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{{Short description|American actor (born 1943)}}{{Use American English|date=March 2020}}{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}

factoids

| birth_place = Newark, New Jersey, U.S.Actorsinger}}| years_active = 1961–1999, 2006–presentClaudia Haro1992|reason=divorced}} Angie Everhart | (2000–2008)}}| children = 1



factoids



Vocals|guitar}} | associated_acts = }}}}Joseph Frank Pesci ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɛ|ʃ|i}} {{respell|PESH|ee}}, {{IPA-it|ˈpeʃʃi|lang}}; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is known for portraying tough, volatile characters in a variety of genres and for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in the films Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and The Irishman (2019). He has received several awards including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award with nominations for three Golden Globe Awards.He also appeared in Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Moonwalker (1988), JFK (1991), A Bronx Tale (1993), and The Good Shepherd (2006). Pesci is also known for his comic roles in Home Alone (1990) and (Home Alone 2: Lost in New York) (1992), My Cousin Vinny (1992), and the Lethal Weapon franchise (1989–1998).Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the gangster character Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas and received two other nominations in the same category for his portrayals of Joey LaMotta and Russell Bufalino in Raging Bull and The Irishman, respectively. He announced his retirement from acting in 1999, but has returned to act in four films and a television series since then.Pesci is also a musician who has recorded three studio albums: Little Joe Sure Can Sing! (1968), Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You (1998), and Pesci... Still Singing (2019).

Early life

Pesci was born on February 9, 1943, in Newark, New Jersey. His mother, Maria (Mesce), worked part time as a barber, and his father, Angelo Pesci, was a forklift truck driver for General Motors and a bartender. He is of Italian descent with family origins both in TurinNEWS,weblink Joe Pesci? That Guy Is Some Kind of Character, Nancy, Harrison, The New York Times, March 8, 1992, New York, NY, New York, 0362-4331, October 21, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151114195953weblink">weblink November 14, 2015, live, WEB,weblink Joe Pesci, celebritywonder, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110321114922weblink">weblink March 21, 2011, BOOK,weblink Italian Americans: The History and Culture of a People, Eric, Martone, December 12, 2016, ABC-CLIO, 9781610699952, Google Books, and Aquilonia in the province of Avellino.NEWS, Aspesi, Natalia, Piccolo e nero mezzo italiano Pesci è la star,weblink live, la Repubblica, it, Rome, GEDI Gruppo Editoriale, September 4, 1992,weblink April 15, 2020, February 9, 2020, Pesci was raised in Belleville, New Jersey, and graduated from Belleville High School. By the time Pesci was five years old he was appearing in plays in New York. At age 10 he was a regular on a television variety show called Startime Kids, which also featured Connie Francis. As an entertainer from Belleville, he was acquainted with guitarist Tommy DeVito of The Four Lovers, a novelty act from Belleville that included (among others) singer Frankie Valli; Pesci also knew keyboardist Bob Gaudio of The Royal Teens. Pesci introduced Gaudio to DeVito and Valli in 1958, which led to the formation of the band The Four Seasons.WEB,weblink Jersey Boys Movie vs True Story – Real Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, HistoryvsHollywood.com, October 21, 2015, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150627204444weblink">weblink June 27, 2015, Pesci and DeVito remained friends for the rest of DeVito's life; when DeVito fell on hard times in the 1970s following his resignation from the Four Seasons, Pesci placed DeVito on his personal payroll, and Pesci arranged for DeVito to make cameos in some of Pesci's 1990s films.WEB, Elfman, Doug,weblink How a Jersey boy worked his way back, Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 1, 2009, February 17, 2024, Pesci was childhood friends with American Mafia figure Robert Bisaccia.Iconic 'Goodfella' Robert Bisaccia dies in prison Chanta L. Jackson, NJ.com (December 4, 2008)

Career

Early career

In the 1960s, Pesci began working as a barber, following in his mother's footsteps. At the same time, he tried to start a musical career, playing guitar with several bands, including Joey Dee and the Starliters who introduced the "Peppermint Twist" record, dance, and Peppermint Lounge in New York City.In 1968, he released his debut album Little Joe Sure Can Sing! (billed as Joe Ritchie), on which he sang covers of contemporary pop hits.WEB,weblink Joe Pesci biography, Yahoo! Movies, January 14, 2017,weblink March 15, 2016, live, Pesci later joined Frank Vincent as a comedy duo, performing as "Vincent and Pesci" from 1970 to 1976. Their act coupled Abbott and Costello-inspired double act antics with Don Rickles-style insult comedy, which proved popular with crowds. During this time, the pair developed a strong professional and personal friendship.NEWS, Lewine, Edward, Frank Vincent's Two-Limo Night,weblink The New York Times, February 18, 1996, February 24, 2020,weblink February 24, 2020, live, WEB, Eidelstein, Eric, The Mysterious Disappearing Act of Joe Pesci,weblink Complex (magazine), Complex, February 24, 2020,weblink February 24, 2020, live, In 1975, they appeared in the Broadway show The New Vaudevillians, which only lasted one week.The first film Pesci starred in was the 1976 low-budget crime film The Death Collector alongside Frank Vincent. After the film Pesci returned to The Bronx and lived above Amici's Restaurant, where he was an employee.

Acting career

File:Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci, 1980.jpg|thumb|right|Pesci with co-star Cathy Moriarty on the set of Raging BullRaging BullIn 1979, Pesci received a phone call from Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, who were impressed with his performance in The Death Collector and asked him to co-star in Scorsese's Raging Bull as Joey LaMotta. During the course of filming Pesci broke one of his ribs.NEWS, 'I Am the Movies I Make': Martin Scorsese's passion and commitments earn him the AFI's most prestigious honor, Elaine, Dutka,weblink February 22, 1997, Los Angeles Times, January 23, 2014, Joe Pesci testified to Scorsese's mania for realism. During a fight scene for Raging Bull, he took such a beating from De Niro that he fell to the ground with a broken rib, he recalled. When a couple of 275-pound 'heifers' fell on him the wrong way in Casino, that same rib was broken again.,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140221201646weblink">weblink February 21, 2014, live, Pesci won the BAFTA Film Award for Newcomer to Leading Film Roles in 1981 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Over the next few years, Pesci appeared in several smaller films, including Dear Mr. Wonderful (1982), Eureka (1983) and Easy Money (1983).In 1984, he was cast in Once Upon a Time in America, again appearing alongside De Niro. The following year he starred as private detective Rocky Nelson in the short-lived television comedy series Half Nelson.In 1988, Pesci appeared in the Michael Jackson musical anthology film Moonwalker, in the film's sixth and longest segment, "Smooth Criminal". He played the antagonist, crime boss Frankie "Mr. Big" LiDeo (an anagram for one of the film's producers and longtime Jackson manager Frank DiLeo,WEB,weblink Moonwalker (1988), IMDb, October 21, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160105145847weblink">weblink January 5, 2016, live, with whom Pesci later acted in Goodfellas).He appeared as Leo Getz, a comedic sidekick and best friend to protagonist detectives Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) in the Lethal Weapon sequels, released in 1989, 1992 and 1998.In 1990, he reunited with Scorsese and De Niro for Goodfellas, in which he played mobster Tommy DeVito, based on real-life mobster Thomas DeSimone. Tommy DeVito was also the name of Pesci's old acquaintance from Belleville, New Jersey, and a member of The Four Seasons, but contrary to popular belief, the naming is coincidental. Pesci's old friend Frank Vincent also appears in the film. Pesci's character kills Vincent's character in a rage in one of the best-remembered scenes in the film after the Vincent character contemptuously tells him to "go home and get your fucking shine box". According to Pesci, improvisation and ad-libbing came out of rehearsals, where Scorsese let the actors do whatever they wanted. He made transcripts of these sessions, took the lines the actors came up with that he liked best, and put them into a revised script that the cast worked from during principal photography.NEWS, Arnold, Gary, Real Fellas Talk about Mob Film, The Washington Times, September 25, 1990, For example, the scene where Tommy tells a story and Henry is responding to him—the "Funny how? Do I amuse you?" scene—is based on an actual event that Pesci experienced. He was waiting tables when he thought he made a compliment to a mobster by saying he was "funny", which was not taken well.WEB,weblink One of the most famous scenes in 'Goodfellas' is based on something that actually happened to Joe Pesci, businessinsider.com, May 4, 2015, BOOK, The Ultimate Book of Gangster Movies: Featuring the 100 Greatest Gangster Films of All Time, George Anastasia, Glen Macnow, Running Press, 2011, 9780762441549,weblink It was worked on in rehearsals where he and Liotta improvised, and Scorsese recorded four to five takes, rewrote their dialogue, and inserted it into the script.AV MEDIA, Kaplan, Jonah (writer and editor); Stephen Altobellow and Jeffrey Schwartz (producers), 2004, Getting Made: The Making of Goodfellas, Blu-ray Disc, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, 1-4198-4306-0, The dinner scene with Tommy's mother was largely improvised.WEB, Godfrey, Alex, Whaddya want from me?,weblink mrgodfrey, November 2013, August 22, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140904015411weblink">weblink September 4, 2014, live, Pesci received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role, which he accepted with one of the shortest speeches in Oscar history, saying simply, "It's my privilege. Thank you" before leaving the stage.WEB,weblink The 63rd Academy Awards Memorable Moments, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 2015, October 21, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151102095048weblink">weblink November 2, 2015, live, WEB,weblink 10 Oscar Winners Whose Speeches Were Under 11 Words, mental_floss, February 13, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160214060824weblink">weblink February 14, 2016, live, Pesci also co-starred in the blockbuster Home Alone in 1990, his character Harry Lime one of two bumbling burglars - along with Daniel Stern as Marv Murchins - who attempt to burgle the house of an eight-year-old played by Macaulay Culkin. Pesci's use of "cartoon cursing", or menacing gibberish, garnered comparisons to Looney Tunes character Yosemite Sam.WEB,weblink Where Joe Pesci saw a connection between Looney Tunes and Home Alone, cbc.ca, December 11, 2019, March 2, 2020,weblink December 11, 2018, live, Two years later, Pesci reprised his role in a sequel (Home Alone 2: Lost in New York).In 1991, Pesci played David Ferrie in JFK. In 1992, he appeared as the title character in the comedy My Cousin Vinny with Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei and Fred Gwynne. During the same year Pesci headed up the cast of The Public Eye as Leon "Bernzy" Bernstein, a photographer. His performance in the film, a departure from his usual characters, has been critically acclaimed.Pesci hosted the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live on October 10, 1992, while doing publicity for My Cousin Vinny. During his monologue, in response to Sinéad O'Connor tearing a picture of Pope John Paul II on the previous broadcast in protest of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, he described how he wished to give her "such a smack".NEWS,weblink CHRONICLE, Brozan, Nadine, October 12, 1992, The New York Times, March 13, 2017, 0362-4331,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170313215234weblink">weblink March 13, 2017, live, In 1993, Pesci made an appearance in A Bronx Tale as Carmine. The film starred Robert De Niro, who also directed, and Chazz Palminteri, who wrote the play from which the film was adapted. Both De Niro and Palminteri personally offered Pesci the role. In 1995, Pesci had his third collaboration with Scorsese and De Niro in the film Casino, playing Nicky Santoro, based on real-life Mob enforcer Anthony Spilotro, along with Sharon Stone and James Woods; Pesci had previously co-starred with the latter in Once Upon a Time in America. During filming, Pesci broke the same rib that had been broken 15 years prior during the production of Raging Bull. In 1996, Pesci was considered to play Myron Larabee, the stressed-out postman, in Jingle All the Way opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the part was ultimately given to Sinbad, whose physical size was more comparable to Schwarzenegger's.He had starring roles in several other films, including Man on Fire (1987), The Super (1991), Jimmy Hollywood (1994), With Honors (also 1994) and Gone Fishin' (1997). Pesci's role in With Honors was a dramatic role in which he played a homeless man living on the campus of Harvard.

Musical career

In 1998, he released his second album and his first in 30 years, Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You which was named after his character from the 1992 film My Cousin Vinny. The album was both humorous and serious, exploring a variety of genres, though most of it was big band jazz. The album spawned the single "Wise Guy", a rap number that played on the gangsta theme by making reference to Mafia gangsterism. "Wise Guy" interpolated the 1980 hit "Rapture" by Blondie, and was co-written and produced by the hip-hop production team the Trackmasters.

Semi-retirement from acting

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. In 2010, he starred in the brothel drama Love Ranch alongside Helen Mirren.WEB,weblink Three join Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci in 'Love Ranch', Topnews.in, February 13, 2008, January 25, 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110623205332weblink">weblink June 23, 2011, live, Pesci appeared with Don Rickles, with whom he had worked in Casino, in a 2011 Snickers advertisement in which he portrays the angry alter ego of a young man who attends a party and becomes agitated by two women until he is calmed down by eating a Snickers bar.WEB, There is an Angry Joe Pesci in all of us Snickers Ad,weblink mememachine, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110613024651weblink">weblink June 13, 2011, In 2011, Pesci sued Fiore Films, the producers of the film Gotti, saying they had broken their promise to cast him in the film as real-life mobster Angelo Ruggiero.WEB, Joe Pesci settles dispute over "Gotti" film payday,weblink CBS/AP, February 5, 2013, January 9, 2018,weblink December 29, 2017, live, Pesci stated that he had gained {{convert|30|lbs|kg}} for the role. He sued them for $3 million, which was the payment he had been promised. The lawsuit was settled out of court in 2013 for an unspecified sum, and the role, after many production delays, eventually went to Pruitt Taylor Vince.Pesci appears in the 2016 music documentary Jimmy Scott: I Go Back Home, in which he is filmed recording "The Folks Who Live on the Hill" from Scott's 2017 posthumous album I Go Back Home.

Reprise for The Irishman

In 2017, Pesci was cast alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in The Irishman, a crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. Pesci was offered his role a reported 50 times before agreeing to take part, at first saying he did not want to do "the gangster thing again," while Scorsese tried to persuade him The Irishman would be "different."WEB,weblink The Irishman with Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee (Episode 224), November 2019, Apple Inc.,weblink November 8, 2019, November 8, 2019, live, The film received a limited theatrical release on November 1, 2019, followed by digital streaming on November 27, 2019, by Netflix.WEB, Mike Jr., Fleming, Netflix Sets November 1 Theatrical Bow For Martin Scorsese-Directed 'The Irishman:' 27 Day US & UK Rollout Comes Before Pic Streams For Thanksgiving Holiday,weblinkweblink Deadline Hollywood, Deadline, August 27, 2019, September 19, 2019, August 27, 2019, live, Pesci's performance as Russell Bufalino was critically acclaimed and earned him various accolades, including nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor,WEB,weblink Oscars 2020: Joe Pesci nominated for 'The Irishman.' Here are some other N.J. ties., Amy Kuperinsky, January 13, 2020, nj.com, en, January 14, 2020,weblink January 14, 2020, live, the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor and for two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Pesci also returned to music with his third album and his first in 21 years, titled Pesci... Still Singing, released on November 29, 2019.WEB,weblink Joe Pesci's new jazz album is incredibly surreal, but sweet and sincere nonetheless – review, November 29, 2019, The Independent, en, December 19, 2019,weblink November 30, 2019, live,

Personal life

Pesci has been married and divorced three times.WEB,weblink Now They're Good Fellas Ray Liotta And Joe Pesci Were Cold-blooded Wiseguys In Their 1990 Movie, But In Films Opening This Weekend, They're Unlikely Heroes. Joe Pesci Is Out For Justice, philly-archives, October 21, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160303223243weblink">weblink March 3, 2016, live, His first marriage was in January 1964.WEB,weblink Joe Pesci remembers his own honeymoon in Vegas -- meeting the Rat Pack, John, Katsilometes, Las Vegas Sun, June 4, 2012, October 21, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160105145848weblink">weblink January 5, 2016, live, His third marriage was from 1988 to 1992, to Claudia Haro, a model and actress. They have one child, a daughter, named Tiffany (b. 1992).WEB, Joe Pesci's Daughter Tiffany: Everything To Know About 'Home Alone' Star's Only Kid,weblink hollywoodlife.com, June 17, 2023, In 2000, Pesci started dating Angie Everhart they became engaged in 2007 but broke up in 2008.WEB,weblink Pesci ends engagement with model Everhart, April 25, 2008, April 25, 2008, Ireland On-line,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080430170839weblink">weblink April 30, 2008, dead,

Filmography

Film{| class"wikitable sortable"

! Year! Title! Role! Notes| 1961| Hey, Let's Twist!| Dancer At The Peppermint Lounge| Uncredited| 1976| The Death Collector| Joe Salvino|| 1980| Raging Bull| Joey LaMottaBAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles>BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer 1982| I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can| Roger|| Dear Mr. Wonderful| Ruby Dennis| 1983Eureka (1983 film)>Eureka| Mayakofsky|Easy Money (1983 film)>Easy Money| Nicky Cerone| 1984| Once Upon a Time in America| Frankie Minaldi|| Everybody in Jail| Corrado Parisi|| 1987Man on Fire (1987 film)>Man on Fire| David Coolidge| 1988| Moonwalker| Frankie "Mr. Big" Lideo|| The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway| John Dos Passos|| 1989| Lethal Weapon 2| Leo Getz| 1990| Catchfire| Leo Carelli| Uncredited cameo| Betsy's Wedding| Oscar Henner|| Goodfellas| Tommy DeVito| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor| Home Alone| Harry Lime| 1991The Super (1991 film)>The Super| Louie Kritski Jr.|JFK (film)>JFK| David Ferrie| 1992| My Cousin Vinny| Vincent LaGuardia Gambini|| Lethal Weapon 3| Leo Getz|The Public Eye (film)>The Public Eye| Leon "Bernzy" Bernstein|| (Home Alone 2: Lost in New York)| Harry Lime|| 1993| A Bronx Tale| Carmine| 1994| Jimmy Hollywood| Jimmy Alto / Jericho|With Honors (film)>With Honors| Simon B. Wilder|| 1995Casino (1995 film)>CasinoAnthony Spilotro>Nicky Santoro| 1997| 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag| Tommy Spinelli|Gone Fishin' (film)>Gone Fishin'| Joe Waters|| 1998| Lethal Weapon 4| Leo Getz|| 2006The Good Shepherd (film)>The Good Shepherd| Joseph Palmi| Cameo| 2010| Love RanchJoseph Conforte>Charlie "Charlie Goodtimes" Bontempo|| 2015| A Warrior's Tail| King of Mosquitos (voice)| | 2019| The Irishman| Russell Bufalino| | 2023Day of the Fight (2023 film)>Day of the FightJack Huston To Make Feature Directorial Debut With 'Day Of The Fight': Sets Michael Pitt, Nicolette Robinson, Joe Pesci & More| Mike's Father|">

Television{| class"wikitable sortable"

! Year! Title! Role! class="unsortable" | Notes| 1985Half Nelson (TV series)>Half Nelson| Rocky Nelson| 6 episodes 1992Tales from the Crypt (TV series)>Tales from the Crypt| Vic / JackList of Tales from the Crypt episodes#Season 4 (1992)>Split Personality"| Saturday Night Live| Himself / HostSaturday Night Live (season 18)#ep329>Joe Pesci/Spin Doctors"| 1997| Saturday Night Live| Himself| Episode: "Rob Lowe/Spice Girls"| 2023Bupkis (TV series)>Bupkis| Joe Larocca| Main role

Awards and nominations

Pesci has received numerous awards nominations including three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), and The Irishman (2019). {| class="wikitable"! Year! Award! Category! Nominated work! Result53rd Academy Awards>1981Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor| Raging Bull| {{nom}}63rd Academy Awards>1991| Goodfellas| {{won}}92nd Academy Awards>2020| The Irishman| {{nom}}35th British Academy Film Awards>1982British Film Academy AwardsBritish Academy Film Awards>Most Promising Newcomer| Raging Bull| {{won}}73rd British Academy Film Awards>2020BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role>Best Supporting Actor| The Irishman| {{nom}}38th Golden Globe Awards>1981Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture| Raging Bull| {{nom}}48th Golden Globe Awards>1991| Goodfellas| {{nom}}77th Golden Globe Awards>2020| The Irishman| {{nom}}19th Golden Raspberry Awards>1998Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Supporting Actor| Lethal Weapon 4| {{nom}} 2020Screen Actors Guild AwardsScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role>Outstanding Supporting Actor – Motion Picture The Irishman| {{nom}}Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture>Outstanding Ensemble – Motion Picture| {{nom}}

Discography

• Little Joe Sure Can Sing! (1968) (Brunswick Records)
• Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You (1998) (Columbia Records)
• Pesci... Still Singing (2019) (222 Records/BMG Rights Management)

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

• {{IMDb name}}
• {{TCMDb name | 150906%7C0 }}

{{NavboxesList of awards and nominations received by Joe Pesci>Awards for Joe Pesci|list ={{Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor}}{{Bafta Award for Most Promising Newcomer}}{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor}}{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor}}{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor}}{{Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor}}{{Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor}}{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Supporting Actor of the Year}}{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor}}{{National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor}}{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor}}{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor}}{{San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor}}}}{{Authority control}}