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
Notable work	His mafia movies and his collaborations with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro
Style	Physical comedy
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 and musician. He is famous for playing many different kinds of characters. He often worked with his friend, Robert De Niro, in movies like Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and The Irishman (2019). Joe Pesci has won several awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He was also nominated for three Golden Globe Awards.

He also appeared in movies such as Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Moonwalker (1988), JFK (1991), A Bronx Tale (1993), and The Good Shepherd (2006). Pesci is also well-known for his funny roles. These include his parts in Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). He also starred in My Cousin Vinny (1992) and the Lethal Weapon movies (1989–1998).

Pesci won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Goodfellas. He was also nominated twice more in the same category. These nominations were for his roles in Raging Bull and The Irishman. He announced he would stop acting in 1999. However, he has returned to act in movies a few times since then.

Joe Pesci is also a musician. He has released three studio albums. These albums are Little Joe Sure Can Sing! (1968), Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You (1998), and Pesci... Still Singing (2019).

Early Life and Beginnings

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

By the age of five, Pesci was already acting in plays in New York. When he was 10, he was a regular on a TV show called Startime Kids. This show also featured singer Connie Francis. As a young entertainer, he knew guitarist Tommy DeVito. DeVito was part of a music group called The Four Lovers. Pesci also knew keyboard player Bob Gaudio. In 1958, Pesci introduced Gaudio to DeVito and singer Frankie Valli. This meeting led to the famous band The Four Seasons being formed.

Joe Pesci's Career Journey

Starting Out in Entertainment

In the 1960s, Joe 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. This group was famous for the "Peppermint Twist" song and dance.

In 1968, he released his first album, Little Joe Sure Can Sing!. He was known as "Joe Ritchie" for this album. On it, he sang popular songs of the time.

Later, Pesci teamed up with Frank Vincent to form a comedy duo. They performed as "Vincent and Pesci" from 1970 to 1976. Their act was a mix of funny routines and playful teasing. They became good friends both on and off stage. In 1975, they were in a Broadway show called The New Vaudevillians.

Pesci's first movie role was in the 1976 crime film The Death Collector. He starred alongside Frank Vincent in this low-budget movie. After the film, Pesci went back to working at a restaurant in The Bronx.

Becoming a Movie Star

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

In 1979, Joe Pesci got a call from director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro. They were very impressed with his acting in The Death Collector. They asked him to star with them in Scorsese's movie Raging Bull. During the filming, Pesci even broke one of his ribs!

Pesci won a BAFTA Film Award for Newcomer to Leading Film Roles in 1981. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Over the next few years, Pesci appeared in several smaller movies. These included Dear Mr. Wonderful (1982), Eureka (1983), and Easy Money (1983).

In 1984, he was cast in Once Upon a Time in America, again with Robert De Niro. The next year, he played a private detective named Rocky Nelson in a TV comedy series called Half Nelson.

In 1988, Pesci was in the Michael Jackson movie Moonwalker. He played the bad guy, Frankie "Mr. Big" LiDeo.

He also played Leo Getz, a funny helper and friend to detectives Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover). These roles were in the Lethal Weapon sequels. He appeared in 1989, 1992, and 1998.

In 1990, he worked again with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro for Goodfellas. Pesci's old friend Frank Vincent also appeared in this film. Pesci received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role. When he accepted the award, he gave one of the shortest speeches in Oscar history. He simply said, "It's my privilege. Thank you" before leaving the stage.

Pesci also co-starred in the very popular movie Home Alone in 1990. He played Harry Lime, one of two clumsy burglars. Harry and his partner tried to rob the house of an eight-year-old boy played by Macaulay Culkin. Pesci's funny way of speaking, like "cartoon cursing," was compared to the character Yosemite Sam. Pesci played Harry again in the sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).

In 1991, Pesci played David Ferrie in JFK. In 1992, he was the main character in the comedy My Cousin Vinny. He starred with Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei, and Fred Gwynne. That same year, Pesci led the cast of The Public Eye. He played Leon "Bernzy" Bernstein, a photographer. His acting in this movie was different from his usual roles and was highly praised.

Pesci hosted the comedy show Saturday Night Live on October 10, 1992.

In 1993, Pesci appeared in A Bronx Tale as Carmine. The movie starred Robert De Niro, who also directed it. In 1995, Pesci worked with Scorsese and De Niro for the third time in the movie Casino. He played Nicky Santoro, alongside Sharon Stone and James Woods. During filming, Pesci broke the same rib that he had broken 15 years earlier while making Raging Bull.

He had main roles in several other movies. These included Man on Fire (1987), The Super (1991), Jimmy Hollywood (1994), With Honors (also 1994), and Gone Fishin' (1997). In With Honors, Pesci played a homeless man living on a college campus. This was a serious role, different from his usual characters.

Music Career and Later Roles

In 1998, Joe Pesci released his second album. It was his first in 30 years. The album was called Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You. This name came from his character in the 1992 movie My Cousin Vinny. The album had both funny and serious songs. It explored different music styles, mostly big band jazz.

In 1999, Pesci said he was stopping acting to focus on his music. He also wanted to enjoy life away from the cameras. He returned to acting for a small part in De Niro's 2006 movie The Good Shepherd. In 2010, he starred in the movie Love Ranch with Helen Mirren.

Pesci appeared with Don Rickles in a 2011 Snickers candy bar advertisement.

In 2017, Pesci was cast with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in The Irishman. This crime film was directed by Martin Scorsese. Pesci was asked about 50 times before he agreed to take the role. He had said he didn't want to do "the gangster thing again." Scorsese tried to convince him that The Irishman would be "different." The movie was released in theaters on November 1, 2019. It then became available for streaming on November 27, 2019, on Netflix. Pesci's acting in the movie was highly praised. He received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. Pesci also returned to music with his third album, Pesci... Still Singing. It was released on November 29, 2019.

After The Irishman, Pesci co-starred in Pete Davidson's comedy series Bupkis. He also appeared in Jack Huston's movie Day of the Fight. Both were released in 2023.

Personal Life

Joe Pesci has been married and divorced three times.

His first marriage was in January 1964. His second marriage was from 1988 to 1992, to Claudia Haro. She is a model and actress. They have one daughter together. In 2000, Pesci started dating Angie Everhart. They got engaged in 2007 but broke up in 2008.

Works

Filmography

Television Roles

Music Albums

• 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)

Awards and Nominations

Joe Pesci has received many awards and nominations. He has three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. These were for his performances in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), and The Irishman (2019).

Images for kids

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  Pesci in 2009

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

See also

In Spanish: Joe Pesci para niños