Al Pacino

Al Pacino (born 25.4.1940)

Al Pacino is a highly revered American actor, best known for his roles in Scarface and The Godfather trilogy.

Al Pacino: Childhood

Al Pacino was born in Manhattan, New York City. His parents were Italian-Americans, Rose and Salvatore. They divorced when Al was two years old. Al Pacino's acting school was The School of Performing Arts: A Division of the Fiorello H. La Guardia High School of Music and the Arts. The school was in New York City and was also attended by Robert De Niro.

Following further acting training from Lee Strasberg, Pacino won an Obie Award for his role in The Indian Wants The Bronx. He also won a Tony Award for Does The Tiger Wear a Necktie? His debut film appearance was in 1969's Me, Natalie. The film did not receive a great deal of attention.

Al Pacino: Rise to Fame

In 1971, Al Pacino played a heroin addict in The Panic in Needle Park. It was this film that brought him to Francis Ford Coppola's attention. He went on to play Michael Corleone in Coppola's The Godfather (1972). Pacino beat the likes of Robert Redford, Robert De Niro and Warren Beatty to the role. He also starred in the 1974 sequel and the final part of the trilogy, in 1990.

In the 1970s, Pacino was prolific, starring a number of films. Among the most notable were Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico - both of which saw him nominated for Best Actor Oscars - and Bobby Deerfield, which earned him a Golden Globe Nomination.

The 1980s started out badly for Al Pacino, with Cruising and Author! Author! both condemned by the critics. In 1983, though, Brian De Palma's Scarface was released. Although it was a slow-burner amongst the press, it was a box office hit and Pacino gained another Golden Globe Award for his role as Tony Montana.

Following more unsuccessful film appearances, Pacino focused on stage work for the rest of the decade, appearing in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and in 1988's Julius Caesar. Most notably, he appeared in David Mamet's American Buffalo. In 1989, Al Pacino returned to movie work with Sea of Love.

The following year, Pacino kicked off the 1990s with another Oscar nomination. This time, it was for his role as Big Boy Caprice in Dick Tracy. In 1991, he appeared alongside his Scarface co-star, Michelle Pfeiffer, again in Frankie and Johnny.

Al Pacino finally won the Best Actor nomination for his role as Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman, released in 1992.

The 1990s continued to be a lucrative time for Al Pacino, with films such as Carlito's Way, The Insider and Donnie Brasco all earning the actor a degree of critical praise. In 1995, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino shared screen time together for the very first time in Michael Mann's Heat. He followed this with 1997's The Devil's Advocate, in which he played Satan and Oliver Stone's 1997 film Any Given Sunday.

In 2003, Pacino starred in the miniseries adaptation of Angels In America, the play written by Tony Kushner. He went on to play Shylock in the film adaptation of The Merchant of Venice.

In 2006, the American Film Institute awarded Pacino with their Life Achievement Award.

In 2008, Pacino starred in 88 Minutes, a critical and financial failure. The follow up to this, for Pacino, was the film Righteous Kill, which saw him team up with De Niro yet again, as well as the rapper 50 Cent and the skateboarder Rob Dyrdek.

Al Pacino: Personal Life

In 1961, aged 21, Pacino was arrested and detained for three days in Rhode Island when he was suspected of carrying a concealed weapon. It later transpired that the weapon in question was in fact a prop from a movie set.

Al Pacino has three children. The eldest, Julie Marie (b.1989), is mothered by Jan Tarrant, an acting coach. His twins, Anton James and Olivia Rose (b.2001) are from his relationship with ex-girlfriend Beverley D'Angelo.