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Joe Pesci
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| Joe Pesci | |
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| Born | Joseph Frank Pesci February 9, 1943 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, singer, musician |
| Years active | 1961–present |
Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Italian-American actor, comedian, singer and musician. Usually known for playing violent Mafia gangsters or grouchy but lovable funnymen, Pesci has starred in a number of high-profile films such as Goodfellas, Casino, Raging Bull, Once Upon a Time in America, My Cousin Vinny, JFK, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, and Lethal Weapon 4.
In 1990 Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as mobster Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas, ten years after receiving a nomination in the same category for Raging Bull.
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Early life
Pesci (pronounced Peshi), 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.12 By the time Pesci was 5 years old, he was appearing in plays in New York.2 A few years later, at age 10, he was a regular on a television variety show called Startime Kids, which also featured Connie Francis.2 He 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.
Pesci practiced judo all throughout his teens. He is a big fan of martial arts, including Judo, and tae kwon do. 2 He played guitar for "Joey Dee and the Starliters" and was an extra in Dee's film Hey, Let's Twist!, in which he made his film debut.
Career
His breakthrough as an actor came in 1980 when he co-starred alongside Robert De Niro who played the lead role of boxer Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles in 1981 and was nominated an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Subsequently, he performed with De Niro in the films Once Upon a Time in America, Goodfellas (for which he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, in 1990,3) and Casino. He also had a small role in 1993's A Bronx Tale, which De Niro directed.
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 Sinéad O'Connor on the previous broadcast, to which he was met with applause, but joked that he was not overly offended as no pictures of Italian popes were defaced.
Other work
In the late 70's, Joe teamed up with Frankie Vincent, performing in local clubs like the Arlington Lounge and other venues around Northern NJ as "Vincent and Pesci." The comedy duo's material was a play on Martin and Lewis and on Abbott and Costello.
He co-starred in the blockbuster hit 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. He reprised his role for the sequel.
Pesci also had roles in JFK (as David Ferrie) and the comedy My Cousin Vinny (as the title character) released in 1991 and 1992, respectively. He appeared as Leo Getz in three Lethal Weapon films.
He had starring roles in several other films including The Super (1991), Jimmy Hollywood (1994) and With Honors (also 1994).
Retirement from acting
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. He returned to acting when he did a cameo in De Niro's 2006 film The Good Shepherd. He is slated to star in the 2009 drama Love Ranch, alongside Helen Mirren.
He 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 was present during the formation of the group as a young man and is portrayed as a character in the play.
Personal life
He has been married three times, the third time to Claudia Martha (Marty) Haro.4 He has a daughter, Tiffany from his first marriage. In 2008, a then 65-year-old Pesci became engaged to actress/model Angie Everhart who was 38 at the time. However, according to Angie Everhart, they were never actually engaged. They announced their breakup in April, 2008.
George Carlin, in a comedy set denouncing religion, stated he prayed to Joe Pesci rather than God, because "Joe looks like a guy who can get things done". The two were also close friends.
Filmography
References
- ^ Joe Pesci biography. Film Reference.com.
- ^ a b c d Harrison, Nancy. FILM; Joe Pesci? That Guy Is Some Kind of Character. New York Times. 8 March 1992.
- ^ Academy Awards official site, last accessed March 8, 2008
- ^ Joe Pesci Biography. TV-Now.
External links
- Joe Pesci at the Internet Movie Database
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