Al Pacino

(October 1997) Ranked #4 in Empire magazines "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.

(January 1961) Was arrested, charged with carrying a concealed weapon.

Son of Sal Pacino (insurance agent) and Rose Pacino (she died when Al was age 22).

Turned down the role of Ted Kramer in Kramer vs. Kramer , which went to Dustin Hoffman.

Turned down the role of Han Solo in Star Wars , which went to Harrison Ford.

Turned down the lead role of Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind , which went to Richard Dreyfuss.

Turned down Apocalypse Now , Born on the Fourth of July , Pretty Woman and Crimson Tide .

Was offered the role of Harvey Dent / Two-Face on "Batman: The Animated Series" , which went to Richard Moll.

Originally asked for $7 million for The Godfather: Part III , a figure that so enraged director Francis Ford Coppola that he threatened to write a new script that opened with Michael Corleones funeral. Pacino settled for $5 million.

His maternal grandparents originate from Corleone, Sicily. His paternal grandparents originate from San Fratello, Sicily.

Was frequently referred to as "that midget Pacino" by producers of The Godfather who did not want him for the role of Michael Corleone.

Francis Ford Coppola asked Pacino to play Captain Willard in his film Apocalypse Now . Pacino politely turned down the offer, saying he would "do anything" for Francis but he "wouldnt go to war with him!".

Stopped a two-pack-a-day smoking habit to protect his voice. In the mid-1980s, he had been smoking four packs of cigarettes a day. He now only occasionally smokes herbal cigarettes.

Al was so much into character (playing a plain-clothes New York City policeman) while filming Serpico he actually pulled over and threatened to arrest a truck driver for exhaust pollution.

Is an avid fan of opera.

Once worked as an usher at Carnegie Hall.

Larry King considers Pacinos appearance on his show "Larry King Live" in November 1996 as one of his personal all-time favorite interviews.

Is one of the few Hollywood stars who has never married.

Despite the fact that he starred in "The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui" for Off-Broadway scale pay (the minimum salary allowed by Actors Equity), the production had the highest ticket price in Off-Broadway history at $100 per ticket.

Is one of the eleven elite thespians to have been nominated for both a Supporting and Lead Acting Academy Award in the same year. The other ten are Barry Fitzgerald Fay Bainter , Teresa Wright , Jessica Lange , Sigourney Weaver , Emma Thompson , Holly Hunter , Julianne Moore , Jamie Foxx and Cate Blanchett. Pacino was the second male actor, after Fitzgerald, to have been nominated for both a Best Supporting Actor and a Best Actor Oscar in the same year; the third is Foxx, who was nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in 2005.

Won two Tony Awards: as Best Supporting or Featured Actor for "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?" and as Best Actor (Play) for "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel".

Won his first Academy Award twenty-one years after his first nomination.

He and Chris Sarandon improvised their scene on the phone in the film Dog Day Afternoon .

Studied at the Herbert Berghof (HB) Studio (HB Studio), where he met acting teacher Charlie Laughton (not to be confused with Charles Laughton ), who became his mentor and best friend.

Is an avid fan of William Shakespeare , "Hamlet" being his favorite play.

Was voted the Number 1 greatest movie star of all time in a Channel 4 poll.

For a short while, he was the only actor to be in the #1 Best and Worst Movie on IMDb: The Godfather and Gigli .

In a Playboy magazine interview, he claimed that he was fired from his job as a movie theater usher while walking down the staircase and admiring himself in the mirrored wall.

He was voted the 41st Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Has portrayed crime bosses in the Godfather Trilogy, Scarface and Dick Tracy .

In 2004, he became the 18th performer to win the Triple Crown of Acting. Oscar: Best Actor, Scent of a Woman ; Tony: Best Supporting Actor-Play "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?" and Best Actor-Play "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" ; and Emmy: Best Actor-Miniseries/Movie, "Angels in America" .

Read for the role of U.S. Customs Special Agent Dave Kujan in The Usual Suspects , which went to Chazz Palminteri.

He was rejected repeatedly by studio heads while auditioning for the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather , but Francis Ford Coppola fought for him. This film was shot briskly because both the director and the leading actor were in constant fear of being fired. Ironically, this turned out to be a breakthrough for both.

Is the stepson of actress and make-up artist Katherin Kovin-Pacino.

Has four sisters: Josette, a teacher, twins Roberta Pacino and Paula, and a younger sister named Desiree, whom Pacinos father adopted whilst married to his fourth wife.

Was a longtime member of David Wheeler s Theatre Company of Boston, for which he performed in "Richard III" in Boston from December 1972 to January 1973 and at the Cort Theater in New York City from June 10 to July 15, 1979. He also appeared in their productions of Bertolt Brecht s "Aurturo Ui" at the Charles Theater in Boston in 1975 and later in New York and London, and in David Rabe s "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" at the Longacre Theater in New York in 1977, for which Pacino won a Tony Award. Wheeler also directed Pacino in Heathcote Williams "The Local Stigmatic" for Joseph Papp s Public Theater in New York City in 1976. Pacino appeared in a 1989 film of "Stigmatic" ( The Local Stigmatic ) directed by Wheeler that was presented at the Cinmathque in Los Angeles.

Won the Best Actor Obie (awarded for the best Off-Broadway performances) for "The Indian Wants the Bronx". Was also nominated for a Best Actor Obie for "Why Is a Crooked Letter".

His performance in the Broadway play "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?" won him a Tony Award for Best Dramatic Supporting Actor, and a Drama Desk Award and Theatre World Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1969.

While Paramount brass dithered over whether to cast him as Michael Corleone in The Godfather , the role that would make him a star, a frustrated Pacino signed up for the role of Mario Trantino in The Gang That Couldnt Shoot Straight . When Paramount finally decided to offer him the role in "The Godfather", this had to buy him out of his contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ironically, the role went to Robert De Niro , whom The Godfather: Part II would make a star.

He and Jamie Foxx are two out of the only three actors to be nominated for an Academy Award for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in the same year. (Barry Fitzgerald did it first in 1945) Pacino was nominated in 1993 for Scent of a Woman and Glengarry Glen Ross / Foxx in 2005 for Ray and Collateral . Both men won the Best Actor award, and they both played blind men in their roles: Pacino as Frank Slade and Foxx as Ray Charles.

Premiere magazine ranked him as #37 on a list of the Greatest Movie Stars of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature.

Grew up in the South Bronx, New York City

Attended the High School of the Performing Arts until he dropped out at age 17.

Has a production company called Chal Productions. The "Ch" is in tribute his friend "Charlie Laughton" (not the actor Charles Laughton ) while the "Al" is for himself.

Worked in the mail room of Commentary magazine.

Briefly worked as a stand-up comedian early in his career.

Early in his acting career, he considered changing his name to "Sonny Scott" to avoid being typecast by his Italian name. "Sonny" was his childhood nickname.

Alec Baldwin , who co-starred with Pacino in Glengarry Glen Ross and Looking for Richard , wrote a 65-page final thesis on Pacino and method acting for his degree at New York University.

Had been friends with John Cazale since they were teenagers. They starred together in Dog Day Afternoon , The Godfather: Part II and The Godfather .

Is one of only six actors to be nominated for an Oscar for playing the same role in two films. He was nominated as for The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II . The others are Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler and The Color of Money , Bing Crosby as Father OMalley in Going My Way and The Bells of St. Marys , Peter OToole as Henry II in Becket and The Lion in Winter , Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I in Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Sylvester Stallone in Rocky and Creed .

During the making of The Recruit , he met and became close friends with Colin Farrell. He went on to call Farrell the most talented actor of his generation.

Turned down the role of Richard Sherman for a remake of The Seven Year Itch which was never filmed.

Turned down the role of Michael Corleone in the Godfather videogame.

His performance as Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon is ranked #4 on Premiere magazines 100 Greatest Performances of All Time .

His performance as Michael Corleone in The Godfather: Part II is ranked #20 on Premiere magazines 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.

His performance as Tony Montana in Scarface is ranked #74 on Premiere magazines 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

His performance as Michael Corleone in The Godfather: Part II is ranked #11 on the American Film Institutes 100 Heroes & Villains.

His performance as Frank Serpico in Serpico is ranked #40 on the American Film Institutes 100 Heroes & Villains.

Was director Bryan Singer s first choice for the role of Dave Kujan in The Usual Suspects . Pacino passed on the role and has since stated that that is the role he regrets passing on the most.

Imprinted his hands and signature in cement at Graumans Chinese Theatre on November 16, 1997.

Stated in an interview that the movie he most wanted to be in but could not get the role was Slap Shot . Director George Roy Hill opted not to go with Pacino because he could not ice skate.

Revealed to James Lipton on "Inside the Actors Studio" for the first time ever that his maternal grandfather was born in Corleone, Sicily.

Resided with Jill Clayburgh (1970-1975).

At one point, David Cronenberg was in line to direct the film The Singing Detective , with Pacino in the lead.

Over the ending credits of A Cock and Bull Story the two stars, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon compete at doing Pacino impressions.

Oscar-winning director John Schlesinger envisioned a cast of Pacino, Julie Christie and Laurence Olivier for Marathon Man . Pacino has said that the only actress he had ever wanted to work with was Christie, who he claimed was "the most poetic of actresses". Producer Robert Evans , who disparaged the vertically challenged Pacino as "The Midget" when Francis Ford Coppola wanted him for The Godfather and had thought of firing him during the early shooting of the now-classic film, vetoed Pacino for the lead. Instead, Evans insisted on the casting of the even shorter Dustin Hoffman ! On her part, Christie -- who was notoriously finicky about accepting roles, even in prestigious, sure-fire material -- turned down the female lead, which was then taken by Marthe Keller (who, ironically, became Pacinos lover after co-starring with him in Bobby Deerfield ). Of his dream cast, Schlesinger only got Olivier, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Pacino has yet to co-star with Christie.

Has suffered from chronic insomnia.

His Oscar nomination for The Godfather marked his first of four consecutive nominations, a feat he shares with Jennifer Jones (1943-1946), Thelma Ritter (1950-1953), Marlon Brando (1951-1954) and Elizabeth Taylor (1957-1960).

Has been friends with HRH Prince Charles , The Prince of Wales, for several years, and has stayed as his guest at Highgrove House.

He studied acting at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, New York City.

Former New York deputy mayor Ken Lipper was one of Pacinos classmates in school.

When asked by the AFI, he named Lalbero degli zoccoli and Singin in the Rain (1952) as his favorite films.

Got co-star Kevin Spacey his first major role in a film. Pacino saw Spacey performing on Broadway and suggested him to the director of Glengarry Glen Ross for the role of John Williamson.

Is a huge fan of Dick Van Dyke.

Lifetime member of the prestigious Actors Studio. He was accepted into the studio in 1966, studying under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg.

The voice of Moe the Bartender from "The Simpsons" was based on Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon .

Resides in Beverly Hills, California and Palisades, New York.

Spoke three of the American Film Institutes 100 Movie Quotes: "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." from The Godfather: Part II at #58, "Say hello to my little friend!" from Scarface at #61 and "Attica! Attica!" from Dog Day Afternoon at #86.

Before becoming a professional actor he held a number of jobs including a messenger, shoe salesman, supermarket checker, shoe shiner, furniture mover, office boy, fresh-fruit polisher, and a newsboy.

He was awarded the 2011 American National Medal of the Arts for his services to drama on February 13, 2012 at the White House in Washington, D.C.

Starred as King Herod in Oscar Wildes "Salom" on Broadway in 1992 opposite Sheryl Lee (directed by Robert Allan Ackerman ), and in 2003 opposite Marisa Tomei (directed by Estelle Parsons ). He reprised the role opposite Jessica Chastain in 2006 in Los Angeles and in the documentary-drama film Wilde Salom that he also wrote and directed.

Is one of nine actors to have won the Triple Crown of Acting (an Oscar, Emmy and Tony); the others in chronological order are Thomas Mitchell , Melvyn Douglas , Paul Scofield , Jack Albertson , Jason Robards , Jeremy Irons , Geoffrey Rush and Christopher Plummer.

Is one of the few Razzie Award winners to have won an acting award for playing himself. He won Worst Supporting Actor for Jack and Jill (2011/I) .

Became a father for the first time at age 49 when his [now ex] partner Jan Tarrant gave birth to their daughter Julie Marie Pacino, aka Julie Pacino , on October 16, 1989.

Became a father for the second and third time at age 60 when his [now ex] partner Beverly DAngelo gave birth to their twins Anton and Olivia Pacino on January 25, 2001.

During the early 1980s, Pacino tried unsuccessfully to develop a biographical film on Amedeo Modigliani.

Claims to have learned more about acting from friend John Cazale than from anybody else.

As of 2014, has appeared in six films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Godfather , The Godfather: Part II , Dog Day Afternoon , The Godfather: Part III , Scent of a Woman and The Insider . Of those, The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II are winners in the category.

Has great respect for many of his peers including Robert De Niro , Johnny Depp and Sean Penn.

Although he played Morgana King and Marlon Brando s son in The Godfather , he is only ten and sixteen years their junior respectively.

Along with Barry Fitzgerald and Sylvester Stallone , he is one of only three actors to receive Oscar nominations for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for playing the same character: (1) Fitzgerald was nominated for both awards for playing Father Fitzgibbon in Going My Way , Pacino was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for playing Michael Corleone The Godfather and Best Actor for the same role in The Godfather: Part II and Stallone was nominated for Best Actor for playing Rocky Balboa in Rocky and Best Supporting Actor for the same role in Creed .

Has worked with seven directors who have won a Best Director Oscar: Francis Ford Coppola , Sydney Pollack , William Friedkin , Warren Beatty , Oliver Stone , Steven Soderbergh and Barry Levinson.

After completing The Godfather , Al was so broke he actually owed a studio $15,000 so he never saw a paycheck for his work on that film.

Struggled with alcoholism during the start of his career.

Along with Fay Bainter , Teresa Wright , Barry Fitzgerald , Jessica Lange , Sigourney Weaver , Holly Hunter , Emma Thompson , Julianne Moore , Jamie Foxx and Cate Blanchett , he is one of only eleven actors to receive Academy Award nominations in two acting categories in the same year. He was nominated for Best Actor for Scent of a Woman and Best Supporting Actor for Glengarry Glen Ross at the 65th Academy Awards in 1993, winning the former award.

In a long-term relationship with Lucila Sol since 2009.

Spent his 77th birthday on a beach getaway in Tulum, Mexico with his girlfriend, Lucila Sol on April 25, 2017.

Aside from his grandparents being from Corleone in Sicily, his real name "Alfredo" and childhood nickname "Sonny" are also indirect references to the names of his siblings in his breakthrough movie "The Godfather" (Fredo and Sonny).

Worked various odd jobs to support himself while studying acting.

The actor becomes an emotional athlete. The process is painful -- my,personal life suffers.

That is all that truly matters.

Whenever I get the urge to exercise, I lie down until it passes.

An actor with too much money will usually find a way to get rid of it.

He who persists at his folly will one day be wise.

You just live and hope that another day will come with a role that will,serve as a canvas for you.

These guys are terrific actors.

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) had a very powerful effect on me.

(1979, on his pre-fame job as a building superintendent) I was about 26.

You have to see things that are inspiring to you.

In fact, I just want to do a movie here so then I could really stay for,a while, get around and see it, and be a part of it.

[on the tough neighborhood he grew up in] They used to call it Fort,Apache - the 41st Precinct. But that was the start of the heroin thing.

I was smoking at nine and smoking a pipe by 12. . . well, I was dramatic.

[on The Godfather trilogy] A long, awful, tiring story.

I don’t understand the hatred and fear of gays and bisexuals and lesbians…it’s a concept I honestly cannot grasp. To me, it’s not who you love…a man, a woman, what have you…it’s the fact that you love. That is all that truly matters.

I always tell the truth. Even when I lie.

Vanity is my favourite sin.