Al Pacino was born in New York on April 25th, 1940. He was the only child of Salvatore and Rose Pacino, who divorced when Al was just two years old.
Starting on the stage, Pacino went through a lengthy period of depression and poverty, sometimes having to borrow bus fare to make it to auditions. He made it into the prestigious Actors Studio in 1966, studying under the legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg, creator of the Method Approach that would become the trademark of many 70s era actors.
Pacino started getting some bigger roles and won an Obie award for his performance in "The Indian Wants the Bronx". Another performance soon after in "Does the Tiger Wear a Necktie?" earned him a prestigious Tony Award. His acting was becoming more known and he was drafted by film directors to join the cast of "Me, Natalie" in 1969 and "The Panic in Needle Park" in 1971.
Godfather I was a major hit and everyone loved Pacino's amazing performance. Even the Academy's attention was gained and he was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor. Pacino went from being a nobody to international star virtually overnight.
He followed up his award-worthy performance with a revival of the Corleone family in ???The Godfather: Part II,??? as well as other fabulous performances in ???Dog Day Afternoon,??? ???Scarface,??? ???Frankie and Johnny??? and ???Carlito??s Way.??? The butt end of Pacino's career hasn't been nearly as impressive as his earlier stuff, but his eventual decline in the Hollywood food chain isn't that painful when compared to other big names like De Niro and Brando.
Al Pacino would continue to perform at the highest possible level. He was excellent as the incorruptible cop in Sidney Lumet's gritty SERPICO, Oscar nominated for Best Actor. Then he repeated as Corleone in the masterful THE GODFATHER, PART II.
In his personal life, Al Pacino is one of Hollywood's most enduring and notorious bachelors, having never been married. He has a daughter Julie Marie with acting teacher Jan Tarrant, and a new set of twins with long-time girlfriend Beverly D'Angelo. His romantic history includes a long-time romance with Godfather co-star Diane Keaton.
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