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Alfred James Pacino (born April 25, 1940) is a notable actor. He was born in New York City.

Biography

The son of Salvatore Pacino (who was born in Italy) and Rose Gerard (the daughter of an Italian-born father and a New York born mother of Italian descent). His parents divorced while Pacino was still a child. His grandparents originate from Corleone, Sicily, Italy.

In the late 1960s, Pacino studied under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg, finding acting a therapeutic outlet in a youth which saw him depressed and so impoverished he could barely afford the bus fares required to get him to his next audition. His talent shone through and by the end of the decade he had won an Obie award for his stage work in The Indian Wants the Bronx and a Tony award for Does the Tiger Wear a Necktie? His big screen debut came in 1969's Me, Natalie but it was the 1971 film The Panic in Needle Park, in which he played a heroin addict, that would really show off his talents and bring him to the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola.

Al Pacino with Robert Duvall in The GodfatherHis meteoric rise to fame came after portraying Michael Corleone in the blockbuster 1972 Mafia film The Godfather. Although numerous established actors, including Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, and a then unknown Robert De Niro, were vying for the part, Coppola selected the relatively unknown Pacino. His performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and, by the end of the 1970s he would have three more nominations, all for Best Actor. Despite further nominations, it wasn't until 1992 that Pacino would win an Oscar, for Best Actor, for his portrayal of the irascible, retired and blind Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in Martin Brest's Scent of a Woman. That year, he was also up for the supporting award for his role in Glengarry Glen Ross, making Pacino the first male actor ever to receive two acting nominations for two different movies in the same year, and the first actor of either gender to achieve that feat and win for the lead acting nomination. (Jamie Foxx did the same in 2005.) Pacino has not received another nomination from the Academy since those two, but has won two Golden Globes since the turn of the century, the first being the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in motion picture, and the second for his role in the HBO miniseries Angels in America.

Al Pacino's career took something of a downturn in the early 1980s and his appearances in Cruising and Author! Author! saw him critically panned. 1983's Scarface proved to be both a career highlight and a defining role, earning Pacino a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as a Cuban drug lord who cries out the now infamous line "You wanna play rough? Okay! Say hello to my little friend!"

However, 1985's Revolution was critically panned and failed at the box office; Pacino returned to stage work for four years, re-surfacing in film in 1989's Sea of Love, which was to signal a welcome return to form. Pacino's more recent body of work remains impressive, boasting a number of fine performances that include the somewhat under-recognised 1990's crime thrillers Carlito's Way, Heat and Donnie Brasco. Pacino has turned down a number of key roles in his career, including that of Han Solo in Star Wars, Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now and Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman.

The quality of Pacino's performances, as well as his larger-than-life onscreen presence (Pacino stands about 5'6"), have established him as one of the greatest actors in motion picture history. Pacino still performs theatre work and has also dabbled in direction, his first film, The Local Stigmatic remains unreleased but his other two works, Looking for Richard and Chinese Coffee are both highly acclaimed. Pacino reportedly is planning to finally release The Local Stigmatic on DVD within the next several months.

Although Al Pacino has never been married, Pacino has three children. The first, Julie Marie, is his daughter with acting coach Jan Tarrant. He also has twins, Anton and Olivia, with ex - girlfriend Beverly D'Angelo. Pacino continues to be regarded as the best actor of his generation and in the top list of all time world class actors in movie history.

Film List for Al Picino

1969 Me, Natalie

1971 The Panic in Needle Park

1972 The Godfather(As Michael Corleone)

1973 Scarecrow

1973 Serpico

1974 The Godfather Part II

1975 Dog Day Afternoon

1977 Bobby Deerfield

1979 ...And Justice for All

1980 Cruising

1982 Author! Author

1983 Scarface (as Tony Montana)

1985 Revolution

1989 Sea of Love

1990 Dick Tracy

1990 The Godfather Part III

1991 Truth or Dare

1991 Frankie and Johnny

1992 Glengarry Glen Ross

1992 Scent of a Woman

1993 Carlito's Way

1994 Jonas in the Desert

1995 Heat

1995 Two Bits

1995 City Hall

1996 Looking for Richard

1996 Donnie Brasco

1998 Devil's Advocate (as the Devil)

1999 The Insider

1999 Any Given Sunday

2002 Insomnia

2002 S1m0ne

2002 People I Know

2003 The Recruit

2003 Angels In America (as Roy Cohn)