Best Known As: Star of My Cousin Vinny and Goodfellas
Joe Pesci is the short, fiery actor who won an Oscar for his supporting role as Tommy DeVito, the funny-but-psychopathic mobster in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990). Pesci started his entertainment career as a singer in the 1960s. After small roles in the movies, he made a splash as Robert DeNiro's brother in Raging Bull (1980) and earned an Oscar nomination. He co-starred again with DeNiro in 1984's Once Upon a Time in America, but it wasn't until the late '80s and early '90s that Pesci became a mainstream celebrity. During the 1990s he appeared in some of the hottest movies of the era, including Home Alone (1990) and it's sequel, three Lethal Weapon movies (1989-98, with Mel Gibson), My Cousin Vinny (1992), Scorsese's Goodfellas and Casino (1995, with Sharon Stone) and The Good Shepherd (2006, directed by DeNiro and starring Matt Damon).
"I couldn't get any jobs, and when that happens, you get so humble it's disgusting. I didn't feel like a man anymore -- I felt really creepy. I was bumping into walls and saying, Excuse me."
Representative Albums: "Vincent Laguardia Gambini Sings Just for You," "At Our Expense"
Biography
A consummate character actor, Joe Pesci rose to success on the strength of a series of Martin Scorsese films which took full advantage of his gift for outlandishly menacing supporting performances. Born February 9, 1943 in Newark, New Jersey, Pesci was a child actor who began his radio career at the age of four. Broadway beckoned just a year later, and by 1953 he was a regular on the television variety program Star Time Kids. His acting career stalled during his teen years, however, and by the mid-1960s he mounted a musical career under the name Joe Ritchie, recording an LP titled Little Joe Sure Can Sing and later playing guitar in the pop band Joey Dee and the Starliters. He also formed a vaudeville-style nightclub comedy act with Frank Vincent. Outside of 1961's Hey, Let's Twist!, Pesci did not appear in films prior to the little-seen 1975 feature The Death Collector; the film earned virtually no notice upon its release and he dropped out of acting, dejectedly returning to New York to run an Italian restaurant.
While few people saw The Death Collector, one of those who did was actor Robert DeNiro, who was so impressed by Pesci's performance that he brought the film to the attention of Scorsese, who cast Pesci in his 1980 masterpiece Raging Bull. The performance earned Pesci an Academy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category, and he became one of the busiest character actors in the business, steadily appearing in films ranging from the 1983 Rodney Dangerfield comedy Easy Money to the 1984 Sergio Leone epic Once Upon a Time in America. After starring in a failed 1985 sitcom, Half Nelson, Pesci's onscreen visibility diminished, and over the next four years he appeared in only one film, 1987's Man on Fire. In 1989, however, he co-starred opposite Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the hit Lethal Weapon 2, a performance which put his talent for comic relief to such fine use that he later reappeared in the third chapter of the franchise, issued in 1992.
By that point, Pesci had already become a star; 1990 was his breakthrough year, as he appeared in the family comedy blockbuster Home Alone and Scorsese's brilliant GoodFellas, winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his vivid portrayal of a psychotic mobster. While his first major starring role in 1991's The Super proved disastrous, he won good notices for his supporting turn in Oliver Stone's JFK and in 1992 starred in the hit comedy My Cousin Vinny. While neither 1994's Jimmy Hollywood nor With Honors performed well, in 1995 he reunited with Scorsese and DeNiro for the epic Casino, However, a pair of poorly-received 1997 comedies -- Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag and the execrable Gone Fishin' -- called Pesci's capabilities as a lead actor into question, and in 1998 he again played second banana in Lethal Weapon 4. That same year he also made an unexpected return to music, issuing the novelty album Vincent Laguardia Gambini Sings Just for You. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
A consummate character actor, Joe Pesci rose to success on the strength of a series of Martin Scorsese films which took full advantage of his gift for outlandishly menacing supporting performances. Born February 9, 1943, in Newark, NJ, Pesci was a child actor who began his radio career at the age of four. Broadway beckoned just a year later, and by 1953 he was a regular on the television variety program Star Time Kids. His acting career stalled during his teen years, however, and by the mid-'60s, he mounted a musical career under the name Joe Ritchie, recording an LP titled Little Joe Sure Can Sing and later playing guitar in the pop band Joey Dee & the Starliters. He also formed a vaudeville-style nightclub comedy act with Frank Vincent. Outside of 1961's Hey, Let's Twist!, Pesci did not appear in films prior to the little-seen 1975 feature The Death Collector; the film earned virtually no notice upon its release and he dropped out of acting, dejectedly returning to New York to run an Italian restaurant.
While few people saw The Death Collector, one of those who did was actor Robert De Niro, who was so impressed by Pesci's performance that he brought the film to the attention of Scorsese, who cast Pesci in his 1980 masterpiece Raging Bull. The performance earned Pesci an Academy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category, and he became one of the busiest character actors in the business, steadily appearing in films ranging from the 1983 Rodney Dangerfield comedy Easy Money to the 1984 Sergio Leone epic Once Upon a Time in America. After starring in a failed 1985 sitcom, Half Nelson, Pesci's onscreen visibility diminished, and over the next four years he appeared in only one film, 1987's Man on Fire. In 1989, however, he co-starred opposite Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the hit Lethal Weapon 2, a performance which put his talent for comic relief to such fine use that he later reappeared in the third chapter of the franchise, issued in 1992.
By that point, Pesci had already become a star; 1990 was his breakthrough year, as he appeared in the family comedy blockbuster Home Alone and Scorsese's brilliant GoodFellas, winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his vivid portrayal of a psychotic mobster. While his first major starring role in 1991's The Super proved disastrous, he won good notices for his supporting turn in Oliver Stone's JFK and in 1992 starred in the hit courtroom comedy My Cousin Vinny. While neither 1994's Jimmy Hollywood nor With Honors performed well, in 1995 he reunited with Scorsese and De Niro for the epic Casino, essaying a variation on his GoodFellas character. However, a pair of poorly received 1997 comedies -- Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag and Gone Fishin' -- again called Pesci's capabilities as a lead actor into question. He found more success reprising his supporting role in Lethal Weapon 4, released in 1998. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
Pesci (pronounced Peshi), 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 5 years old, he was appearing in plays in New York.[2] A few years later, at age 10, 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. He released an album entitled Little Joe Sure Can Sing, under the pseudonym "Joseph Richie," accompanied by a band that included good friend and future fellow actor Frank Vincent.
Pesci practiced judo all throughout his teens. He is a big fan of martial arts, including Judo, and tae kwon do. [2] He played guitar for "Joey Dee and the Starliters" and was an extra in Dee's film Hey, Let's Twist!, in which he made his film debut.
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, to which he was met with applause, but joked that he was not overly offended as no pictures of Italian popes were defaced.
Other work
In the late 70's, 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 on Abbott and Costello.
He 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. He reprised his role for the sequel.
Pesci also had roles in JFK (as David Ferrie) and the comedy My Cousin Vinny (as the title character) released in 1991 and 1992, respectively. He appeared as Leo Getz in three Lethal Weapon films.
In 1998, he released an album called Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You which spawned the single "Wise Guy". 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 slated to star in the 2009 drama Love Ranch, alongside Helen Mirren.
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.
Personal life
He has been married three times, the third time to Claudia Martha (Marty) Haro.[4] He has a daughter, Tiffany from his first 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. They announced their breakup in April, 2008.
George Carlin, in a comedy set denouncing religion, stated he prayed to Joe Pesci rather than God, because "Joe looks like a guy who can get things done". The two were also close friends.
