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, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards, achieving the Triple Crown of Acting. He has also received four Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA, two Actor Awards, and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2001, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2007, the National Medal of Arts in 2011, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016. Films in which he has appeared have grossed over $3 billion worldwide.

Pacino started acting in theater, ranging from underground to off-Broadway and out-of-town productions to Broadway. 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 for his role in Scent of a Woman (1992). His other Oscar-nominated roles were in The Godfather (1972), Serpico (1973), The Godfather Part II (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 other notable films, including The Panic in Needle Park (1971), Scarecrow (1973), Scarface (1983), Sea of Love (1989), The Godfather Part III (1990), Frankie and Johnny (1991), Carlito's Way (1993), Heat (1995), Donnie Brasco, The Devil's Advocate (both 1997), The Insider, Any Given Sunday (both 1999), Insomnia (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, 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 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). He has also acted as Shylock in a 2004 feature film adaptation and 2010 stage production of The Merchant of Venice.

Pacino made his directorial debut with the documentary Looking for Richard (1996), for which he won a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary. He 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. He wrote his memoir Sonny Boy, which was published by Penguin Press in 2024. Since 1995, Pacino has been co-president of the Actors Studio (he was the co-artistic director from 1981 to 1983).

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 parents Rose () and Salvatore Pacino. His father had emigrated from San Fratello. From the age of three or four, his mother would take him to the movies and he began to run the characters' lines through his head. "Sonny Boy" was his mother's nickname for Pacino, taken from the popular song by Al Jolson, which she often sang to him.

During his teenage years, Pacino's friends called him "Sonny," "Pacchi," and "Pistachio" (derived from his favorite flavor of ice cream). but soon dropped out of most of his classes except for English. Blanche Rothstein, who was his junior high school teacher, saw his acting potential at a young age, casting him in school plays and having him read the Bible passages at their student assemblies. She notably visited their family's tenement apartment to speak with his grandmother that he was "made to do this," which Pacino credited as the turning point in his life. He subsequently attended the High School of Performing Arts, after gaining admission by audition. His mother disagreed with his decision, believing that "poor people don't do acting." After an argument, he left home.

To finance himself and pursue his dreams, Pacino took low-paying jobs as a messenger, busboy, janitor, switchboard operator, usher, and postal clerk, He acted in basement plays in New York's theatrical underground. As a teenager, he tried to join the membership organization Actors Studio but was rejected.. In this period, he was often unemployed or homeless, and sometimes slept on the street, in theaters, or at a friend's home.

Career

1967–1971: Theater roles and film debut

thumb|upright|Pacino in the play [[The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel in 1977]]

In 1967, Pacino spent a season at the Charles Playhouse in Boston, 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'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 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".

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 on April 20, 1969. 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. In 1970, Pacino signed with the talent agency Creative Management Associates (CMA). Although Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, and the little-known Robert De Niro 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 nomination, and offered a prime example of his early acting style, described by Halliwell's Film Guide as "intense" and "tightly clenched". The longstanding rumor was that Pacino boycotted the Academy Award ceremony, insulted at being nominated for the Supporting Acting award as he had more screen time than co-star and Best Actor winner Marlon Brandowho also boycotted the awards, but for unrelated reasons. However, in Pacino's memoir released in 2024, he said it was appalling to learn about the rumor now and clarified that he skipped the ceremony due to his struggles with fame. He was terrified, and it overlapped with him working in Boston in the theatre.

In 1973, Pacino co-starred in Scarecrow with Gene Hackman, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. 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.

thumb|upright|Pacino as Frank Serpico in 1973

In 1975, he enjoyed further success with the release of Dog Day Afternoon, based on the true story of bank robber John Wojtowicz. 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. and the comedy-drama Author! Author!, were critically panned. The film performed 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, 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, but the company was unable to do it at the time due to the small cast. 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 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, 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 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). Janet Maslin in The New York Times 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 starred in Michael Mann's Heat (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's Richard III and a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture. The cast brought together for the performance included Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, and Winona Ryder.

Pacino played Satan 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 wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "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 from the inside. In 1999, Pacino starred as 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman in the multi-Oscar nominated The Insider opposite Russell Crowe, and in Oliver Stone'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.

thumb|left|upright|Pacino at the 2004 [[Venice Film Festival]]

In October 2002, Pacino starred in Bertolt Brecht'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, 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, a remake of the Norwegian film of the same name, co-starring Robin Williams. Newsweek stated that "he [Pacino] can 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. 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.

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 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, "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." Pacino turned down an offer to reprise his role as Michael Corleone in the computer game version of The Godfather (2006). As a result, Electronic Arts 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. On October 20, 2006, the American Film Institute named Pacino the recipient of the 35th AFI Life Achievement Award. On November 22, 2006, the University Philosophical Society of Trinity College Dublin awarded Pacino the Honorary Patronage of the Society.

Pacino starred in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Thirteen (2007), alongside George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, 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.

thumb|upright|right|Pacino at the 2014 [[Toronto International Film Festival]]

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 advocate. The performance earned Pacino his second Emmy Award for lead actor and his fourth Golden Globe award. 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 [Kenneth I. Starr] was 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 September 2012, Deadline Hollywood reported that Pacino would play the former Penn State University football coach Joe Paterno in the television film Paterno based on a 2012 biography by sportswriter Joe Posnanski. Paterno premiered on HBO on April 7, 2018. Pacino starred in the 30th-anniversary Broadway revival of David Mamet's play, Glengarry Glen Ross, which ran from October 2012 to January 20, 2013. He also starred in a 2013 HBO biographical picture about record producer Phil Spector's murder trial, titled Phil Spector.

In 2015, Pacino took the title role in the comedy-drama Danny Collins. His performance as an aging rock star garnered him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nomination. 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.

In 2016, Pacino received the Kennedy Center Honor. The tribute included remarks by his former costars Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Bobby Cannavale and Chris O'Donnell. Speaking about the possibility of retiring, Pacino said: "Acting, especially if you've done it as long as I have, it becomes such a part of your nature you rarely ever think about quitting or anything like that."

2019–present

thumb|Pacino (left) and [[Robert De Niro during the 25th Critics' Choice Awards in January 2020]]

Pacino starred alongside Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino's comedy-drama Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which was released on July 26, 2019. Later in 2019, Pacino played Teamsters chief Jimmy Hoffa, alongside Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, in Martin Scorsese's Netflix 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. 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, in the Amazon Prime Video 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's House of Gucci. The film received mixed to positive reviews, with Pacino's performance being highlighted as a standout, along with Lady Gaga's and Jared Leto's. That same year, he played the lead defense attorney in American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally.

In 2023, Pacino returned to the screen in a supporting role by playing a thief and fixer Xavier Crane in Michael Keaton's Knox Goes Away, a noir thriller that follows a contract killer diagnosed with a fast-moving form of dementia, which premiered at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2024, Pacino starred in Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness, a film about Amedeo Modigliani, which he co-produced alongside Johnny Depp and Barry Navidi. Principal photography commenced in September 2023. On March 10, 2024, Pacino presented the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 96th Academy Awards, the third time he presented the Academy Award for Best Picture (first in 1995 with Robert de Niro and second in 1997). On October 15, 2024, Pacino released his bestselling memoir titled Sonny Boy with Penguin Press that covers his life from a challenging childhood in the South Bronx to becoming an iconic actor.

Pacino appeared in five independent films in 2025. The first was the horror film The Ritual, in which he played priest Theophilus Riesinger with Dan Stevens. The film received negative reviews from critics. The second was Billy Knight, a coming-of-age drama that follows aspiring filmmakers' journey between youthful ambition and artistic expression co-starring Charlie Heaton and Diana Silvers. It made its premiere at the Rhode Island International Film Festival 2025 and was acquired by Mise-En-Scène Company for worldwide sales. In September 2025, he played minor roles in two films: Dead Man's Wire and In the Hand of Dante, both of which made their world premiere out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. The first film acquired by Row K Entertainment featured him as a wealthy mortgage broker, described by co-star Cary Elwes as an intentional, "Easter egg," and a "full-circle moment" referencing his iconic performance in Dog Day Afternoon. His brief cameo in the second film, acquired by Netflix, was praised by Caryn James of The Hollywood Reporter as "among the film's sharpest and best." Pacino's last 2025 film participation was Nic Pizzolatto's Easy's Waltz opposite Vince Vaughn, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival as a Special Presentation. In the same year, Pacino became the first movie star to meet with Pope Leo XIV. Pacino appeared alongside Robert De Niro in Moncler's "Warmer Together" fashion campaign.

In 2026, Pacino's locker room monologue from Any Given Sunday was used in a national campaign for Pfizer.

Other ventures

Speaking Engagements

Pacino made several appearances as a guest and keynote speaker at universities and film schools, often sharing his acting expertise and reflections on his career. On November 19, 1999, he visited Yale University to conduct a master class for the Yale Dramatic Association, attend a question-and-answer session following screenings of his films, The Insider and Looking for Richard, and receive an award in recognition of his contribution to acting. On November 22, 2006, he went to Trinity College Dublin to accept the honorary patronage of the University Philosophical Society for his contribution to theatre and for bringing the work of Oscar Wilde to Broadway audiences. He gave a speech, including a dramatic monologue, followed by a Q&A session with students. On October 16, 2010, he was the distinguished speaker at the Rochester Institute of Technology's Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend to a sold-out crowd of 4,800. On December 4, 2014, he appeared as the guest speaker to share stories and experience with the New York Film Academy students after a special advanced screening of his film, The Humbling and participated in an intimate Q&A with them.

Philanthrophy

Pacino has participated in several benefit productions and staged readings to raise funds for theater companies and arts programs. In 1992, he appeared in the double-bill of Salome and Chinese Coffee, which served as a $50-a-show fundraiser for the Circle in the Square Theatre to reduce its debt and was a successful run. In 1996, he continued his support for the theater by directing and starring in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's Hughie production. In 2019, he joined Geoffrey Rush for Simply Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice, a one-night-only staged benefit reading to support the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles. In 2020, he participated in the same activity for David Rabe's The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Proceeds from the reading supported the National Association of Veteran-Serving Organizations and the SCLA's Veterans in Art program. In 2022, he did a one-night-only fundraiser, Al Pacino Live on Stage, featuring a career retrospective and Q&A session, to support SCLA.

Pacino has also appeared in public service announcements and campaigns supporting social causes and charitable initiatives. In 2001, alongside other actors, he volunteered in the America: A Tribute to Heroes charity telethon to take telephone pledges from the public during the live broadcast to raise funds for the victims and families impacted by the September 11 attacks. In 2005, he was involved with the ONE Campaign, which focuses on fighting extreme poverty, hunger, and AIDS, through their Make Poverty History television and print campaigns with other personalities. In 2012, he joined public figures in appealing for financial support for Hurricane Sandy relief in a PSA. In 2023, Pacino agreed with the Halftime campaign, releasing a new version of the famous 'inch by inch' locker room speech delivered by him from the film Any Given Sunday, which highlighted the importance of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals reaching the halfway mark.

In 2009, Pacino received the "Jane Wyman Humanitarian Award," the highest honor given by the Southern California Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation for his history of charitable giving and lifelong contributions and support to the foundation's mission to find a cure. Pacino, who has supported many causes anonymously, spoke of its importance in a rare interview with CBS News: "I don't think people are aware of how it strikes children and how it manifests," adding that if speaking out can help those with arthritis, then it's worth it.

In 2024, Pacino revealed in his memoir Sonny Boy that he felt that the 1980 film Cruising was "exploitative" of the LGBTQ+ community after seeing the finished product. He did not promote the film, and he anonymously donated the money he earned from it to an irrevocable trust fund for charitable purposes.

Production Company

Pacino was the owner of Chal Productions, a production shingle for theater and film based in New York, co-founded with his friend and mentor Charlie Laughton. Founded roughly two decades prior to 2001, it operates as a flexible development company adjusting its focus based on Pacino's work. Its following credits included Looking for Richard, Chinese Coffee, People I Know, and Wilde Salomé.

Reception and legacy

left|thumb|upright|Pacino at the [[65th Academy Awards in 1993]]

Al Pacino is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the realm of cinema and theatre. Known for his "signature intensity," "tightly clenched," and "explosive" performances, he gained a reputation as a titan of the New Hollywood era. The Globe and Mail described him as the "icon for the early 1970s counterculture generation." Ron Rosenbaum called him the "Hamlet of Hollywood," and Oliver Stone referred to him as the "Street Hamlet," recognizing Pacino as an avid admirer of William Shakespeare's works and his ability to bring "Shakespearean depths of tragic grandeur" to his roles.

In 2003, British television viewers voted Pacino as the Greatest Movie Star of All Time in a poll by Channel 4, and he is included on VH1's list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time." In 2022, Pacino was ranked number six on Esquires list of The 100 Greatest Actors in Film History. The following year, Esquire also included him on its list of "The 10 Best Living Actors."

On his intense screen style, Encyclopædia Britannica described it with "brooding seriousness and explosive rage." Smithsonian attributed his early popularity to his portrayal of troubled characters "on the edge of crazy, or going over it." Ron Silver of The New York Times noted that the actor was not concerned with making the character likeable but with playing the role honestly and "making that human being understandable." Variety pointed out, "sparkling with unusual ebullience, he brings to his roles a mixture of strong presence, brooding intensity, acute vulnerability, seductive malevolence and light self-mockery." The publication also noted that while Jack Nicholson "played cool, alienated anti-heroes," Pacino specialized in "doomed ethnic outsiders (often immigrants), emotionally explosive men who carry themselves with blustery bravado despite defeating surroundings." Pacino, however, believes that he is not strictly a method actor but believes that the words should be "an extension of [his] emotional state" and engages in off-script improvisational exercises. The director of Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico, Sidney Lumet, said, "Everything stems from some incredible core inside of him. I wouldn't think of trying to get near it, because it would be like getting somewhere near the center of the earth. What comes out of his core is so uniquely his own." The Godfather trilogy director Francis Ford Coppola said, "His intelligence is what I noted first. He knows how to use his gifts [...] He uses what he has, this striking magnetic quality, this smoldering ambiance." Marcia Lucas, who was tasked with editing multiple screen tests thought Pacino "undresses you with his eyes." Film critic Tom Shone in a Prospect feature has stated, "If the power of a Pacino performance comes from his voice, the subtlety is often to be found in his eyes. He makes only fleeting eye contact with his fellow actors—even before Scent of a Woman, where he played a blind man—his gaze, in close-up, drifting around the screen, allowing the audience alone to witness the crackle of panic or premeditation to be found crossing his face. He has always had a gut instinct for where the camera is. He has the peripheral vision of a deer." On Scarfaces continuing resonance with audiences decades after its release, Glenn Kenny said, "Pacino's performance is larger than life and so compelling that it just sucks you in."

On his approach to work, Bobby Deerfield director Sydney Pollack said, "He does not ask broadstroke questions about what the man wants out of life. Once he starts on the track of a character, it's like a dog picking up a scent." His work process is intuitive and internal. Heat director Michael Mann echoed the same, comparing Pacino to the great painter Picasso who creates his art by "Staring at an empty canvas for many hours in intense concentration. And then there's a series of brushstrokes. And a piece of the character is alive." As per Joyce Carol Oates, Pacino is a driven and impassioned artist that is unpredictable and unexpected, while David Mamet compared Pacino's excavations of his characters to the way Louis Armstrong played jazz: "He's incapable of doing it the same way twice."

Off screen, Charlie Laughton, Pacino's longtime closest advisor, nicknamed him "the wild square" because of the contrast between his private and public lives; bohemian on the outside and traditional on the inside. He added that Pacino is "gentle and compassionate" and "sort of the opposite of his characters." His friends and co-stars have frequently lauded the actor's generosity and wicked sense of humor. Although most actors capitalize on or adapt to intense public attention, Pacino found it challenging, stating, "Some of this mystique is a pain." He did not have a press agent for a long time that stemmed from his dislike for the spotlight or being a celebrity. One of his biographers, Lawrence Grobel, said that Pacino is a "notoriously private" figure, but his interviews revealed a man more concerned with the process of acting than the fruits of labor. The New York Times called him "Hollywood's legendary shy guy" The Daily Telegraph stated that "Pacino has a way of making you forget, very quickly, that he's 'Al Pacino'" and clarified that despite his overwhelming presence and charisma, he remains "low-key, easygoing and incongruously humble." He has never endorsed any product or service in the United States and signed a talent agreement in 2007 that restricts the commercial use of his name and likeness without prior written consent. He also avoids making political statements of any kind, which is uncommon among his Hollywood colleagues.

According to Karina Longworth, his rise in the film industry and his status as a sex symbol in the 1970s transformed American popular culture and reshaped the ideal of masculinity. The Atlantic said that his appearance and introverted nature deviated from the stereotype of the Anglo-Saxon Protestant movie star of that era. Newsweek described him with a "haggard, life-wrestling beauty and a street eloquence that has more innocence than De Niro and more sincerity than Nicholson."

right|thumb|upright|Pacino received the [[National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in 2011]]

In late 2000, Pacino requested to postpone his induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame, feeling it was premature due to his limited recent theater activity. Despite this request, Playbill reported that he was a leading candidate in the voting by the American Theatre Critics Association and industry peers. Pacino is 2001's recipient of the Golden Globes' prestigious Cecil B. DeMille career achievement award, honoring his outstanding contribution to the world of entertainment. In 2007, the American Film Institute awarded Pacino with a lifetime achievement award. "His career inspires audiences and artists alike," said Howard Stringer, chair of the AFI board of trustees, in a statement. In 2011, he received the National Medal of Arts, and subsequently, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016, both bestowed upon him by President Barack Obama. The citation reads as follows: "Al Pacino calls the theater his flashlight. It's how he finds himself, where he sees truth. And since Al first hit Broadway in 1969, his singular talent has been the gold standard for acting [...] Through it all, Al has always cared more for his flashlight than the spotlight. He says he's still getting used to the idea of being an icon, but his gift for all the inspiration and intensity that he brings to his roles is that he lets us into what his characters are feeling. And for that, we are extraordinarily grateful." The tribute included narration of his life by Meryl Streep, recitations of Shakespeare by Laurence Fishburne and Lily Rabe, a re-enactment of the tango scene in Scent of a Woman by Chris O'Donnell and Gabrielle Anwar, Kevin Spacey's impersonation of the actor, and remarks by Sean Penn.

A number of Pacino's films have become classics of American cinema, with four of his pictures (The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and Scarface) selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Time Out magazine's list of 100 best movies included three of Pacino's films, as chosen by actors in the industry.

Pacino has been heavily referenced in television, music, films, and wider pop culture, largely due to his roles, which have made him an enduring cultural touchstone for grit and power. Vulture affirmed, "It's tempting to call him 'the inimitable Al Pacino,' although he is the most imitated actor in the world." Entertainment Weekly said that his performative idiosyncrasies "gave gainful employment to entire generations of comedic impersonators." Among his most notable impersonators are Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin. Spacey said, "The reason we all love to do an impersonation of Al Pacino is because he has created characters that are unforgettable, and that's because for Al Pacino it's not just business, it's craft."

His remarkable character portrayals have been featured on American Film Institute 100 Years... series, with two on the list of the 100 greatest screen characters (Frank Serpico for hero and Michael Corleone for villain) and with three on the list of the top 100 quotations in American cinema ("Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" by Michael Corleone; "Say 'hello' to my little friend!" by Tony Montana; and "Attica! Attica!" by Sonny Wortzik). Other phrases that transcended the big screen were "The whole trial is out of order!" from ...And Justice for All, "Hoo-ah!" from Scent of a Woman, and "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in" from The Godfather Part III. The Washington Post said, "More indelible lines of dialogue are associated with him than with almost any other actor, a testament not only to the way the roles were written but to how he came to own them." Entertainment Weekly included his Lefty Ruggiero role in Donnie Brasco for the "100 Greatest Performances that should have won Oscars but didn't" list.

Musicians from across genres referenced him, mostly paying homage to his Tony Montana role in Scarface, such as Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Future, August D., Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Tony Yayo. Bob Dylan's 2020 song "My Own Version of You" from his album Rough and Rowdy Ways referenced it with the line, "I'll take the Scarface Pacino and the Godfather Brando / Mix 'em up in a tank and get a robot commando."

Pacino has influenced and been praised by numerous figures in the entertainment industry, including Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Wright, Bobby Cannavale, Javier Bardem, Michael Imperioli, and Jamie Foxx, among others. Several of his co-stars agreed to participate in such projects once Pacino's involvement was confirmed, including John Cusack, Russell Crowe, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Matthew McConaughey. He has had relationships with Jill Clayburgh, Tuesday Weld, Marthe Keller, Veruschka von Lehndorff, Kathleen Quinlan, Lyndall Hobbs, and Penelope Ann Miller. Pacino had a ten-year relationship with Argentine actress Lucila Polak from 2008 to 2018.

Pacino has four children. The eldest, Julie Marie (born October 16, 1989), is his daughter with acting coach Jan Tarrant. He has twins conceived through IVF, 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 producer Noor Alfallah, with whom he had a relationship from 2022 to 2024. Pacino, at age 83, is one of the oldest fathers on record. He has never been married.

Health and addiction

Pacino has admitted to abusing alcohol and pills (specifically downers) early in his career, partly because he found his sudden rise to fame after The Godfather difficult to cope with. He achieved sobriety in 1977.

Pacino said in 2024 that he almost died of COVID-19 in 2020; his near-death experience has led him to doubt the existence of an afterlife.

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 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 nominations (winning two) solely for his work on television; and three Tony Award nominations (winning two) for his stage work.

Pacino completed the triple crown in 2004 and has been recognized by the highest awards in American film, television, and theater for the following performances:

Academy Awards

  • 45th Academy Awards (1973): Best Supporting Actor, nomination, for The Godfather
  • 46th Academy Awards (1974): Best Actor, nomination, for Serpico
  • 47th Academy Awards (1975): Best Actor, nomination, for The Godfather Part II
  • 48th Academy Awards (1976): Best Actor, nomination, for Dog Day Afternoon
  • 52nd Academy Awards (1980): Best Actor, nomination, for ...And Justice for All
  • 63rd Academy Awards (1991): Best Supporting Actor, nomination, for Dick Tracy
  • 65th Academy Awards (1993): Best Supporting Actor, nomination, for Glengarry Glen Ross
  • 65th Academy Awards (1993): Best Actor, win, for Scent of a Woman
  • 92nd Academy Awards (2020): Best Supporting Actor, nomination, for The Irishman

Primetime Emmy Awards

  • 56th Primetime Emmy Awards (2004): Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, win, for Angels in America
  • 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards (2010): Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, win, for You Don't Know Jack
  • 65th Primetime Emmy Awards (2013): Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, nomination, for Phil Spector

Tony Awards

  • 23rd Tony Awards (1969): Best Featured Actor in a Play, win, for Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?
  • 31st Tony Awards (1977): Best Actor in a Play, win, for The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel
  • 65th Tony Awards (2011): Best Actor in a Play, nomination, for The Merchant of Venice

Bibliography

See also

  • List of Italian-American actors
  • List of people from New York City
  • 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
  • List of Golden Globe winners

Explanatory notes

References

Citations

General and cited references

  • Al Pacino at the University of Wisconsin's Actors Studio audio collection