Al Pacino Biography
It's those coal-black eyes, glistening with absolute conviction and (probably) malicious intent. Glaring out from millions of film-posters on millions of bedroom walls, they have at some point given us all the shivers. Because, cinematically speaking, we all know what those eyes have seen, we all know what terrors their owner has perpetrated. With just two of his many roles, Al Pacino has lodged himself in solidly our imaginations. As Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, we watched him evolve from a hopeful student innocent into an all-powerful, all-controlling tyrant. And in Scarface, we saw him grow from a sassy street-kid into a paranoid, murderous despot ("Say hello to my leedle friend!"). These characters were the ultimate anti-social anti-heroes, genuine threats to our way of life - genuine because Pacino, the consummate professional, made them so very real. Add to these roles his other classic performances, in Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and The Insider, and you realise why the man is an undeniable and deserved screen icon.
Getting there wasn't easy. Alfredo James Pacino was born to a family of Italian immigrants in East Harlem, New York, on the 25th of April, 1940, his grandparents having crossed the Atlantic from Sicily. His father, Salvatore, was an insurance agent who split from Alfredo's mother Rose when the boy was just two - mother and child moving in with her parents in a dirt-poor area near the Bronx zoo. As an only child, he was zealously protected by his grandparents, hardly leaving the house till the age of seven. When he was older, his mother would take him to the cinema (he was terribly hurt when she died young in 1962) and he'd act out the plotlines to his grandma on his return. Shy and insular, he'd impress his school-mates with a fictional past he'd invented for himself, claiming for instance that he'd been raised in Texas.
Thankfully, his teachers spotted his talent, cast him in school plays and asked him to read from the Bible at assembly. He enjoyed this but did not consider acting as a profession till, at age 14, he saw Chekov's The Seagull performed at the Elsmere Theatre in the South Bronx. This led to him enrolling at the prestigious High School of the Performing Arts but, flunking everything but English, he eventually, at 17, dropped out.
Pictured: Film legend Al Pacino leaves Beverly Hills restaurant ... - Daily Mail
Daily MailPictured: Film legend Al Pacino leaves Beverly Hills restaurant ...Daily Mail, UK - Aug 18, 2008By Chris Johnson With fingernails like that, it is no wonder screen legend Al Pacino was desperately trying to avoid the baying photographers as he left a ...
Donnie Wahlberg, Wife Divorcing - Zap2it.com
Donnie Wahlberg, Wife DivorcingZap2it.com - 15 hours agoHe appears alongside Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in the upcoming "Righteous Kill," in theaters on Sept. 12. He recently reunited with his fellow New Kids on ...
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino's 'Righteous Kill' Gets Red Band Trailer - AceShowbiz
AceShowbizRobert De Niro and Al Pacino's 'Righteous Kill' Gets Red Band TrailerAceShowbiz, Indonesia - Aug 15, 2008by Alain Williams The crime thriller starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino revealed its full-length red band trailer. Overture Films have just delivered the ...
Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro team up for Righteous Kill and M&C?s ... - Monsters and Critics.com
Monsters and Critics.comAl Pacino and Robert DeNiro team up for Righteous Kill and M&C?s ...Monsters and Critics.com - Aug 15, 2008By Patrick Luce Aug 15, 2008, 16:43 GMT Academy Award winners Robert De Niro and Al Pacino star as a pair of veteran New York City police detectives in ...
Movie preview: DeNiro, Pacino in 'Righteous Kill' - Newsday
Movie preview: DeNiro, Pacino in 'Righteous Kill'Newsday, NY - Aug 8, 2008The good news is that this cop flick about rough justice stars Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro (pictured). The jury's still out on director Jon Avnet, ...
Watch De Niro and Pacino's new trailer - RTE.ie
RTE.ieWatch De Niro and Pacino's new trailerRTE.ie, Ireland - Aug 7, 2008RTÉ.ie Entertainment and Lionsgate are offering you the chance to watch the trailer for Robert De Niro and Al Pacino's first film together since 1995's ...
Rome film festival honoring Al Pacino - Hollywood Reporter
Rome film festival honoring Al PacinoHollywood Reporter, United States - Aug 1, 2008By Eric J. Lyman ROME -- Al Pacino will be the guest of honor at this year's Rome International Film Festival, organizers said Friday, making Pacino the ...Rome honors Pacino Varietyall 2 news articles
Roos must channel Pacino - The Canberra Times
Roos must channel PacinoThe Canberra Times, Australia - Jul 27, 2008If Paul Roos needs some cinematic inspiration for his predicament, he could do worse than Al Pacino. "Either we heal as a team, or we're gonna crumble. ...
HTV: Miley Bikes and More Star Spottings! - KGET 17
KGET 17HTV: Miley Bikes and More Star Spottings!KGET 17, CA - Aug 18, 2008Plus, it's a rare sighting as the photogs catch a glimpse of legend Al Pacino as he finishes dinner at LA eatery Madeo.
Two's company - Jerusalem Post
Two's companyJerusalem Post, Israel - Aug 15, 2008In it, two of the greatest actors of our times, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro appear together albeit for only a few scenes. Until, that is, the final show ...
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