Al Pacino's Early Life
Alfredo James Pacino was born on April 25, 1940, to Salvatore and Rose Pacino in New York City. His parents split up when he was two years old, and Pacino and his mom moved in with his grandparents in the South Bronx.
Intelligent, but never motivated by school work, he found solace and fulfillment in acting, although his mother often disagreed with his choices.
The two enjoyed a very close relationship, and Pacino was devastated by her death in 1962 after a long illness, as did his maternal grandfather the following year.
Aged 16, Pacino won a place at the prestigious High School for Performing Arts in Manhattan, but dropped out after just one year. He moved out of home and struggled to make ends meet on his own, and after years of off-off-Broadway work and basement plays, was accepted into Lee Strasberg's famed Actors Studio (which he eventually became president of in 2000).
Al Pacino's Career
He began a career on the stage in the late '60s, picking up a Tony Award for a Broadway production of Does A Tiger Wear A Necktie? in 1969. As he transitioned to Hollywood, he made his big screen debut in 1971 as a heroin-addicted criminal in The Panic In Needle Park, but it was Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather the following year that truly ignited his career, nabbing him his first Oscar nomination. He was nominated eight more times, winning once in 1993 for Scent Of A Woman.
Pacino has starred in a string of acclaimed films including Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, ...And Justice For All, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Insider, Donnie Brasco, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Irishman, and House of Gucci. His most remembered performance, arguably, might be in Brian De Palma's controversially violent and groundbreaking Scarface as Tony Corleone. He is frequently considered one of the greatest actors of his generation and of the 20th century in general for his masterfully intense and layered performances.
Al Pacino's Personal Life
While Pacino has never been married, he has had several high-profile romances, most of them with fellow actors, including Jill Clayburgh, Diane Keaton, Tuesday Weld, and Marthe Keller. A brief dalliance with acting coach Jan Tarrant in the late '80s resulted in the birth of his daughter Julie.
He was in a relationship with actress Beverly D'Angelo from 1997-2003, resulting in the birth of twins Anton and Olivia. After a decade-long relationship with Argentine actress Lucila Polak from 2008-2018, he entered into a relationship with producer Noor Alfallah, who is 54 years his junior. In June 2023, he and Noor welcomed their son Roman.
