Al Pacino - Pacino Turns 70

Acting legend AL PACINO is celebrating his 70th birthday on Sunday (25Apr10) - marking a stellar film career which spans more than four decades.

The Godfather star has been making movies since 1969 and will spend 2010 shooting his latest film project, Mary Mother of Christ, alongside Camilla Belle and Peter O'Toole in Morocco.

To celebrate Pacino's landmark birthday, WENN has collected 10 fascinating facts about the man who brought Michael Corleone to life.

- His full name is Alfredo James Pacino.

- Pacino's maternal grandparents hailed from Corleone, Sicily - mirroring his character's last name in The Godfather trilogy.

- He has received eight Academy Award nominations over the years, and won one - he was named Best Actor for his role 1992's Scent of a Woman. The win came 21 years after his first nomination for The Godfather.

- Pacino turned down the role of Han Solo in 1977 sci-fi epic Star Wars - the role gave Harrison Ford his big break.

- He once worked as an usher at New York's Carnegie Hall.

- During his early years as an actor, Pacino considered changing his name to Sonny Scott - derived from his childhood nickname.

- The nickname comes from the song Sonny Boy by Al Jolson, which Pacino loved to sing as a youngster.

- Pacino is one of only three screen stars to receive Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in the same year - the others are Jamie Foxx and Barry Fitzgerald.

- He has never married.

- An Oscar nomination for 1972's The Godfather marked a run of four consecutive nominations for Pacino, a feat only managed by four other stars - Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Jennifer Jones and Thelma Ritter.