Al Pacino - A Down to Earth Actor

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May 30, 2005

A true Italian New Yorker, Alfredo James Pacino was born April 25, 1940. He was raised near the Bronx Zoo in East Harlem where he lived with his grandparents. His father, an insurance salesman, Salvatore, and his mother Rose was divorced when he was only seven.

Born with an ability to act in school plays, he transferred during high school to the High School of Performing Arts, which he flunked out at the age of seventeen. Odd jobs of office mail delivery boy, movie usher and even a building superintendent were passing time and earning enough money to study at the Herbert Berghof Studio and finally at the Actors Studio (1966).

With stage performances, he finally landed a Broadway part in Does the Tiger Wear a Necktie? In which he attained his first Tony Award.

His true spotlight came with his appearance in The Godfather (1972) where he played Michael Corleone. He had to compete against mainstream actors like Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson and even Robert De Niro. Director Francis Ford Coppola chose him against everyone’s wishes and this film gave Pacino a career-making lead that won him his first Academy Award nomination.

With the tough guy ambiance he went on to perform in the cop role Serpico (1973) and then The Godfather: Part II (1974) and one more tough roll, Dog Day Afternoon (1975).

A major role for Pacino in 1979 was …And Justice for All, in which he plays an attorney who must defend a judge in a rape case. Another hit was Scarface (1983) in which Pacino is a Cuban immigrant who controls a drug empire.

Al Pacino has landed major roles that are landmark career moves but on the other hand; he turned down major successful roles that furthered other major stars. He turned down the movies: Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Apocalypse Now (1979), Star Wars (Han Solo role) (1977), Pretty Woman (1990) and Crimson Tide (1995).

Now how bad is that? Well, for Pacino, it did not slow down his success. With two Golden Globe Awards, an Emmy (2004) for Angels in America and an Oscar for Scent of a Woman (1992) he is still on top.

Some major movies not to miss would be of course The Godfather, Part III (1990) and The Godfather Trilogy (1992). But if crime families are not your thing, The Devil’s Advocate (1997) with Keanu Reeves is a good one where Al Pacino is actually the devil at a powerful law firm. Carlito’s Way (1993) is a powerful look at the struggles of an ex-con (Carlito).