Still the one…Al Pacino

Pacino was born in New York City (East Harlem), to Sicilian -American parents Salvatore Pacino and Rose, who divorced when he was two years old. His mother moved near the Bronx Zoo to live with her parents, Kate and James Gerardi, who, coincidentally, had come from a town in Sicily named Corleone. His father, who was from San Fratello in the Province of Messina, moved to Covina, California, and worked as an insurance salesman and restaurateur.

In his teen years “Sonny”, as he was known to his friends, aimed to become a baseball player, and was also nicknamed “The Actor”. Pacino dropped out of many classes, but not English. He dropped out of school at age 17. His mother disagreed with his decision; they argued and he left home. He worked at low-paying jobs, messenger, busboy, janitor, and postal clerk, to finance his acting studies. He once worked in the mail room for Commentary magazine

In his personal life, Pacino is one of Hollywood’s most enduring and notorious bachelors, having never been married. He has a daughter, Julie Marie, with acting teacher Jan Tarrant, and a new set of twins with longtime girlfriend Beverly D’Angelo. His romantic history includes a long-time romance with “Godfather” co-star Diane Keaton. With his intense and gritty performances, Pacino was an original in the acting profession. His Method approach would become the process of many actors throughout time, and his unbeatable number of classic roles has already made him a legend among film buffs and all aspiring actors and directors. His commitment to acting as a profession and his constant screen dominance has established him as one of the movies’ true legends.

Pacino has never abandoned his love for the theater, and Shakespeare in particular, having directed the Shakespeare adaptation Looking for Richard (1996) and played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (2004).

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