Al Pacino is a legendary theater and film actor, director and screenwriter. He is called
one of the most famous actors of our time. The roles he embodied on the screen became
iconic, and his name is a household name. Al Pacino – how the Godfather of
Hollywood lives, and how much he earns. Alfredo James Pacino was born on April 25, 1940 in
Manhattan in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City. His parents were Italian-American and
got married when they were very young. His father, Salvatore Pacino, worked as an insurance
agent, and his mother, Rosa, was a housewife. When little Alfredo was only two
years old, his parents separated. Rose and her son moved to live with their
parents on the outskirts of New York. The South Bronx area is not considered safe even now,
and even less so back then. Until he was seven, Alfredo was forbidden to leave the house
alone without adult supervision. At that time, his only way to escape reality was going to
the cinema in the evenings with his mother. And in the afternoon, the boy enjoyed retelling
the plots of the films he had watched to his grandmother. Alfredo fantasized a lot, mimiced
and acted out scenes from the films he had seen. In some way, Pacino's passion for cinema
arose during this period of his life. Soon Alfredo went to school and
was allowed to leave the house. At school, he continued to fantasize and amaze his
classmates with stories about fictional journeys and adventures. Friends called him" Sonny", and
later the nickname "Actor" stuck to Alfredo. Teachers noticed the boy's acting abilities,
so they urged him to join the school theater, and also entrusted him to read passages
from the Bible during services. However, the young daredevil's behavior
was extremely far from exemplary. He often started fights and quarrels. At
the age of 9 he started smoking, and until 1994 he could smoke up to 4 packs a day. Beside
that, at the age of 13 he became addicted to alcoholic beverages and even marijuana. But
the future actor never used any heavy drugs, as two of his close friends died of an overdose.
When Alfredo was 14 years old, he visited the theater to watch Chekhov's "The Seagull". The
young man was so impressed that he decided to attend the LaGuardia High School of Music
& Art and Performing Arts in New York. But still, the future actor was not
particularly interested in studying – he failed almost all exams, except for English,
and was expelled from school at the age of 17. Because of this, Alfredo had a conflict with
his mother, and after a serious quarrel, the young man left home. Over the next few years,
he took on various jobs, working as a bellboy, janitor, waiter and postman. Alfredo sought
to earn money to pay for his acting training. At first, he simply took private lessons
and acted in small theater productions. Often he had nowhere to spend the night, sometimes
he slept in the theater, other times - at his friends' or girlfriends' places. He became a
part of the New York underground theater scene, performing skits with a friend in public
places for a symbolic reward from the audience. When Alfredo had saved some money,
he joined Herbert Berghof's studio. Here, Alfredo met the English
actor and teacher Charlie Lawton, who became not only his
teacher, but also a best friend. In early 1961, Pacino was arrested for three
days. The police noticed him, dressed in a black mask and gloves, at the wheel of a car that was
strangely swerving about. By the way, he didn't know how to drive. During the search, the police
found a weapon hidden in the car. Only some time after it turned out to be a theater prop. Yet the
actor learned to drive only after he was 25 years. The year 1962 was not easy for Al
Pacino. His mother died of leukemia, and Charlie Lawton was taken by kidney
cancer. A year later, his grandfather, James Gerardi, who had always been an important
part of the actor's life, also passed away. But these struggles did not break Pacino – he
continued pursuing his goal. He performed in various theaters, and in 1966, after numerous
attempts, he finally entered the famous Actors Studio, which is located in
the Clinton district of Manhattan, also known as Hell's Kitchen
because of the high crime rate. Here, Al Pacino took the course of Lee Strasberg,
who preached the Konstantin Stanislavsky system. As the actor later recalled – it was an exciting,
amazing time, a real turning point in his life. Since 1967, Al Pacino has been making a career
on stage. In 1967, he played a whole season at the Charles Playhouse theater in Boston. For $125
a week, he took part in a production of Clifford Odets' "Awake and Sing!" By the way, during this
period he came up with his memorable alias "Al". Both back then, and all his life,
the handsome beloved of many women, Al Pacino tried not to advertise his personal
life. While participating in the production of "America, Hooray" by Jean-Claude van Itally,
Al Pacino met Jill Kleiberg. They got into a relationship that lasted several years.
In 1968, Al Pacino became part of the New York theater "Astor Place", where he played
a street punk named Murphy in the production of "The Indian Wants the Bronx". The play
was performed 177 times, including on tour in Italy in the city of Spoleto. Al Pacino
was named Best Actor of the 1967-68 season. It made its Broadway debut the following year.
Al Pacino began to get his first small film roles while studying at The Acting Studio.
With the success on the theater stage, interest in him as a film actor increased,
but the roles he got so far were second-rate. In 1969, Al Pacino received a role in the
full-length film "Me, Natalie". His performance got noticed. In addition, he attracted the
attention of one of the best agents and producers at that time, Martin Bregman, which
led to their long and fruitful collaboration. In 1971, he got the role of a drug addict in
the film "The Panic in Needle Park". By the way, Robert De Niro was also a candidate for this
role. The director saw only Al Pacino playing this role, which greatly upset De Niro.
At the same time, Francis Ford Coppola noticed Pacino and offered him the role of Michael
Corleone in the film "The Godfather". The film was based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo.
The producers were shocked by the director's choice. Coppola turned down many famous
actors, including Robert De Niro, opting for Pacino. Rumor has it that Robert de Niro
still can't forgive the director for this choice. The producers considered the actor too short
for this role. When reviewing the footage, they constantly asked the director the same question:
"When will he finally start ACTING?". They also tried to force Coppola to fire the actor. It
wasn't until they saw the scene in which Michael Corleone kills the police commissioner that they
realized Coppola's brilliant directorial insight. For this role, Pacino received a $35,000 fee.
"The Godfather" quickly acquired the status of an iconic film. Al Pacino was nominated for an
Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe for Best Dramatic Actor.
On the set of The Godfather, Al Pacino met Diane Keaton. By that time,
his previous relationship had already ended and the young actor plunged head first into a
new one. But after 2 years, the couple broke up. In 1973, Al Pacino played in the film "Scarecrow".
By the way, he and the actor Gene Hackman, in order to get used to the role, pretended to
be tramps and hitchhiked all over California. In the same year, Pacino took
part in the film "Serpico". The film is based on real events and tells the
story of police officer Frank Serpico, who opposed the system and wanted to expose the corruption of
his colleagues. The funny thing is that Pacino got so used to the role that one time returning home
from filming, he fined a driver for speeding. By the way, the film was shot
in reverse chronological order. First, they filmed the scenes where Pacino's
character has long hair and a beard, which gradually got shorter and shorter. This was done
to achieve authenticity in the character's image. For this role, Al Pacino was again nominated for
an Oscar and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor. In 1974, Al Pacino returned to the role of Michael
Corelone in "The Godfather 2". For this film, the actor received 500 thousand dollars in fee and 10%
of the box office revenue, and was again nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe as Best Actor.
For the next film, "Dog Day Afternoon," which tells the true story of bank robber John
Wojtowicz, Al Pacino was again nominated for an Oscar. Interestingly enough, during
filming, it was terribly cold outside the bank, but according to the script it was supposed
to be summer. The actors used ice to freeze their mouths so that their breath wasn't visible.
In 1977, the drama "Bobby Deerfield" was released, where Al Pacino played the lead role. Once again,
the actor was nominated for a Golden Globe. During the filming, Pacino met Martha Keller. The
girl became his new love, and although their long relationship didn't end with a wedding, the
couple managed to become real friends. They often talked on the phone and were aware of each
other's lives even many years after the break-up. Alongside filming, Pacino continued to
participate in theatrical productions. The next film with the actor was "...And
Justice for All" was released in 1979. For this film, Al Pacino received a $1 million fee.
The image of the honest lawyer Arthur Kirkland was met with positive reviews from critics, the actor
was again nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for the fourth time. Ironically, the award
was given to Dustin Hoffman for his role in the film "Kramer vs. Kramer", which Pacino declined.
By the way, the actor often refused offers. Among his possible projects were films like
"Angel Heart", "Pretty Woman", "Apocalypse Now", "Born on the Fourth of July", "Star Wars".
However, in the 80s, Al Pacino's career suffered a decline. Several not-so-successful films followed.
In 1980, the film "Cruising" was released, which tells a story about a police officer who
works undercover among New York homosexuals. In order to most reliably show the world of gay
masochists, director William Friedkin and Al Pacino visited gay bars in New York. In general,
the filming process was accompanied by protests from underrepresented communities, and the film
itself incurred the wrath of said communities. His next film, the comedy "Author!
Author!" was also heavily criticized. In 1983, Al Pacino played his iconic role of
the Cuban drug lord Tony Montana in the film "Scarface". This film wasn't received well by
critics, but the audience loved it. The story of becoming the druglord of a cocaine empire
brought in $45 million at the box office. Al Pacino was once again nominated for
a Golden Globe. By the way, Al Pacino's partner in the film was Michelle Pfeiffer,
who was considered a sex icon of the 80s. Also, during the shooting, Al
Pacino seriously burned his hand, which caused the filming to be
suspended for several weeks. During one of the final scenes, the actor
grabbed the barrel of a machine gun. Of course, the cartridges were blank, but the
barrel was very hot. Later, Al Pacino admitted that this role became the main one in his life.
In 1985, the film "Revolution" was released. It was coldly received by critics
and failed at the box office. The producers blamed the failure on the actor,
who was even nominated for a Golden Raspberry. After that, Al Pacino disappeared from
the world of cinema for a long four years. The actor plunged into the depths of
depression and started abusing alcohol. As Al Pacino later admitted, the decision to
take a break in his career wasn't planned. He was dissatisfied with several of his
works and decided to return to the theater. On October 16, 1989, the avid bachelor Al
Pacino fathered a daughter, named Julia Maria. The girl's mother was Ian Tarrant,
a teacher of acting courses. Their relationship ended some
time after their daughter's birth. However, the actor has always maintained
a relationship with Julia Maria. Nowadays the girl is a film producer.
The actor's return to the screens began with the film "Sea of Love". The film, in which Al
Pacino played a detective hunting a serial killer, received good reviews. For this film, the
actor was nominated for a Golden Globe. Funnily enough, in the scene where Al
Pacino's character is flirting with Ellen Barkin's character, the actor was rudely
pushed away by a completely random passer-by. This wasn't in the script, but the director liked
the improvisation and included it in the film. The beginning of a new decade was very
productive for the actor. In 1990, the film adaptation of the comic book "Dick Tracy"
was released. And for that Al Pacino was again, for a sixth time, nominated for an Oscar, as
well as for Saturn Awards and a Golden Globe. By the way, Madonna also appeared in the film.
The third part of "The Godfather" was very warmly received by the audience, although the filming
process wasn't easy. A number of actors refused to participate in the project, which affected
the script. Also, Francis Ford Coppola intended to film a fourth part, in which Andy Garcia
and Leonardo DiCaprio were supposed to play the lead roles. However, the filming never took
place due to the death of the screen writer. For reprising the role of Michael Corleone, the
actor received a Golden Globe nomination and a $5 million fee. By the way, the actor initially
requested $7 million and only after hearing the director's threats to start the film with a
scene of his funeral, agreed to reduce the fee. In the same year, the film "The Local Stigmatic"
was released. The film was shot with the actor's personal money, and for a long time Pacino
wouldn't release it, showing it only to friends. In 1991, Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer played
the lead roles in the romantic comedy "Frankie and Johnny". Interestingly enough, "Star Trek 6:
The Undiscovered Country" was filmed at the same in the next pavilion. And when, according
to the script, Pacino had to open the door and pretend to be very surprised, he did it
perfectly. After all, director Garry Marshall had Kirk and Spock standing outside the door.
In 1992, Al Pacino appeared in the film "The Americans", for which he was nominated
for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor and received a fee of $1.5 million.
And finally the same year, the film "Scent of a Woman" brought Al Pacino
the long-awaited Oscar and Golden Globe. The sensual drama won over of the audience. And
the actor himself was scrupulous when preparing for the filming. To be compelling as the blind
Colonel Frank Slade, Pacino attended a school for the blind. He tried not to let his eyes rest on
anything, so that the acting would be authentic. In 1993, Al Pacino, along with Sean Penn,
starred in the film "Carlito's Way". The role of the former mafia Carlito
brought the actor a $6 million fee. In 1994, at the Venice Film Festival, Al
Pacino was awarded the Honorary Golden Lion for an important contribution to cinema.
In 1995, the drama "Two Bits" and the crime thriller "Heat" were released, where the actor
first appeared on screen with Robert De Niro. In 1996, Al Pacino starred in the dramatic
thriller "City Hall". He also acted as a producer, director and actor in the theatrical
documentary drama "Looking for Richard". In the same year, he met the actress and singer
Beverly D'Angelo, who became his loyal companion for many years. They were a beautiful
couple who always caught the public eye. In 1997, the actor embodied the image of
Satan in the film "The Devil's Advocate". The audience was delighted with the chemistry
between Pacino and his partners Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron. But that reaction could
have been different. Initially, the film was planned to have much more special effects, like it
a blockbuster. But Al Pacino refused that kind of project five times. And only when the script
was rewritten, the actor agreed. But Pacino doubted whether he could play Milton decently and
suggested Robert Radford or Sean Connery instead. By the way, Keanu Reeves refused part of the
fee so that Al Pacino could star in the film. In the same year, the actor portrayed a mobster
nicknamed "Lefty" in the film "Donnie Brasco". In October 1997, the British magazine "Empire"
named Al Pacino fourth in the list of the 100 greatest movie stars of all time.
In 1999, Al Pacino appeared in the drama "Any Given Sunday" and the thriller "The
Insider", based on real life events. The story covers one of the largest scandals
of the 20th century, in the tobacco industry. In 2000, the drama "Chinese Coffee" was
released, where Al Pacino played the main role and also worked as the director.
Interesting fact, Al Pacino refused to lend his likeness for use in the video
game "The Godfather". The developers were forbidden to use the character and voice of the
actor. But the creators of the game "Scarface: The World Is Yours", based on the film "Scarface",
got his consent to use Al Pacino's character. In 2001, the actor, along with Kim
Basinger, appeared in the crime drama "People I Know" and received a Golden
Globe for his contribution to cinema. And on January 25, 2001, Al Pacino became a father
again. He and Beverly D'Angelo had twins, a girl, Olivia Rose, and a boy, Anton James. It
should be noted that the actor recognized the children only after a DNA test.
Unfortunately, 2 years after the birth of the twins, the couple broke up. And
in order to see the children more often, Al Pacino moved to California.
In 2002, he starred in Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia" and in the science fiction
drama "Simone", for which he received $11 million. Next year, Al Pacino appeared in the
crime comedy "Gigli", for which he was nominated for a Golden Raspberry, and in the
thriller "The Recruit" with Colin Farrell. In 2003, Al Pacino played the role of a
lawyer in the HBO miniseries "Angels in America". For this role, the actor received a
Golden Globe as Best Actor in a mini-series, as well as an Emmy and an Actors Guild Award. In 2004, Pacino played the role of Shylock
in the drama "The Merchant of Venice". Next year, the actor, along with
Matthew McConaughey and Rene Russo, starred in the film "Two For The Money". In
2006, for his role in the film "88 minutes", Pacino was again nominated for a Golden Raspberry.
In 2007, the actor played the role of the casino owner in the crime thriller "Ocean's Thirteen".
In 2008, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino reunited on the set of the film "Righteous Kill".
In 2010, the actor took part in the filming of the TV movie "You Don't know Jack". The
film is based on real events. Al Pacino played the role of the doctor Jack Kevorkian, a
well-known pathologist who practices euthanasia. This role again earned the actor a Golden
Globe, an Emmy, and an Actors Guild Award. In 2011, Al Pacino starred in the comedy "Jack and
Jill", for which he received a Golden Raspberry, and the thriller "The Son of No One",
in which he replaced Robert De Niro. By the way, in 2011, it became public that
Al Pacino had unpaid taxes in the amount of $188,283. It turned out that the actor's business
manager Kenneth Starr was the perpetrator, who also tricked Uma Thurman and
Sylvester Stallone. In total, he stole about 30 million. Pacino was acquitted,
and Starr was condemned to 7.5 years in prison. At this time, the relationship between Al
Pacino and the Argentinian actress Lucila Sola became public. They met back in 2005 at a
party and for a long time stayed only friends. Their attitude towards each other and
sincere love made fans wonder if Pacino was ready to abandon his bachelor status.
In the following years, the crime comedy "Stand Up Guys", the film "Phil Spector",
the dramas "Salomé", "The Humbling", "Manglehorn" and "Second Chance" were released.
In the 2015 film "Misconduct", Al Pacino for the first time, worked together with
Anthony Hopkins. Unfortunately, the film still failed at the box office.
In 2017, the thriller "The Gallows" and the biographical drama "The Pirates of
Somalia", based on real events, were released. Al Pacino was also undergoing changes in his
personal life. He broke up with Lucila. By the way, her daughter Camila is still on good
terms with Pacino and perceives him as a father, even after he parted with her mother.
Now the girl is dating Leonardo DiCaprio. However, the legendary actor does not
lag behind his adopted daughter – he had an affair with an Israeli actress,
musician, and author of several books, Meital Dohan. The couple weren't together
for long, in early 2020 they broke up. In the 2019 film "The Irishman", Al Pacino
once again worked alongside Robert De Niro. By the way, to bring together Martin Scorsese,
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, Netflix paid $105 million. For this role, Al
Pacino was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor,
and also received a $20 million fee. In the same year, Quentin Tarantino's film "Once
Upon a Time in ... Hollywood" was released, where Pacino played a cameo role.
In 2020, the actor took part in the series "Hunters", for which he received
another nomination for a Golden Globe. By the way, during the broadcast
of the award, which was held in an online format due to the pandemic, Al Pacino
dozed off, which was captured on video. At the moment, the shooting of the
thriller "House of Gucci", which also involves Jared Leto and Lady Gaga, is underway.
The drama Axis Sally is in post-production. Such films as "King Lear" and "The Trap" have
been announced with the participation of the legendary Al Pacino, and Benicio
Del Toro also plans to take part. Al Pacino's net worth is now $120 million. His
income consists mainly of fees for participation in films. He also signed a contract with HBO
for a salary of $10 million for each film. The actor has his own studio Chal Productions. The
first word of the name consists of two parts: 'Ch' is the first part of the name of his friend
and acting teacher Charles Lawton, who was his partner when they opened this company,
and 'Al' is the name of the actor himself. It is also known that Al Pacino starred in an ad
for the Australian coffee brand Vittoria coffee. In the video, which lasts 30 seconds, the
actor confesses his love for coffee and recommends this particular brand.
Al Pacino currently lives in New York and Beverly Hills.
In New York, the actor has a large house. Although it is not known what the
actor's mansion looks like. But Pacino recently decided to sell the guest house located nearby,
putting the price at $3.3 million. The snow-white mansion occupies an area of 1320 square ft, the
rooms inside are designed in a rustic style. It is also known that for a long time
the actor lived in an apartment in New York with a view on Central Park. The
property is now on sale for $ 2.7 million. In California, the actor lives in a mansion that
previously belonged to writer Jackie Collins. By the way, Pacino rents this house.
And even after this house and the one next to it were sold for $30 million
in 2016, Al Pacino remained a tenant. Al Pacino is not an avid driver. For a long
time, he drove a 1988 Lincoln Town Car, which he bought after filming one of the films.
Now, for everyday driving, Al Pacino uses a Lexus LX, Range Rover Vogue, Rolls-Royce
Phantom, Mercedes-Benz SLS and Cadillac CTS. What do you think, if Al Pachino hadn’t
been in the role of "The Godfather", would he be this successful?
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