Al Pacino

Al Pacino, born Alfredo James Pacino on April 25, 1940, in Manhattan’s East Harlem, is an American actor whose intense stage and screen work has earned him a reputation as one of the finest actors in history. Over more than fifty years, he has collected numerous honors, including the Triple Crown of Acting—an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and an Emmy Award. His other major recognitions include the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2001), the AFI Life Achievement Award (2007), the National Medal of Arts (2011), the Kennedy Center Honors (2016), and the Sam Wanamaker Award (2026). A method actor, Pacino trained at HB Studio and the Actors Studio under Charlie Laughton and Lee Strasberg. The films he has appeared in have earned more than $3 billion globally.

Pacino began his career in theater, working in underground, off-Broadway, out-of-town, and Broadway productions. He won two Tony Awards: Best Featured Actor in a Play for *Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?* (1969) and Best Actor in a Play for *The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel* (1977). He also played "Teach" in David Mamet’s *American Buffalo* across off-Broadway, Broadway, and West End runs (1981–1984), starred in multiple productions of Oscar Wilde’s *Salome* (1992, 2003, 2006), and earned a third Tony nomination for playing Shylock in *The Merchant of Venice* (2010), a role he also performed in the 2004 film adaptation.

His first lead film role came in *The Panic in Needle Park* (1971), which brought acclaim, and he was soon cast as Michael Corleone in *The Godfather* (1972), a part he reprised in its two sequels (1974, 1990). He received Academy Award nominations for the first two *Godfather* films. Pacino won the Oscar for Best Actor for *Scent of a Woman* (1992). His other Oscar-nominated performances were in *Serpico* (1973), *Dog Day Afternoon* (1975), *...And Justice for All* (1979), *Dick Tracy* (1990), *Glengarry Glen Ross* (1992), and *The Irishman* (2019). He also starred in *Scarecrow* (1973), *Scarface* (1983), *Sea of Love* (1989), *Carlito’s Way* (1993), *Heat* (1995), *Donnie Brasco* and *The Devil’s Advocate* (both 1997), *The Insider* and *Any Given Sunday* (both 1999), *Insomnia* (2002), *Ocean’s Thirteen* (2007), *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood* (2019), and *House of Gucci* (2021), among many others. On television, he acted in several HBO productions, including *Angels in America* (2003) and the Jack Kevorkian biopic *You Don’t Know Jack* (2010), winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for each. He also starred in the Amazon Prime Video series *Hunters* (2020–2023).

Pacino made his directorial debut with the documentary *Looking for Richard* (1996), winning a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary. He directed and starred in *Chinese Coffee* (2000), *Wilde Salomé* (2011), and *Salomé* (2013). His memoir, *Sonny Boy*, was published by Penguin Press in 2024. Since 1995, he has served as co-president of the Actors Studio, having been its co-artistic director from 1981 to 1983.

Pacino was the only child of Sicilian American parents Rose and Salvatore Pacino, born in East Harlem. His grandparents had emigrated from San Fratello. His parents divorced when he was two, and his mother moved him to the South Bronx to live with her parents, Kate and James Gerardi, who had emigrated from Corleone. His father relocated to Covina, California, to work as an insurance salesman and restaurateur. From age three or four, his mother took him to movies, and he began running characters’ lines in his head. She nicknamed him “Sonny Boy” after the Al Jolson song she often sang to him.

As a teenager, his friends called him “Sonny,” “Pacchi,” and “Pistachio” (after his favorite ice cream). He dreamed of becoming a baseball player and was also called “The Actor.” He started smoking and drinking at nine, used marijuana casually at thirteen, but avoided hard drugs. His two closest friends died from drug abuse at ages 19 and 30. Growing up in the South Bronx, he got into occasional fights and was seen as a troublemaker at school. He credited his mother with saving his life and keeping him off drugs.

He attended Herman Ridder Junior High School but dropped out of most classes except English. Teacher Blanche Rothstein recognized his acting potential, casting him in school plays and having him read Bible passages at assemblies. She visited his family’s tenement apartment to tell his grandmother he was “made to do this,” which Pacino called the turning point in his life. He then auditioned for and attended the High School of Performing Arts. His mother disagreed, believing “poor people don’t do acting,” and after an argument, he left home.

To support himself, Pacino worked low-paying jobs as a messenger, busboy, janitor, switchboard operator, usher, postal clerk, and in the mailroom for *Commentary*. He acted in basement plays in New York’s underground theater. As a teenager, he tried to join the Actors Studio but was rejected. Instead, he joined HB Studio, where he met teacher Charlie Laughton, who became his mentor and best friend. The studio let him attend classes for free in exchange for cleaning hallways and dance studios. At night, he practiced Shakespeare soliloquies while walking the streets. During this period, he was often unemployed or homeless, sometimes sleeping on the street, in theaters, or in a friend’s apartment.