Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci | |
|---|---|
 Joe Pesci in 2009 | |
| Born | Joseph Frank Pesci February 9, 1943 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, singer, musician |
| Years active | 1961–present |
Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (pronounced /ˈpɛʃi/, PESH-ee; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, singer and musician. He is known for his roles as violent mobsters, but has also played funnymen, comic foils and quirky sidekicks. Pesci has starred in a number of high profile films such as Goodfellas, Casino, Raging Bull, Once Upon a Time in America, My Cousin Vinny, JFK, Moonwalker, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, and Lethal Weapon 4.
In 1990, Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the psychopathic mobster Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas, ten years after receiving a nomination in the same category for Raging Bull.
Early life
Pesci, an Italian-American, was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Mary, who worked part-time as a barber, and Angelo Pesci, a forklift driver for General Motors and bartender.[1][2] By the time Pesci was five years old, he was appearing in plays in New York.[2] A few years later, at age ten, he was a regular on a television variety show called Startime Kids, which also featured Connie Francis.[2] He started out working as a barber in the 1960s, following in his mother's footsteps.
Pesci practiced judo all throughout his teens. He played guitar for Joey Dee and the Starliters. Other early famous members of The Starliters were Charles Neville (The Neville Brothers) and Jimmy James (Jimi Hendrix). Later on Pesci went solo under the name Joe Ritchie, and released an album in 1968 entitled Little Joe Sure Can Sing accompanied by a band that included good friend and future fellow actor Frank Vincent. However, unlike his fellow bandmates, Joe Pesci was not very successful as a solo music artist, and so he moved on to pursue his acting career. Interestingly enough, he made his film debut with The Starliters as an extra in the film Hey, Let's Twist!.
Acting career
His breakthrough as an actor came in 1980 when he co-starred alongside Robert De Niro who played the lead role of boxer Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles in 1981 and was nominated an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This was the first in a series of critically-acclaimed collaborations with Scorsese and De Niro.
Subsequently, he performed with De Niro in the films Once Upon a Time in America, and in Scorsese's Goodfellas (for which Pesci received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, in 1990),[3] and Casino. He also had a small role in 1993's A Bronx Tale, which De Niro directed.
The pairing became famous enough to inspire a recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live, called, "The Joe Pesci Show". (The real Pesci and De Niro would eventually make a surprise appearance in one episode). Pesci hosted Saturday Night Live on October 10, 1992. During the monologue, he restored a picture of Pope John Paul II, which was torn by Sinéad O'Connor on the previous broadcast. He demonstrated this by tearing up a picture of Sinéad O'Connor to which was met with a huge applause.
In 1988, Pesci co-starred alongside pop singer Michael Jackson in the musical-fantasy film Moonwalker as the film's antagonist Mr. Big. The film was actually a collection of short films and Pesci was featured in the fifth and final segment which was an actual full-length movie called "Smooth Criminal" which was based on Michael Jackson's song by the same name.
He later co-starred in the blockbuster hit Home Alone (1990), playing one of two bumbling burglars (along with good friend Daniel Stern) who attempt to rob the house of the character played by Macaulay Culkin. Two years later, he reprised his role for the sequel.
Pesci also played David Ferrie in 1991's JFK and the title character in the 1992 comedy My Cousin Vinny. He appeared as Leo Getz in three Lethal Weapon films.
He had starring roles in several other films including The Super (1991), Jimmy Hollywood (1994) and With Honors (also 1994).
Other work and retirement from acting
In the late 1970s, Joe teamed up with Frankie Vincent, performing in local clubs like the Arlington Lounge and other venues around Northern NJ as "Vincent and Pesci." The comedy duo's material was a play on Martin and Lewis and Abbott and Costello.
He is one of the producers of the hit Broadway musical Jersey Boys. The musical is based on the lives of the musical group, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Pesci was present during the formation of the group as a young man and is portrayed as a character in the play.
In 1998, he released his second LP (his first album in 30 years) called Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You, which spawned the single "Wise Guy", a rap tune that played on the gangsta theme by referencing Mafia gangsterism. "Wise Guy" interpolated the 1980 one-off Hip-Hop hit "Rapture" by Blondie and was co-written and produced by Poke & Tone -- the Hip-Hop production team better known as Trackmasters, who first musically introduced the world to 50 Cent. Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just For You was an album that was both humorous and serious, exploring a variety of genres, though most of it was big band Jazz, and which paid homage to his character name from the 1991 film classic My Cousin Vinny, not only through its album title, but also by its lead track "Yo Cousin Vinny".
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. He is the star in the 2010 brothel drama Love Ranch, alongside Helen Mirren.[4]
Personal life
Pesci was married to Claudia Martha Haro from 1988 to 1992. He has a daughter, Tiffany, from this marriage. In 2008, a then 65-year-old Pesci became engaged to actress/model Angie Everhart who was 38 at the time. However, according to Angie Everhart, they were never actually engaged.[clarification needed][citation needed] They announced their breakup in April 2008. He is very good friends with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese. He was also good friends with his My Cousin Vinny co-star Fred Gwynne and the actor and comedian George Carlin. Carlin references Pesci in one of his routines on religion, in which he states that he worships the sun, but prays to Pesci, as he "looks like a guy who can get things done." Pesci is an avid golf fan and player.[citation needed]
Filmography
References
- ^ Joe Pesci biography. Film Reference.com.
- ^ a b c Harrison, Nancy. FILM; Joe Pesci? That Guy Is Some Kind of Character. New York Times. 8 March 1992.
- ^ Academy Awards official site. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
- ^ "Three join Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci in 'Love Ranch'". Topnews.in. 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2010-01-25.