen in the movies, one of his favorite activities. Bored and unmotivated in school, the young Al Pacino found a haven in school plays, and his interest soon blossomed into a full-time career. Starting on the stage, he went through a lengthy period of depression and poverty, sometimes having to borrow bus fare to make it to auditions. He made it into the prestigious Actors Studio in 1966, studying under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg, creator of the Method Approach that would become the trademark of many '70s-era actors. After appearing in a string of plays in supporting roles, he finally hit it big with "The Indian Wants the Bronx", winning an Obie award for the 1966-67 season. That was followed by a Tony Award for "Does the Tiger Wear a Necktie?". His first feature films made little departure from the gritty realistic stage performances that earned him respect: he played a junkie in The Panic in Needle Park (1971) after his film debut in Me, Natalie (1969). What came next would change his life forever. The role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) was one of the most sought-after of the time: Robert Redford (I), Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, 'Ryan O'Neal', Robert De Niro and a host of others either wanted it or were mentioned for it, but director Francis Ford Coppola had his heart set on the unknown Italian Pacino for the role, although pretty much everyone else--from the studio to the producers to some of te cast members--didn't want him. Though Coppola won out through slick persuasion, Pacino was in constant fear of being fired during the hellish shoot. Much to his (and Coppola's) relief, the film was a monster hit that did wonders for everyone's career, including Pacino's, and earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Instead of taking on easier projects for the big money he could now command, however, Pacino threw his support behind what he considered tough but important films, such as the true-life crime drama Serpico (1973) and the tragic real-life bank robbery film Dog Day Afternoon (1975). He opened eyes around the film world for his brave choice of roles, and he was nominated three consecutive years for the "Best Actor" Academy Award. He faltered slightly with Bobby Deerfield (1977), but regained his stride with ...And Justice for All. (1979), for which he received another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. This would, unfortunately, signal the beginning of a decline in his career, which produced such critical and commercial flops as Cruising (1980) and Author! Author! (1982). He took on another vicious gangster role and cemented his legendary status in the ultra-violent cult hit Scarface (1983), but a monumental mistake was about to follow. Revolution (1985) endured an endless and seemingly cursed shoot in which equipment was destroyed, weather was terrible, and Pacino became terribly ill with pneumonia. Constant changes in the script also further derailed a project that seemed doomed from the start anyway. The Revolutionary War film is considered one of the worst films ever, not to mention one of the worst of his career, resulted in his first truly awful reviews and kept him off the sceen for the next four years. Returning to the stage, Pacino has done much to give back and contribute to the theatre, which he considers his first love. He directed a film, The Local Stigmatic (1990), but it remains unreleased. He lifted his self-imposed exile with the striking Sea of Love (1989) as a hard-drinking cop. It marked the second phase of Pacino's career, being the first to feature his now famous dark, owl eyes and hoarse, gravelly voice. Returning to the Corleones, he made The Godfather: Part III (1990) and earned raves for his first comedic role in the colorful Dick Tracy (1990). This earned him another Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and two years later he was nominated for Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). He went into romantic mode for Frankie and Johnny (1991). In 1992 he finally won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his amazing performance in Scent of a Woman (1992). A mixture of technical perfection (he plays a blind man) and charisma, the role was tailor-made for him, and remains a classic. The next few years would see Pacino becoming more comfortable with acting and movies as a business, turning out great roles in great films with more frequency and less of the demanding personal involvement of his wilder days. Carlito's Way (1993) proved another gangster classic, as did the epic crime drama Heat (1995) directed by Michael Mann (I) and co-starring Robert De Niro, although they only had a few scenes together. He returned to the director's chair for the highly acclaimed and quirky Shakespeare adaptation Looking for Richard (1996). City Hall (1996), Donnie Brasco (1997) and The Devil's Advocate (1997) all came out in this period. Reteaming with Mann and then Oliver Stone (I), he gave two commanding performances in The Insider (1999) and Any Given Sunday (1999). In his personal life, Pacino is one of Hollywood's most enduring and notorious bachelors, having never been married. He has a daughter, Julie Marie, with acting teacher Jan Tarrant, and a new set of twins with longtime girlfriend 'Beverly DAngelo. His romantic history includes a long-time romance with "Godfather" co-star Diane Keaton. With his intense and gritty performances, Pacino was an original in the acting profession. His Method approach would become the process of many actors throughout time, and his unbeatable number of classic roles has already made him a legend among film buffs and all aspiring actors and directors. His commitment to acting as a profession and his constant screen dominance has established him as one of the movies' true legends.


TRIVIA:

• 2006: His performance as Sonny Wortzik in _Dog Day Afternoon (1975)_ (qv) is ranked #4 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.
• Was a longtime member of 'David Wheeler (I)' (qv)'s Theatre Company of Boston, for which he performed in "Richard III" in Boston from Dec. 1972 to Jan. 1973 and at the Cort Theater in New York City from June 10 to July 15, 1979. He also appeared in their productions of 'Bertolt Brecht' (qv)'s "Aurturo Ui" at the Charles Theater in Boston in 1975 and later in New York and London, and in 'David Rabe' (qv)'s "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" at the Longacre Theater in New York in 1977, for which Pacino won a Tony Award. Wheeler also directed Pacino in 'Heathcote Williams' (qv)' "The Local Stigmatic" for 'Joseph Papp' (qv)'s Public Theater in New York City in 1976. Pacino appeared in a 1989 film of "Stigmatic" (_The Local Stigmatic (1990)_ (qv)) directed by Wheeler that was presented at the Cinémathèque in Los Angeles.
• Has suffered from chronic insomnia.
• Turned down the role of Ted Kramer in _Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)_ (qv).
• In 2004 he became the 18th performer to win the Triple Crown of Acting. Oscar: Best Actor, _Scent of a Woman (1992)_ (qv); Tony: Best Supporting Actor-Play "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?: (1969) and Best Actor-Play "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" (1977); and Emmy: Best Actor-Miniseries/Movie, _"Angels in America" (2003)_ (qv).
• He is a huge fan of 'Dick Van Dyke' (qv).
• He is only one of four actors to be nominated for an Oscar twice for playing the same role in two separate films. He was nominated as for _The Godfather (1972)_ (qv) and _The Godfather: Part II (1974)_ (qv). The others are 'Paul Newman (I)' (qv) as Fast Eddie Felson in _The Hustler (1961)_ (qv) and _The Color of Money (1986)_ (qv), 'Bing Crosby' (qv) as Father O'Malley in _Going My Way (1944)_ (qv) and _The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)_ (qv), 'Peter O'Toole (I)' (qv) as Henry II in _Becket (1964)_ (qv) and _The Lion in Winter (1968)_ (qv) and 'Cate Blanchett' (qv) as Elizabeth I in _Elizabeth (1998)_ (qv) and _Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)_ (qv).
• His favorite actress is 'Julie Christie (I)' (qv).