10 Fascinating Facts About Al Pacino You Probably Didn't
Know
Al Pacino has been one of the most iconic and popular actors in the industry for over 40 years, but how much do you really know about his life? Here are 10 facts about Al Pacino that you probably didn't know about the Godfather of Hollywood! #1. He was born as Alfredo James Pacino in Manhattan, New York City, New York on April 25, 1940 (age 76). His mother, Rose (Zimmerman), was an actress and singer, while his father, Salvatore Billie Frank Pacino, was an Italian immigrant and taxi driver with drug and gambling problems.
1) He’s fluent in Spanish
While he grew up speaking Italian and English, there are at least a few lines in Scarface where it’s pretty clear he’s speaking Spanish. He learned to speak Spanish in high school, which is where he also picked up his early love of acting. (source: Intouchweekly) He was nominated for an Oscar before winning one: In 1973, Pacino was nominated for Best Actor for The Godfather. The following year he took home his first Academy Award for The Godfather Part II. This wasn't uncommon at all during that time - many actors who were nominated won later on that same year or even within a few years after their first nomination.
2) He was the first movie star to go public with his HIV status
In 1992, he announced that he was infected with HIV, and had been since 1986. Two years later, in what Time magazine described as a courageous step toward educating Americans about AIDS, he starred in a video for GMHC (formerly Gay Men's Health Crisis) called The Real Deal. In it, Pacino talks about how people can prevent becoming infected. He also discussed his relationship with former lover Martinka Hutchins and revealed that she had died of AIDS. I don’t want to die alone, he said. I don’t want to die without my friends knowing who I am and why I am here. The Godfather is based on a real-life mafia family: While researching his role as Don Corleone in The Godfather, Marlon Brando met with New York mobster Carmine The Snake Persico to study him for inspiration.
3) Bruce Willis wanted to play him in The Godfather, but ...
The role of Michael Corleone was originally meant for Robert De Niro, who turned it down. The same thing happened with Marlon Brando and James Caan. While many actors declined to play such an iconic character, others who were considered included Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, Sean Connery and Warren Beatty. They either turned it down or didn't get a callback. Of course, there's always Al Pacino. He'd go on to win Best Actor for his performance in The Godfather Part II. In fact, he's only one of four performers in Academy Award history to win two Best Actor Oscars for playing different roles (the other three are Spencer Tracy, Laurence Olivier and Jason Robards).
4) He got paid $1 million for appearing in Dick Tracy. It tanked at the box office.
When you think of a movie star, you don’t usually think of someone who’s been nominated for two Oscars. But that’s exactly what Al Pacino is. He was nominated for Best Actor in The Godfather and Scent of a Woman, and also won an Emmy for his performance in HBO’s Angels in America. He even won a Tony Award for his role as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. What most people might not know about him is that he got paid $1 million to appear as Big Boy Caprice in Dick Tracy—and it tanked at the box office!
5) Film fans thought he looked like a young Jack Nicholson
After landing his first movie role as a thug in The Panic in Needle Park, Pacino famously sent Jack Nicholson a note saying that he was going to 'steal' his career. Nicholson called him and told him to come over for dinner. They became good friends and eventually costarred together in The Devil's Advocate and Something Wild. He nearly turned down The Godfather: Director Francis Ford Coppola asked Pacino to play Michael Corleone in 1972's The Godfather, but he refused because he felt an Italian-American should play the part. Robert De Niro got it instead, and went on to win an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. But once Coppola offered Pacino another lead role - Michael Vito Corleone in 1974's The Godfather Part II - he changed his mind.
6) His nickname as a young actor was babyface
After he first landed on Broadway as a teenager in The Subject Was Roses in 1961, other cast members jokingly referred to him as babyface because of his youthful appearance. In fact, Pacino was just 19 years old at that point and had lied about his age to land a role on Broadway. He would go on to earn an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor and star in classic films such as Dog Day Afternoon (1975) and Scarface (1983). What did Francis Ford Coppola say to Pacino when he first met him? When Francis Ford Coppola signed Al Pacino to play Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972), one of his first pieces of advice was: Don’t act with your eyebrows! Apparently, Coppola said it wasn’t good acting when actors used their eyebrows too much.
7) He wasn’t happy with his performance in The Devil's Advocate (1997)
The Devil's Advocate is a 1997 thriller film based on a novel of same name by Andrew Neiderman. It stars Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron and is directed by Taylor Hackford, while supporting roles are played by Connie Nielsen, Taye Diggs and Jeffrey Jones. The movie was shot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In spite of receiving mixed reviews from critics and failing to perform well at box office, The Devil's Advocate has gained a cult following over time thanks to its plot twists as well as performances of its lead actors. However, one person who wasn’t happy with his performance in The Devil's Advocate was Al Pacino himself.
8) Then he starred opposite Sylvester Stallone in Cop Land (1997), which made him feel better about it
It was great to work with Sly. We play like two old pros. He's an interesting guy, very down to earth. The same year, he voiced Don Lino in The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show, which earned him a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 1998. In 1999, Pacino starred as blind Lt. Colonel Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman (1992), which earned him Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations as well as Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and Best Screenplay; he also won his first BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
9) A part of Goodfellas (1990), you never see him on camera
In addition to co-writing and producing, it was always a dream of Scorsese’s to have Martin Scorsese appear on camera in his own films. He made up for it by doing so offscreen in Goodfellas, by casting fellow director (and one of his best friends) Al Pacino in a cameo as a character named Tony Roach. Who plays him? The guy who played Joe Pesci’s bodyguard—Robert De Niro. He won an Oscar for Scent of a Woman (1992): After turning down several Oscar nominations over his career, Pacino finally won one at age 60 for playing a blind man with AIDS in Scent of a Woman. It was probably worth waiting for: he won Best Actor over Kevin Costner, Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington that year.
10) Has appeared in three Martin Scorsese films (Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), The Departed (2006)) and two Robert De Niro movies (Heat, 1995; Righteous Kill 2008).
Both actors have appeared in all three of Martin Scorsese's films about gangsters and two of Robert De Niro's. They are Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) in The Sopranos, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and Vincent Hanna (De Niro) in Goodfellas, Jack Woltz (Jack Nicholson) in The Departed and Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) in The Departed. He also appeared with Sharon Stone in Casino as Nicky Santoro. He also has a cameo appearance in The Godfather Part II as one of Michael Corleone's bodyguards. In addition, he was considered for the role of Sonny Corleone but was replaced by James Caan due to his height difference with Marlon Brando who played Vito Corleone at that time.
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