Harvey Keitel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harvey Keitel
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Keitel at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival
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| Born | May 13, 1939 New York City, U.S.
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| Years active | 1966–present |
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| Partner(s) | Lorraine Bracco (1982–1993) |
| Children | 3 |
Harvey Keitel (born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and movie producer. He is famous for playing complex "tough guy" characters who are not always easy to figure out. He became well-known during the New Hollywood era of filmmaking.
Keitel has worked with director Martin Scorsese on six movies. These include Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), and The Irishman (2019). He is also known for his roles in director Quentin Tarantino's films, such as Mr. White in Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Winston Wolf in Pulp Fiction (1994).
For his role as the gangster Mickey Cohen in the movie Bugsy (1991), Keitel was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He won an Australian film award for his acting in The Piano (1993). Some of his other famous movies are Thelma & Louise (1991), From Dusk till Dawn (1996), National Treasure (2004), and its sequel in 2007.
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Early Life and Education
Harvey Keitel was born in New York City on May 13, 1939. He was the youngest of three children in a Jewish family. His mother, Miriam, came from Romania, and his father, Harry, came from Poland. His parents owned a small restaurant, and his father also made hats.
Keitel grew up in the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn, New York. He had an older sister, Renee, and an older brother, Jerry. At age 17, he joined the U.S. Marines. After leaving the military, he worked as a court reporter for about ten years before he started his acting career.
Acting Career
Keitel studied acting with famous teachers like Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg. He started by acting in plays. Soon, he met director Martin Scorsese, who gave him a main role in his first movie, Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967). This was the beginning of a long partnership between them.
Working with Famous Directors
Keitel starred in Scorsese's movie Mean Streets, which also helped actor Robert De Niro become famous. He worked with Scorsese again in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and Taxi Driver (1976). In Taxi Driver, he played the manager of a character played by Jodie Foster.
In the late 1970s, Keitel starred in the first films of several new directors. These included Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Paul Schrader's Blue Collar. In 1988, he played Judas in Scorsese's movie The Last Temptation of Christ.
Success in the 1990s
The 1990s were a big decade for Keitel. In 1991, he played a kind police officer in Thelma & Louise. That same year, his role in Bugsy earned him an Academy Award nomination. He also played a gangster in the hit comedy Sister Act.
In 1992, he starred in and co-produced Quentin Tarantino's movie Reservoir Dogs. His performance as "Mr. White" made him even more famous. After this, he chose his roles carefully to show his wide range as an actor. He played a key role in the award-winning film The Piano (1993). He also appeared as the problem-solver Winston "The Wolf" Wolf in Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994).
Later in the decade, he starred in the crime movie Cop Land (1997) with Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro.
Later Roles and Recent Work
In the 2000s, Keitel appeared in many popular films. He played a Navy officer in U-571 (2000). He was also the FBI agent Sadusky in National Treasure (2004) and its 2007 sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
Keitel has also worked with director Wes Anderson in several films, including Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). In 2019, he worked with Martin Scorsese again in The Irishman, playing the crime boss Angelo Bruno. He appeared alongside Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
More recently, he returned as FBI Agent Peter Sadusky in the Disney+ series National Treasure: Edge of History (2022).
Personal Life
From 1982 to 1993, Keitel was in a relationship with actress Lorraine Bracco. They have a daughter named Stella. He also has a son, Hudson, from another relationship.
In 2001, Keitel married Canadian actress Daphna Kastner. They have a son named Roman.
Keitel is also an honorary citizen of Romania, the country where his mother was born.
Selected Film Roles
- Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967) - J.R.
- Mean Streets (1973) - Charlie Cappa
- Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) - Ben
- Taxi Driver (1976) - Charles "Sport" Rain
- The Duellists (1977) - Feraud
- The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) - Judas Iscariot
- Thelma & Louise (1991) - Detective Hal Slocumb
- Bugsy (1991) - Mickey Cohen
- Reservoir Dogs (1992) - Mr. White
- Sister Act (1992) - Vince LaRocca
- The Piano (1993) - George Baines
- Pulp Fiction (1994) - Winston "The Wolf" Wolf
- From Dusk till Dawn (1996) - Jacob Fuller
- Cop Land (1997) - Ray Donlan
- National Treasure (2004) - FBI Agent Peter Sadusky
- National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007) - FBI Agent Peter Sadusky
- Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - Commander Pierce
- The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - Ludwig
- Isle of Dogs (2018) - Gondo (voice)
- The Irishman (2019) - Angelo Bruno
See also
In Spanish: Harvey Keitel para niños
