Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an American Academy Award-winning actor, comedian and singer.
Joe Pesci | |
|---|---|
| File:Joe pesci.jpg | |
| Born | Joseph Frank Pesci |
| Years active | 1961 - present |
Biography
Early life
Pesci, an Italian American, was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Mary, who worked part-time as a barber, and Angelo Pesci, a forklift driver for General Motors and bartender.[1][2] By the time Pesci was 5, he was appearing in plays in New York.[2] A few years later, at 10, he was a regular on a television variety show called "Startime Kids," which also featured Connie Francis.[2]
Pesci started out working as a barber in the 1960s, following in his mother's footsteps. He released an album entitled Little Joe Sure Can Sing under the pseudonym Joseph Richie, accompanied by a band that included good friend and future fellow actor Frank Vincent.[2] Pesci played guitar for Joey Dee and the Starliters, and was an extra in Dee's film "Hey, Let's Twist!", where he made his film debut.[2]
Career
His breakthrough as an actor came in 1980 when he co-starred alongside Robert De Niro who plays the lead role of boxer Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull and won the BAFTA Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles in 1981[3]. Subsequently, he performed with De Niro in the films Once Upon A Time In America (in which he was cast at the behest of his friend De Niro), Goodfellas (for which he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1990[4]), and Casino. The pairing became famous enough to inspire a recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live, called "The Joe Pesci Show". (The real Pesci and De Niro would eventually make a surprise appearance in one episode). Pesci hosted Saturday Night Live on October 10 1992. During the monologue, he restored a picture of Pope John Paul II, which was torn by Sinead O'Connor on the previous broadcast.
Pesci co-starred in Home Alone (1990), playing one of two bumbling burglars (along with good friend, Daniel Stern) who attempt to rob the house of the character played by Macaulay Culkin. In 1992, he appeared in Home Alone 2.
He also played David Ferrie in JFK and My Cousin Vinny released in 1991 and 1992 respectively. He appeared in three Lethal Weapon films as Leo Getz.
In 1998 he released an album called Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You which spawned the single "Wise Guy". In 1999, Pesci announced his retirement from acting to pursue a musical career and to enjoy life away from the camera. Pesci returned to acting when he did a cameo in De Niro's 2006 film The Good Shepherd. Pesci is slated to star in the 2009 drama Love Ranch, alongside Helen Mirren.
Mr. Pesci is one of the producers of the hit Broadway Musical "Jersey Boys". The musical is based on the lives of the musical group, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Pesci claims to have been present during the formation of the group as a young man and is portrayed as a character in the play.
Personal life
Pesci has been married three times, the first to Claudia Martha (Marty) Haro,[5] with whom he has a daughter, Tiffany.[6] Pesci has been linked with companion Angie Everhart,[5] but rumours that they are engaged have so far yet to be confirmed. Comedian George Carlin prays to him because "he's a good actor"[6]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Hey, Let's Twist | Dancer at the Peppermint Club | uncredited |
| 1969 | Out Of It[citation needed] | Michael | |
| 1976 | The Death Collector | Joe Salvino | |
| 1980 | Raging Bull | Joey LaMotta | BAFTA Award; Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; Nominated - Golden Globe |
| 1982 | Dear Mr. Wonderful | Ruby Dennis | |
| I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can | Roger | ||
| 1983] | Easy Money | Nicky Cerone | |
| 1984 | Once Upon A Time In America | Franky Minaldi | |
| Tutti dentro | Corrado Parrisi | ||
| Eureka | Mayakofsky | ||
| 1987 | Man on Fire | David Coolidge | |
| 1988 | Moonwalker | Mr. Big | |
| The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway | |||
| 1989 | Lethal Weapon 2 | Leo Getz | |
| 1990 | Betsy's Wedding | Oscar Henner | |
| Goodfellas | Tommy DeVito | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; Nominated - Golden Globe | |
| Home Alone | Harry Lime | ||
| Catchfire | Leo Carelli (uncredited) | aka Backtrack | |
| 1991 | The Super | Louie Kritski | |
| JFK | David Ferrie | ||
| 1992 | My Cousin Vinny | Vincent LaGuardia Gambini | |
| Lethal Weapon 3 | Leo Getz | ||
| The Public Eye | Leon Bernstein | ||
| Home Alone 2: Lost In New York | Harry Lime | ||
| 1993 | A Bronx Tale | Carmine | |
| 1994 | Jimmy Hollywood | Jimmy Alto | |
| With Honors | Simon Wilder | ||
| 1995 | Casino | Nicky Santoro | |
| 1997 | 8 Heads In A Duffel Bag | Tommy Big Balls | |
| Gone Fishin' | Joe Waters | ||
| 1998 | Lethal Weapon 4 | Leo Getz | |
| 2006 | The Good Shepherd | Joseph Palmi | |
| 2009 | Love Ranch | Charlie Botempo |
References
- ^ Joe Pesci biography. Film Reference.com.
- ^ a b c d e Harrison, Nancy. FILM; Joe Pesci? That Guy Is Some Kind of Character. New York Times. 8 March 1992.
- ^ [BAFTA official site], last accessed March 8, 2008
- ^ Academy Awards official site, last accessed March 8, 2008
- ^ a b Joe Pesci Biography. TV-Now.
- ^ a b Joe Pesci Profile. EOnline.com.
External links
- Joe Pesci at IMDb
- Video from "The Joe Pesci Show" with the special appearance of Pesci and De Niro