Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on
stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, during which he has earned
many accolades, including an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
, two
Tony Awards
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...
, and two
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
, achieving the
Triple Crown of Acting. He has also received four
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...
, a
BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
, two
Screen Actors Guild Awards, and was honored with the
Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2001, the
AFI Life Achievement Award in 2007, the
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...
in 2011, and the
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to Culture of the United States, American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in ...
in 2016.
A
method actor, Pacino studied at
HB Studio and the
Actors Studio, where he was taught by Charlie Laughton and
Lee Strasberg. Pacino went on to receive the
Academy Award for Best Actor
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...
for his role in ''
Scent of a Woman'' (1992). His other Oscar-nominated roles were in ''
The Godfather
''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...
'' (1972), ''
Serpico'' (1973), ''
The Godfather Part II
''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic film, epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, loosely based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cop ...
'' (1974), ''
Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), ''
...And Justice for All'' (1979), ''
Dick Tracy'' (1990), ''
Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1992), and ''
The Irishman'' (2019). Pacino has starred in many commercially successful films, including ''
Scarface'' (1983), ''
Sea of Love'' (1989), ''
The Godfather Part III'' (1990), ''
Frankie and Johnny'' (1991), ''
Carlito's Way'' (1993), ''
Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...
'' (1995), ''
Donnie Brasco'', ''
The Devil's Advocate'' (both 1997), ''
The Insider'', ''
Any Given Sunday'' (both 1999), ''
Insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...
'' (2002), ''
The Recruit'' (2003), ''
Ocean's Thirteen'' (2007), ''
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' (2019), and ''
House of Gucci'' (2021).
On television, Pacino has acted in multiple productions for
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
, 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 a Movie for each. Pacino starred in the
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
series ''
Hunters'' (2020–23). He has also had an extensive career on stage. He is a two-time Tony Award winner, winning
Best Featured Actor in a Play in ''
Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?'' (1969) and
Best Actor in a Play for ''
The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel'' (1977).
Pacino made his directorial debut with the documentary ''
Looking for Richard'' (1996). He has played the lead role on stage in 1977. He has also acted as
Shylock in a
2004 feature film adaptation and 2010 stage production of ''
The Merchant of Venice''. Pacino directed and starred in ''
Chinese Coffee'' (2000), ''
Wilde Salomé'' (2011), and ''
Salomé'' (2013). In 2006, he allowed for his likeness to be used in the video game ''
Scarface: The World Is Yours''. Since 1994, he has been the joint president of the Actors Studio.
Early life and education
Alfredo James Pacino was born in the
East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on April 25, 1940, the only child of
Sicilian Italian-American
Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...
parents Rose () and Salvatore Pacino. His father had immigrated from
San Fratello.
His parents divorced when he was two years old.
His mother took him to the
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...
and they lived with her parents, Kate and James Gerardi. They had immigrated from
Corleone when young.
Pacino's father moved to California to work as an insurance salesman and restaurateur in
Covina, California.
In his teenage years, Pacino was known as "Sonny" to his friends.
He had ambitions to become a
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player and was also nicknamed "The Actor".
He attended
Herman Ridder Junior High School,
but soon dropped out of most of his classes except for English. He subsequently attended the
High School of Performing Arts, after gaining admission by audition. His mother disagreed with his decision and, after an argument, he left home. To finance his acting studies, Pacino took low-paying jobs as a messenger, busboy, janitor, and postal clerk,
as well as once working in the mailroom for ''
Commentary''.
Pacino began smoking and drinking at age nine, and used
marijuana
Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
casually at age 13, but he abstained from
hard drugs.
His two closest friends died from
drug abuse
Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...
at the ages of 19 and 30.
Growing up in the South Bronx, Pacino got into occasional fights and was considered something of a troublemaker at school.
He acted in basement plays in New York's theatrical underground, but was rejected as a teenager by the
Actors Studio.
Instead, Pacino joined the
HB Studio, where he met acting teacher Charlie Laughton, who became his mentor and best friend.
In this period, he was often unemployed or homeless, and sometimes slept on the street, in theaters, or at a friend's home.
In 1962, Pacino's mother died at the age of 43.
The following year, his maternal grandfather also died.
Pacino recalled it as the lowest point of his life and said, "I was 22 and the two most influential people in my life had gone, so that sent me into a tailspin."
After four years at HB Studio, Pacino successfully auditioned for the Actors Studio.
The Actors Studio is a membership organization of professional actors, theater directors, and playwrights in the
Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.
Pacino studied "
method acting
Method acting, known as the Method, is a range of rehearsal techniques, as formulated by a number of different theatre practitioners, that seeks to encourage sincere and expressive performances through identifying with, understanding, and expe ...
"
under acting coach
Lee Strasberg, who appeared with Pacino in the films ''
The Godfather Part II
''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic film, epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, loosely based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cop ...
'' and in ''
...And Justice for All''.
During later interviews, he spoke about Strasberg and the Studio's effect on his career. "The Actors Studio meant so much to me in my life. Lee Strasberg hasn't been given the credit he deserves ... Next to Charlie, it sort of launched me. It really did. That was a remarkable turning point in my life. It was directly responsible for getting me to quit all those jobs and just stay acting."
In another interview he added, "It was exciting to work for him
ee Strasbergbecause he was so interesting when he talked about a scene or talked about people. One would just want to hear him talk, because things he would say, you'd never heard before ... He had such a great understanding ... he loved actors so much."
[Lipton, James. ''Inside Inside'', Dutton (2007)]
In 2000, Pacino was selected as co-president of the Actors Studio, along with
Ellen Burstyn and
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and film producer, known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running associatio ...
.
Career
1967–1971: Theater roles and film debut

In 1967, Pacino spent a season at the Charles Playhouse in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, performing in
Clifford Odets' ''
Awake and Sing!'' (his first major paycheck: US$125 a week); and in
Jean-Claude Van Itallie's ''
America Hurrah''. He met actress
Jill Clayburgh on this play. They had a five-year romance and moved back to New York City.
In 1968, Pacino starred in
Israel Horovitz
Israel Horovitz (March 31, 1939 – November 9, 2020) was an American playwright, director, actor and co-founder of the Gloucester Stage Company in 1979. He served as artistic director until 2006 and later served on the board, ex officio and ...
's ''
The Indian Wants the Bronx'' at the
Astor Place Theatre, playing Murph, a street punk. The play opened January 17, 1968, and ran for 177 performances; it was staged in a double bill with Horovitz's ''It's Called the Sugar Plum'', starring Clayburgh. Pacino won an
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...
for Best Actor for his role, with
John Cazale winning for Best Supporting Actor and Horowitz for Best New Play.
Martin Bregman saw the play and became Pacino's manager, a partnership that became fruitful in the years to come, as Bregman encouraged Pacino to do ''The Godfather'', ''Serpico'', and ''Dog Day Afternoon''. About his stage career, Pacino said, "Martin Bregman discovered me ... I was 26, 25 ... he discovered me and became my manager. And that's why I'm here. I owe it to Marty, I really do".
Pacino took the production of ''The Indian Wants the Bronx'' to Italy for a performance at the
Festival dei Due Mondi in
Spoleto. It was Pacino's first journey to Italy; he later recalled that "performing for an Italian audience was a marvelous experience".
Pacino and Clayburgh were cast in "Deadly Circle of Violence", an episode of the
ABC television series ''
NYPD'', premiering November 12, 1968. Clayburgh at the time was also appearing on the soap opera ''
Search for Tomorrow'', playing the role of Grace Bolton. Her father would send the couple money each month to help with finances.
On February 25, 1969, Pacino made his Broadway debut in
Don Petersen's ''
Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?'' at the
Belasco Theater, produced by
A&P heir
Huntington Hartford. It closed after 39 performances on March 29, 1969, but Pacino received rave reviews and won the
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
on April 20, 1969.
Pacino continued performing onstage in the 1970s, winning a second Tony Award for ''
The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel'' and performing the
title role in ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...
''.
In the 1980s, Pacino again achieved critical success on stage while appearing in
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker.
He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...
's ''
American Buffalo,'' for which Pacino was nominated for a
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...
.
Since 1990, Pacino's stage work has included revivals of
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...
's ''
Hughie'',
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
's ''
Salome
Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...
'' and in 2005
Lyle Kessler's ''
Orphans''. Pacino found acting enjoyable and realized he had a gift for it while studying at The Actors Studio. However, his early work was not financially rewarding.
After his success on stage, Pacino made his film debut in 1969 with a brief appearance in ''
Me, Natalie'', an independent film starring
Patty Duke. In 1970, Pacino signed with the talent agency
Creative Management Associates (CMA).
Pacino made his feature film debut portraying a
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...
addict in ''
The Panic in Needle Park'' (1971).
1972–1983: Stardom and acclaim
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...
cast him as
Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone is a fictional character and the protagonist of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather''. In the The Godfather (film series), three ''Godfather'' films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Michael was portr ...
in what became a blockbuster
Mafia
"Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...
film, ''
The Godfather
''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...
'' (1972). Although
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...
,
Robert Redford,
Warren Beatty
Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...
, and the little-known
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
tried out for the part, Coppola selected Pacino, to the dismay of studio executives who wanted someone better known.
Pacino's performance earned him an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nomination, and offered a prime example of his early acting style, described by ''
Halliwell's Film Guide'' as "intense" and "tightly clenched". Pacino boycotted the
Academy Award ceremony, insulted at being nominated for the Supporting Acting award, as he noted that he had more screen time than co-star and
Best Actor winner
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia'' who also boycotted the awards, but for unrelated reasons.
[Grobel; p. xxi] In 1973, Pacino co-starred in ''
Scarecrow'' with
Gene Hackman, which won the
Palme d'Or at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world.
Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
. That same year, Pacino was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor after starring in ''
Serpico'', based on the true story of New York City policeman
Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of fellow officers.
In 1974, Pacino reprised his role as Michael Corleone in ''
The Godfather Part II
''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic film, epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, loosely based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cop ...
'', which was the first sequel to win the
Best Picture Oscar; Pacino was nominated a third time for an Oscar, this second nomination for the Corleone role being in the lead category.
''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'' has described his performance in ''The Godfather Part II'' as "arguably cinema's greatest portrayal of the hardening of a heart".

In 1975, he enjoyed further success with the release of ''
Dog Day Afternoon'', based on the true story of bank robber
John Wojtowicz.
It was directed by
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...
, who had directed him in ''Serpico'' a few years earlier, and Pacino was again nominated for Best Actor.
[Grobel; p. xxiii] In 1977, Pacino starred as a race-car driver in ''
Bobby Deerfield'', directed by
Sydney Pollack, and received a
Golden Globe nomination for
Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his portrayal of the title role. His next film was the courtroom drama ''
...And Justice for All''. Pacino was lauded by critics for his wide range of acting abilities, and nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for a fourth time.
He lost out that year to
Dustin Hoffman in ''
Kramer vs. Kramer''—a role that Pacino had declined.
During the 1970s, Pacino had five Oscar nominations, including four for Best Actor for his performances in ''Serpico'', ''The Godfather Part II'', ''Dog Day Afternoon'', and ''...And Justice for All''.
Pacino's career slumped in the early 1980s; his appearances in the controversial ''
Cruising'', a film that provoked protests from New York's gay community, and the comedy-drama ''
Author! Author!'', were critically panned.
However, his performance in ''
Scarface'' (1983), directed by
Brian De Palma, proved to be a career highlight and a defining role.
Upon its initial release, the film was critically panned due to violent content, but later received critical acclaim. The film did well at the box office, grossing over US$45 million domestically. Pacino earned a
Golden Globe nomination for his role as Cuban drug lord
Tony Montana.
In 1983, Pacino became a major donor for
The Mirror Theater Ltd, alongside
Dustin Hoffman and
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...
, matching a grant from
Laurance Rockefeller.
The men were inspired to invest by their connection with Lee Strasberg, as Strasberg's daughter-in-law Sabra Jones was the founder and Producing Artistic Director of The Mirror. In 1985, Pacino offered the company his production of ''
Hughie'' by
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...
, but the company was unable to do it at the time due to the small cast.
In 1985, Pacino worked on his personal project, ''
The Local Stigmatic'', a 1969
off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
play by the English writer
Heathcote Williams
John Henley Heathcote-Williams (15 November 1941 – 1 July 2017), known as Heathcote Williams, was an English poet, actor, political activist and dramatist. He wrote a number of book-length polemical poems including ''Autogeddon'', ''Falling ...
. He starred in the play, remounting it with director David Wheeler and the Theater Company of Boston in a 50-minute film version. The film was not released theatrically, but was later released as part of the ''Pacino: An Actor's Vision'' box set in 2007.
1984–1999: Established career

His 1985 film ''
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
'' about a fur trapper during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, was a commercial and critical failure, which Pacino blamed on a rushed production, resulting in a four-year hiatus from films. At this time Pacino returned to the stage. He mounted workshop productions of ''Crystal Clear'', ''National Anthems'' and other plays; he appeared in ''
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
'' in 1988 in producer
Joseph Papp's
New York Shakespeare Festival. Pacino remarked on his hiatus from film: "I remember back when everything was happening, '74, '75, doing ''
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' on stage and reading that the reason I'd gone back to the stage was that my movie career was waning! That's been the kind of ethos, the way in which theater's perceived, unfortunately." Pacino returned to film in 1989's ''
Sea of Love'',
when he portrayed a detective hunting a
serial killer
A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone:
*
*
*
*
* (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
who finds victims through the singles column in a newspaper. The film earned solid reviews. Pacino received an Academy Award nomination for playing
Big Boy Caprice in the box office hit ''
Dick Tracy'' in 1990, of which critic
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
described Pacino as "the scene-stealer". Later in the year he followed this up in a return to one of his most famous characters, Michael Corleone, in ''
The Godfather Part III'' (1990).
In 1991, Pacino starred in ''
Frankie and Johnny'' with
Michelle Pfeiffer, who co-starred with Pacino in ''Scarface''. Pacino played a recently paroled cook who begins a relationship with a waitress (Pfeiffer) in the diner where they work. It was adapted by
Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," M ...
from his own off-Broadway play ''
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune'' (1987), that featured
Kenneth Welsh and
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress. Kathy Bates filmography, Her work spans over five decades, and List of awards and nominations received by Kathy Bates, her accolades include an Academy Awards, Academy Award, t ...
. The film received mixed reviews, although Pacino later said he enjoyed playing the part.
[Grobel; p. xxvii] Janet Maslin in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote, "Mr. Pacino has not been this uncomplicatedly appealing since his ''Dog Day Afternoon'' days, and he makes Johnny's endless enterprise in wooing Frankie a delight. His scenes alone with Ms. Pfeiffer have a precision and honesty that keep the film's maudlin aspects at bay." For his portrayal of the irascible,
blind U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in
Martin Brest's ''
Scent of a Woman'' (1992)
Pacino won the
Academy Award for Best Actor
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...
next year. He was also nominated for
Best Supporting Actor for ''
Glengarry Glen Ross'', making Pacino the
first male actor ever to receive
two acting nominations for two movies in the same year, and to win for the lead role.

Pacino starred alongside
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...
in the crime drama ''
Carlito's Way'' in 1993, in which he played
Carlito Brigante, a gangster released from prison with the help of his corrupt lawyer (Penn) and vows to go straight. Pacino starred in
Michael Mann
Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, author and producer, best known for his stylized crime dramas. He has received a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for four ...
's ''
Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...
'' (1995), in which he and Robert De Niro appeared on-screen together for the first time (though both Pacino and De Niro starred in ''The Godfather Part II'', they did not share any scenes).
In 1996, Pacino starred in his theatrical docudrama ''
Looking for Richard'', a performance of selected scenes of
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...
'' and a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture. The cast brought together for the performance included
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...
,
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...
, and
Winona Ryder
Winona Laura Horowitz (born ), known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Having come to attention playing quirky characters in the late 1980s, she achieved success with her more dramatic performances in the 1990s. Ryder's L ...
.
Pacino played
Satan
Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
in the supernatural thriller ''
The Devil's Advocate'' (1997) which co-starred
Keanu Reeves. The film was a success at the box office, taking US$150 million worldwide.
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
wrote in the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'', "The satanic character is played by Pacino with relish bordering on glee." In 1997's ''
Donnie Brasco'', Pacino played gangster "
Lefty" in the true story of undercover FBI agent
Donnie Brasco (
Johnny Depp) and his work in bringing down the
Mafia
"Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...
from the inside. In 1999, Pacino starred as ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...
'' producer
Lowell Bergman in the multi-Oscar nominated ''
The Insider'' opposite
Russell Crowe, and in
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...
's ''
Any Given Sunday''.
2000–2018: Television roles and return to Broadway
Pacino won three Golden Globes since 2000; the first being the
Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2001 for lifetime achievement in motion pictures. In 2000, Pacino starred alongside
Jerry Orbach in a low-budget film adaptation of
Ira Lewis' play ''
Chinese Coffee'', which was released to film festivals.
Shot almost exclusively as a one-on-one conversation between two main characters, the project took nearly three years to complete and was funded entirely by Pacino.
''Chinese Coffee'' was included with Pacino's two other rare films he was involved in producing, ''The Local Stigmatic'' and ''Looking for Richard'', on a special DVD box set titled ''Pacino: An Actor's Vision'', which was released in 2007. Pacino produced prologues and epilogues for the discs containing the films.
[Grobel; p. xxxviii] Pacino turned down an offer to reprise his role as Michael Corleone in the computer game version of ''
The Godfather
''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...
'' (2006). As a result,
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
was not permitted to use Pacino's likeness or voice in the game, although his character does appear in it. He did allow his likeness to appear in the video game adaptation of 1983's ''Scarface'', the quasi-sequel ''
Scarface: The World is Yours''.

In October 2002, Pacino starred in
Bertolt Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
's ''
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' for the National Actor's Theater and
Complicite. Directed by
Simon McBurney, the production starred a host of Hollywood names, including
John Goodman,
Charles Durning,
Tony Randall,
Steve Buscemi,
Chazz Palminteri,
Paul Giamatti,
Jacqueline McKenzie
Jacqueline Susan McKenzie (born 24 October 1967) is an Australian film and stage actress.
Early life
Born in Sydney, New South Wales, McKenzie attended Wenona School in North Sydney, New South Wales, North Sydney until 1983 then moved to Pymb ...
,
Billy Crudup,
Lothaire Bluteau,
Dominic Chianese, and
Sterling K. Brown. The production was a critical success in which "Pacino grabs and holds the attention like a coiled spring about to snap. He is all brooding menace and crocodile grimace, butchering his way to the top with unnervingly sinister glee." Director
Christopher Nolan worked with Pacino on ''
Insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...
'', a remake of the
Norwegian film of the same name, co-starring
Robin Williams. ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'' stated that "he
acinocan play small as rivetingly as he can play big, that he can implode as well as explode". The film and Pacino's performance were well received, gaining a favorable rating of 93 percent on the review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
. The film did moderately well at the box office, taking in $113 million worldwide. His next film, ''
S1m0ne'', however, did not receive much critical praise or box office success.
He played a publicist in ''
People I Know'' (2002), a small film that received little attention despite Pacino's well-received performance.
[Grobel; p. xxxv] Rarely taking a supporting role since his commercial breakthrough, he accepted a small part in the critical and box office flop ''
Gigli'', in 2003, as a favor to director
Martin Brest.
''
The Recruit'', released in 2003, featured Pacino as a CIA recruiter and co-stars
Colin Farrell. The film received mixed reviews, and has been described by Pacino as something he "personally couldn't follow".
Pacino next starred as lawyer
Roy Cohn in the 2003
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
miniseries ''
Angels in America'', an adaptation of
Tony Kushner
Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Among his stage work, he is most known for ''Angels in America'', which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, as well as its subsequent acclaime ...
's
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
winning
play of the same name.
For this performance, Pacino won his third Golden Globe, for
Best Performance by an Actor, in 2004.
Pacino starred as Shylock in
Michael Radford's 2004 film adaptation of ''
The Merchant of Venice''. Critics praised him for bringing compassion and depth to a character traditionally played as a villainous caricature. In
''Two for the Money'', Pacino portrays a sports gambling agent and mentor for
Matthew McConaughey, alongside
Rene Russo. The film was released on October 8, 2005, to mixed reviews. Desson Thomson wrote in ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', "Al Pacino has played the mentor so many times, he ought to get a kingmaker's award ... the fight between good and evil feels fixed in favor of Hollywood redemption." On October 20, 2006, the
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
named Pacino the recipient of the 35th
AFI Life Achievement Award.
On November 22, 2006, the
University Philosophical Society of
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...
awarded Pacino the Honorary Patronage of the Society.
Pacino starred in
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( ; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern Independent film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...
's ''
Ocean's Thirteen'' (2007), alongside
George Clooney,
Brad Pitt,
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...
,
Elliott Gould, and
Andy García, as the villain Willy Bank, a casino tycoon targeted by
Danny Ocean and his crew. The film received generally favorable reviews. ''
88 Minutes'' was released on April 18, 2008, in the United States, after having been released in various other countries in 2007. The film co-starred
Alicia Witt and was critically panned, although critics found fault with the plot, and not Pacino's acting. In ''
Righteous Kill'', Pacino and Robert De Niro co-star as New York detectives searching for a serial killer. The film was released to theaters on September 12, 2008. While it was an anticipated return for the two stars, it was not well received by critics.
Pacino returned to the stage in the summer of 2010, playing
Shylock in the
Shakespeare in the Park production, ''
The Merchant of Venice''. The acclaimed production moved to Broadway at the
Broadhurst Theatre in October, earning US$1 million at the box office in its first week. The performance also garnered him a Tony Award nomination for
Best Leading Actor in a Play. Pacino played
Jack Kevorkian in an
HBO Films biopic titled ''
You Don't Know Jack'', which premiered April 2010. The film is about the life and work of the
physician-assisted suicide
Assisted suicide, sometimes restricted to the context of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is the process by which a person, with the help of others, takes actions to end their life.
Once it is determined that the person's situation qualifie ...
advocate. The performance earned Pacino his second
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for lead actor
and his fourth
Golden Globe award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
. He co-starred as himself in the 2011 comedy film ''
Jack and Jill''. The film was panned by critics, and Pacino "won" the
Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor at the
32nd ceremony. Elaborating on his decision to join the cast of the film, he stated: "It came at a time in my life that I needed it, because it was after I found out I had no more money. My accountant
">enneth I. Starrwas in prison, and I needed something quickly. So I took (''Jack and Jill''.)"
He was presented with
Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award on September 4, 2011, prior to the premiere of ''
Wilde Salomé'', a 2011 American documentary-drama film written, directed by and starring Pacino.
Its US premiere on the evening of March 21, 2012, before a full house at the 1,400-seat
Castro Theatre in San Francisco's
Castro District, marked the 130th anniversary of Oscar Wilde's visit to San Francisco. The event was a benefit for the
GLBT Historical Society. Pacino, who plays the role of
Herod in the film, describes it as his "most personal project ever".
In February 2012, President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
awarded Pacino the
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...
. Pacino starred in the 30th-anniversary Broadway revival of
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker.
He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...
's play, ''
Glengarry Glen Ross'', which ran from October 2012 to January 20, 2013.
He starred on Broadway in
''China Doll'', a play written for him by Mamet, which opened on December 5, 2015, and closed on January 21, 2016, after 97 performances. The previews were done in October 2015.
Pacino starred in a 2013 HBO biographical picture about record producer
Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...
's murder trial, titled ''
Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...
''. He took the title role in the comedy-drama ''
Danny Collins'' (2015). His performance as an aging rock star garnered him a
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nomination. In 2016, Pacino received the
Kennedy Center Honor. The tribute included remarks by his former costars
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...
,
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...
,
Bobby Cannavale and
Chris O'Donnell. In September 2012, ''
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...
'' reported that Pacino would play the former
Penn State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
football coach Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn ...
in the television film ''
Paterno'' based on a 2012 biography by sportswriter
Joe Posnanski. ''Paterno'' premiered on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
on April 7, 2018.
2019–present

Pacino starred alongside
Brad Pitt and
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...
in
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
's comedy-drama ''
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'', which was released on July 26, 2019. Later in 2019, Pacino played
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) is a trade union, labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of the Team Drivers International Union and the Teamsters National Union, the union now represents a di ...
chief
Jimmy Hoffa, alongside
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
and
Joe Pesci, in
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
's
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
film ''
The Irishman'', based on the 2004 book ''
I Heard You Paint Houses'' by
Charles Brandt. This was the first time Pacino was directed by Scorsese, and he received a
Best Supporting Actor nomination at the
92nd Academy Awards—his ninth to date. Pacino's performance received positive reviews.
Peter Bradshaw described it as "glorious" in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''.
Justin Chang wrote, "De Niro, Pesci and Pacino are at the top of their game, in part because they aren't simply rehashing the iconic gangster types they've played before."
In February 2020, Pacino starred as Meyer Offerman, a fictional
Nazi hunter
A Nazi hunter is an individual who tracks down and gathers information on alleged former Nazis, or SS members, and Nazi collaborators who were involved in the Holocaust, typically for use at trial on charges of war crimes and crimes against hum ...
, in the
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
series ''
Hunters''. This is Pacino's first television series since ''Angels in America'' (2003). ''Hunters'' was renewed for a second season in August 2020. In 2021, Pacino played
Aldo Gucci in
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...
's ''
House of Gucci''. The film received mixed to positive reviews, with Pacino's performance being highlighted as a standout, along with
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
's and
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in Jared Leto filmography, a variety of roles, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Jared Leto, numerous accolade ...
's. That same year, he played the lead defense attorney in ''
American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally''.
In 2024, Pacino starred in ''
Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness'', a film about
Amedeo Modigliani
Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (; ; 12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the École de Paris who worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern art, modern style characterized by a surre ...
, which he co-produced alongside
Johnny Depp and Barry Navidi.
The film is based on a play by Dennis McIntyre, which was previously adapted for the
2004 film of the same name.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
commenced in September 2023. On March 10, 2024, Pacino presented the
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film a ...
at the
96th Academy Awards.
Personal life
Relationships
Pacino has four children. The eldest, Julie Marie (born October 16, 1989), is his daughter with acting coach Jan Tarrant. He has twins, son Anton James and daughter Olivia Rose (born January 25, 2001), with actress
Beverly D'Angelo, with whom he had a relationship from 1997 until 2003. He has a son, Roman (born June 15, 2023) with his producer girlfriend Noor Alfallah, who is 53 years younger than he is. Pacino, at age 83, is
one of the oldest fathers on record. He has never been married.
Pacino had a relationship with his ''
The Godfather Trilogy'' co-star
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton (née Hall; born January 5, 1946) is an American actress. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Diane Keaton, various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Award, a Bri ...
. Their on-again, off-again relationship ended after the filming of ''The Godfather Part III''. Keaton said of Pacino, "Al was simply the most entertaining man... To me, that's, that is the most beautiful face. I think Warren
eattywas gorgeous, very pretty, but Al's face is like whoa. Killer, killer face." He has had relationships with
Jill Clayburgh,
Tuesday Weld,
Marthe Keller,
Veruschka von Lehndorff,
Kathleen Quinlan
Kathleen Denise Quinlan (born November 19, 1954) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 1977 film of the novel ''I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (film), I Never Promised ...
,
Lyndall Hobbs, and
Penelope Ann Miller.
Pacino had a ten-year relationship with Argentine actress Lucila Polak from 2008 to 2018.
Substance abuse issues
Pacino has admitted to abusing
drugs
A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...
and
alcohol
Alcohol may refer to:
Common uses
* Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds
* Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life
** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages
** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...
early in his career, partly because he found his sudden fame after ''The Godfather'' difficult to cope with.
He achieved
sobriety in 1977.
Health
Pacino revealed in 2024 that he almost died of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
in 2020; his near-death experience has led him to believe in no
afterlife
The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...
.
Acting credits and accolades
Pacino has won and been nominated for many awards during his acting career, including nine
Oscar nominations (winning one) and five
BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
nominations (winning one) for his film work; 19
Golden Globe nominations (winning four) and seven
SAG Award nominations (winning two), each recognizing both his film and TV work; three
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
nominations (winning two) solely for his work on television; and three
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
nominations (winning two) for his stage work. In 2007, the American Film Institute awarded Pacino with a lifetime achievement award and, in 2003, British television viewers voted Pacino as the greatest film star of all time in a poll for
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
.
Bibliography
*
Explanatory notes
See also
*
List of Italian-American actors
*
List of actors with Academy Award nominations
*
List of actors with more than one Academy Award nomination in the acting categories
*
List of Primetime Emmy Award winners
This list showcases the Primetime Emmy Award winners in the comedy program, drama program, variety program, and lead actors categories.
In the early days of the Primetime Emmy Awards, categories awarded by the Academy of Television Arts & Science ...
*
List of Golden Globe winners
References
Citations
General and cited references
*
External links
*
*
*
*
Al Pacinoat the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
'
Actors Studio audio collection*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacino, Al
1940 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
AFI Life Achievement Award recipients
American male film actors
American male Shakespearean actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
American people of Italian descent
Best Actor Academy Award winners
Best Actor BAFTA Award winners
Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners
Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winners
Cecil B. DeMille Award Golden Globe winners
David di Donatello winners
Directors Guild of America Award winners
Drama Desk Award winners
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni
Male actors from Manhattan
Male actors from the Bronx
Method actors
Obie Award recipients
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Screen Actors Guild Award winners
People from East Harlem
Tony Award winners
United States National Medal of Arts recipients
Kennedy Center honorees
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement recipients