Alfredo James "Al" Pacino (born April 25, 1940) is an American film and stage actor and director, widely considered to be one of the most notable and influential actors of his time, says Wikipedia.[1][2]
He is best known for his roles as Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon, Tony Montana in Scarface, Carlito Brigante in the 1993 film Carlito's Way, Frank Serpico in Serpico, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman, and Roy Cohn in Angels in America. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1992 for his role in Scent of a Woman after being nominated seven times for various roles.
Pacino attended a school officially named The School of Performing Arts: A Division of the Fiorello H La Guardia High School of Music and the Arts in New York City, the main school of which was attended by fellow Godfather II actor Robert De Niro.[8] Pacino flunked nearly all of his classes except English and dropped out of school at the age of seventeen. His mother disagreed on his decision, they had an argument and he left home. He worked at a string of low-grade jobs, including messenger boy, busboy, janitor and postal clerk, in order to finance his acting studies.[9]
In 1966, after many previous unsuccessful attempts, he auditioned at The Actors Studio and got accepted. He studied under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg.[8] Pacino found acting to be enjoyable and realized he had a gift for it. However, it did put him in financial straits[8] until the end of the decade.
It was the 1971 film The Panic in Needle Park, in which he played a heroin addict, that would bring Pacino to the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola. Pacino's rise to fame subsequently came after portraying Michael Corleone in Coppola's blockbuster 1972 Mafia film The Godfather and Frank Serpico in the eponymous 1973 movie.[8]
While he is known for film roles, he has spent many years on stage appearing in plays by Shakespeare, Mamet and many others.
He would finally win an Oscar for Best Actor, for his portrayal of the depressed, irascible, and retired blind Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in Martin Brest's Scent of a Woman (1992).[8] That year, he was also nominated for the supporting actor award for Glengarry Glen Ross, making Pacino the first male actor ever to receive two acting nominations for two different movies in the same year, and to win for the lead role.
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