Joe Pesci facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joe Pesci
Pesci in 2009
Born	Joseph Frank Pesci (1943-02-09) February 9, 1943 (age 82) Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, musician
Years active	1961–1999 2006–present
Spouse(s)	Claudia Haro ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 1992)​
Partner(s)	Angie Everhart (2000–2008)
Children	1
Musical career
Genres	Jazz soft rock
Instruments	Vocals guitar

Joseph Frank Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is famous for playing strong, energetic characters in many different types of movies. He has often worked with director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro. Some of their well-known films together include Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and The Irishman (2019).

Joe Pesci has won several important awards, including an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) and a BAFTA Award. He was also nominated for three Golden Globe Awards. Besides his serious roles, he is also known for his funny characters in movies like Home Alone (1990), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), My Cousin Vinny (1992), and the Lethal Weapon film series (1989–1998).

Pesci won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas. He was nominated two other times for his roles in Raging Bull and The Irishman. In 1999, he said he was going to stop acting, but he has returned to movies from time to time since then. Joe Pesci is also a musician and has released three music albums.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Joe Pesci was born on February 9, 1943, in Newark, New Jersey. His mother, Maria, worked as a barber, and his father, Angelo, was a forklift driver and a bartender. Joe Pesci's family came from Italy. He grew up in Belleville, New Jersey, and went to Belleville High School.

When he was only five years old, Pesci started acting in plays in New York. By age 10, he was a regular on a TV show called Startime Kids, which also featured singer Connie Francis. As a teenager, Pesci was friends with singers Frankie Valli and Tommy DeVito. In 1959, when he was 16, he helped them meet singer and songwriter Bob Gaudio. This meeting led to the famous band The Four Seasons being formed.

In the 1960s, Pesci worked as a barber, just like his mother. At the same time, he tried to start a music career. He played guitar with several bands, including Joey Dee and the Starliters. In 1968, he released his first music album, Little Joe Sure Can Sing!, where he sang popular songs of the time.

Later, Pesci teamed up with Frank Vincent to form a comedy duo called "Vincent and Pesci." They performed together from 1970 to 1976. Their act was a mix of funny routines and playful teasing, which audiences really enjoyed.

Acting Career Highlights

The first movie Joe Pesci starred in was a low-budget crime film called The Death Collector in 1976. He acted alongside his comedy partner, Frank Vincent.

Working with Scorsese and De Niro

Pesci with co-star Cathy Moriarty on the set of Raging Bull

In 1979, famous director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro saw Pesci in The Death Collector. They were very impressed and asked him to co-star in Scorsese's movie Raging Bull. In this film, Pesci played the role of Joey LaMotta. For his performance, Pesci won a BAFTA Film Award for Newcomer to Leading Film Roles in 1981 and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Over the next few years, Pesci appeared in several other films. In 1984, he acted again with Robert De Niro in Once Upon a Time in America.

Famous Roles and Comedies

In 1988, Pesci appeared in the Michael Jackson musical film Moonwalker. He played the bad guy, a crime boss named Frankie "Mr. Big" LiDeo.

He also became well-known for playing Leo Getz, a funny sidekick in the Lethal Weapon movies. He appeared in the sequels released in 1989, 1992, and 1998, alongside Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

In 1990, Pesci worked again with Scorsese and De Niro in Goodfellas. He played a character named Tommy DeVito. For this role, Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The movie had many scenes where the actors made up their lines as they went along, which made the performances feel very real. One famous scene, where Tommy asks "Funny how? Do I amuse you?", was based on a real experience Pesci had.

Pesci also starred in the huge hit movie Home Alone in 1990. He played Harry Lime, one of two clumsy burglars who try to rob a house protected by an eight-year-old boy, played by Macaulay Culkin. Pesci's funny way of using "cartoon cursing" (making angry sounds instead of bad words) reminded people of characters like Yosemite Sam. Two years later, Pesci played Harry Lime again in the sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

In 1991, Pesci played David Ferrie in the movie JFK. In 1992, he starred as the main character in the comedy My Cousin Vinny. He played Vinny Gambini, a lawyer from New Jersey. This movie also starred Ralph Macchio and Marisa Tomei. That same year, Pesci played a photographer named Leon "Bernzy" Bernstein in The Public Eye. This role was different from his usual characters and was praised by critics.

In 1993, Pesci had a role in A Bronx Tale. This film starred and was directed by Robert De Niro. In 1995, Pesci worked with Scorsese and De Niro for the third time in the movie Casino. He played Nicky Santoro, a tough character.

Pesci also had main roles in other films, including Man on Fire (1987), The Super (1991), Jimmy Hollywood (1994), With Honors (1994), and Gone Fishin' (1997). In With Honors, he played a homeless man living on a college campus, showing his range as an actor.

Music and Later Acting

In 1998, Joe Pesci released his second music album, Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You. It was named after his character from the movie My Cousin Vinny. The album had both funny and serious songs, mostly in the big band jazz style.

In 1999, Pesci announced he was taking a break from acting to focus on his music and enjoy life away from the spotlight. However, he returned to acting for a small appearance in Robert De Niro's 2006 film The Good Shepherd. He also appeared in a 2011 Snickers candy bar advertisement with Don Rickles.

In 2017, Pesci was cast in The Irishman, another crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Pesci was asked many times before he agreed to the role, as he didn't want to play a "tough guy" character again. But Scorsese convinced him that this film would be different. The movie was released in theaters in November 2019 and later on Netflix. Pesci's performance was highly praised, and he received nominations for several awards, including another Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In November 2019, he also released his third music album, Pesci... Still Singing.

Personal Life

Joe Pesci has one child, a daughter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

Joe Pesci has received many awards and nominations for his acting. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his roles in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), and The Irishman (2019).

Discography

• Little Joe Sure Can Sing! (1968) (Brunswick Records)
• Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You (1998) (Columbia Records)
• Pesci... Still Singing (2019) (222 Records/BMG Rights Management)

Images for kids

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  Joe Pesci with co-star Cathy Moriarty on the set of Raging Bull.

See also

In Spanish: Joe Pesci para niños