The winner of the Triple Crown of Acting (Academy, Emmy and Tony Awards), Al Pacino, stands as a towering figure in American cinema. Renowned for his intense method acting and commanding screen presence, Pacino’s career spans over five decades, encompassing iconic roles in film, theater, and television.
Alfredo James “Al” Pacino, born April 25, 1940, in Manhattan, New York City, to Italian-American parents, Rose Gerardi and Salvatore Pacino, both of Sicilian descent. His maternal grandparents emigrated from Corleone, Sicily, a town later immortalised in The Godfather. His parents married young—Salvatore was 20, Rose 17—but divorced when Pacino was two. Following the separation, Pacino and his mother moved to his grandparents’ tenement in the South Bronx, a neighborhood marked by poverty and crime in the 1940s.
The hardest thing about being famous is that people are always nice to you. You’re in a conversation and everybody’s agreeing with what you’re saying – even if you say something totally crazy. You need people who can tell you what you don’t want to hear.
Al Pacino
Raised primarily by his mother and grandparents. His grandfather, a strict yet influential figure, instilled a sense of loyalty, once chastising young Pacino for tattling on a classmate. Pacino’s early years were shaped by financial hardship and his mother’s struggles with mental health, including a suicide attempt during his childhood. Despite these challenges, Rose nurtured his love for cinema, taking him to local theatres where he absorbed stories and mimicked characters for his grandmother. By age nine, Pacino began smoking and drinking, and by 13, he experimented with marijuana. His rebellious streak led to frequent fights and a reputation as a troublemaker, but his passion for acting emerged as a constructive outlet.
Pacino’s academic journey was turbulent. Unmotivated in school, he dropped out of most classes at Herman Ridder Junior High, except English, and later attended the High School of Performing Arts. His mother disapproved of his acting ambitions, prompting him to leave home as a teenager. To fund his studies, he took odd jobs as a messenger, janitor, busboy, and mailroom clerk. Initially rejected by the Actors Studio, Pacino trained at the HB Studio under Charlie Laughton and later at the Berghof Studio.
In 1962, two of his life’s anchors, his mother and grandfather, both died, which he later described as his lowest phase. It was also the time when he started his professional acting career on stage. In 1963, he appeared in Off-Broadway productions like Hello, Out There and Why Is a Crooked Letter.
In 1966, he gained admission to the prestigious Actors Studio, studying under Lee Strasberg, whose method acting approach became a cornerstone of Pacino’s craft. In 1967 he acted in Clifford Odets’ Awake and Sing!, followed by Jean-Claude Van Itallie’s America Hurrah.
Pacino’s breakthrough came in 1968 with Israel Horovitz’s The Indian Wants the Bronx, earning an Obie Award for Best Actor. The play caught the attention of producer Martin Bregman, who became Pacino’s manager and a pivotal figure in his career. Pacino’s Broadway debut followed in 1969 with Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, winning a Tony Award despite the play’s short run. His film debut came in 1969 with a minor role in “Me, Natalie”. His first lead role came in Jerry Schatzberg’s The Panic in Needle Park (1971) with Kitty Winn. In the film, his portrayal of a drug dealer and addict catches the eye of director Francis Ford Coppola, who cast him in his adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel “The Godfather”.
In The Godfather, Pacino plays Michael Corleone, a reluctant heir to a mafia empire who transforms into a ruthless leader. His performance is a masterclass in subtlety and evolution. Early in the film, Pacino portrays Michael as reserved and idealistic. As the narrative progresses, his transformation is marked by a chilling shift in demeanour—his eyes harden, his voice grows colder, and his posture exudes authority. His nuanced portrayal earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination and established him as a leading talent.
Playing real-life NYPD whistleblower Frank Serpico in Serpico (1973), Pacino delivered a gripping performance as an honest cop battling corruption, earning a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.
In 1974, Pacino reprises his role as Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II, a sequel that parallels the Corleone family’s past and present. His performance deepens the character’s complexity, portraying Michael as a man consumed by power and paranoia. Pacino’s physical transformation—stooped shoulders, gaunt features—mirrors Michael’s moral decay. His performance earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination, with critics praising his ability to humanise a tragic antihero.
As Sonny Wortzik, a desperate bank robber in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Pacino’s raw intensity and the iconic “Attica!” scene earned him another Oscar nomination. The film, based on a true story, remains a crime drama classic. In 1983, Pacino’s over-the-top portrayal of Cuban drug lord Tony Montana in Scarface (1983), with lines like “Say hello to my little friend,” turned the film into a cult classic despite initial mixed reviews. It earned him another Golden Globe nomination.
As blind, retired Colonel Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman (1992), Pacino’s fiery “Hoo-ah!” monologue and heartfelt performance won him his first and only Oscar for Best Actor. One of his other iconic performances came in the crime drama “Heat (1995),” where he played LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna. Pacino faced off against Robert De Niro’s criminal Neil McCauley in Michael Mann’s classic.
As slick salesman Ricky Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Pacino’s sharp delivery earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in this intense adaptation of David Mamet’s play.
Some of his other iconic films include Scarecrow (1973), …And Justice for All (1979), Author! Author! (1982), Sea of Love (1989), Dick Tracy (1990), Frankie and Johnny (1991), Carlito’s Way (1993), Looking for Richard (1996), Donnie Brasco (1997), The Devil’s Advocate (1997), The Insider (1999), Any Given Sunday (1999), Insomnia (2002), Angels in America (2003), Ocean’s Thirteen (2007), You Don’t Know Jack (2010), Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019), House of Gucci (2021), and many more.
In 2019 Pacino collaborated with legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese for the mob epic “The Irishman”, a first for him. Pacino’s portrayal of labour leader Jimmy Hoffa with Robert De Niro, who played the hitman Frank Sheeran working for mobster Russell Bufalino, played by Joe Pesci. Pacino’s portrayal earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
Apart from winning an Academy Award for Scent of a Woman (1992), he recieved nine nominations. He won his second Tony Award for the play The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel in 1977. Pacino also worked on TV and won two Primetime Emmy Awards—for Angels in America (2003) and You Don’t Know Jack (2010). He also won four Golden Globes from 19 nominations.
He was honoured with the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2001), AFI Life Achievement Award (2007), National Medal of Arts (2011), and Kennedy Center Honors in 2016.
Pacino’s directorial efforts, including Looking for Richard (1996) and Wilde Salomé (2011). His memoir, Sonny Boy (2024), offers insights into his life and career.
Pacino has never married but has had high-profile relationships. He dated actress Jill Clayburgh for five years in the 1960s, followed by Diane Keaton during The Godfather trilogy. Other partners included Tuesday Weld, Marthe Keller, Beverly D’Angelo (1997–2003), Lucila Polak (2008–2018), and Noor Alfallah (2022–2023).
Pacino has four children: Julie Marie Pacino (b. 1989), with acting coach Jan Tarrant, a filmmaker who runs Poverty Row Entertainment, Anton James and Olivia Rose Pacino (b. 2001), twins with Beverly D’Angelo and Roman Pacino (b. 2023), with Noor Alfallah.
I’ve always said I don’t believe in God, I believe in Al Pacino.
Javier Bardem
More recently, Pacino is seen in projects like Hunters (2020–2023), Knox Goes Away (2024), Modi (2024), and The Ritual (upcoming), reflecting Pacino’s continued activity at age 84.
