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Who is Joe Pantoliano?
American actor, screenwriter and producer Joseph Peter ‘Joe’ Pantoliano was born in Hoboken, New Jersey USA, on 12 September 1951, making Virgo his zodiac sign. He has over 150 acting credits, but is perhaps still known best for playing Teddy in the evergreen 2000 mystery thriller movie “Memento”, which starred Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss, and was written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It follows a man who’s suffering from short-term memory loss, and is trying to catch his wife’s killer; the movie won 57 of its 116 award nominations, including two Oscar nominations for Best Film Editing and Best Writing.
Joe’s currently working on four upcoming projects, which include the movies “Man of War”, “Home Delivery” and “Spring Break ‘83”.
Education and early life
Joe was raised in Hoboken alongside his sister Mary Ann, by their father Dominic ‘Monk’ Pantoliano who was a factory foreman and a hearse driver, and mother Mary (nee Centrella) who was a seamstress; Joe’s parents held both Italian and American nationality.
The family eventually moved to Cliffside Park in New Jersey, and Joe studied at Cliffside Park High School; he became interested in acting aged 15, after appearing in his first school play, and he already knew in the following year that he wanted to become a professional actor.
Joe matriculated in 1969, and then enrolled at HB Studio, from which he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1973.
Roles in movies
Joe’s debut film role was playing Mugger in the 1973 drama “Road Movie”, and the remainder of the decade saw him appear in the 1974 comedy “For Pete’s Sake”, the 1977 comedy “McNamara’s Band”, and the 1980 biographical musical “The Idolmaker”.
The year 1983 saw him portray Guido in the critically acclaimed crime comedy “Risky Business”, which starred Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay, and was written and directed by Paul Brickman. It follows a teenager from Chicago, Illinois as he’s trying to have fun while his parents are away, and the film was nominated for three awards. Some of Joe’s most notable performances in the remainder of the ‘80s were in the 1984 comedy “Mister Roberts”, the 1985 family adventure comedy “The Goonies”, and the 1987 war drama “Empire of the Sun”.
The year 1993 saw him play Cosmo Renfro in the crime action “The Fugitive”, which starred Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford, and was directed by Andrew Davis. It follows Dr. Richard Kimble who’s been wrongfully accused of his wife’s murder, and is now trying to clear his name by finding the real killer; the movie won 13 of its 50 award nominations, including an Oscar win for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Tommy Lee Jones). Joe could then have been seen appearing in the 1994 comedy “Baby’s Day Out”, the 1998 action crime thriller “U. S. Marshals” and the 1999 action science fiction “The Matrix”.
He portrayed Captain Howard in the 2003 action crime comedy “Bad Boys II”, which starred Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, and was directed by Michael Bay. It follows two narcotics police officers as they’re trying to catch the people who are bringing ecstasy into Florida, and the movie won five of its 18 award nominations. The remainder of the decade saw Joe appear in the 2005 comedy “The Amateurs”, the 2009 thriller comedy “The Job”, and the 2010 family fantasy adventure “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”.
What marked the 2010s for him was perhaps playing Marty in the 2016 romantic comedy “The Perfect Match”, which starred Terrence Jenkins and Cassie Ventura, and was directed by Bille Woodruff; it follows the life of playboy Charlie.
Some of Joe’s most recent film roles have been in the 2020 action crime comedy “Bad Boys for Life”, and in 2021 the crime comedy “The Santa Stakeout” and the mystery thriller “Hide and Seek”.
Roles in TV series
Joe’s debut TV series role was playing Louis Peschi in three episodes of the 1978 comedy “Free Country”, and the remainder of the ‘70s saw him appear in the drama “From Here to Eternity” and the crime drama “Eischied”.
He had no notable performances in the ‘80s, appearing in only an episode or two of various series, including the drama “Trapper John, M. D.”, the action crime adventure “Hart to Hart”, and the mystery horror “The Hitchhiker”.
In 1994, Joe voiced the lead character Sparky in the animated adventure comedy “Beethoven”, which also starred Joel Murray and Jean Jones, and follows the life of the dog Beethoven. The remainder of the ‘90s saw Joe appear in an episode of the crime mystery “NYPD Blue”, the sports comedy “Arli$$”, and the fantasy horror “The Outer Limits”.
What marked the 2000s for him was playing Ralph Cifaretto in 21 episodes (2001-2004) of the critically acclaimed crime drama “The Sopranos”, which starred James Gandolfini and Lorraine Bracco, and was created by David Chase. It follows the life of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, the series aired from 1999 through 2007, and won 122 of the 431 awards for which it was nominated. Some of Joe’s other TV series roles in the 2000s were in the crime drama “Dr. Vegas”, the animated comedy “The Simpsons” (voice role). and the drama “Waterfront”.
He’s since had only a couple of TV series roles, with his three most recent having been in two episodes of the 2020 action adventure “MacGyver”, the 2020 episode “Death on Denial” of the horror thriller “Chucky”, and two episodes of the 2022 comedy “Tacoma FD”.
Other credits
Joe received special thanks for the 1996 documentary film “Cigars!: The New Rage!” and the 2008 short documentary movie “Behind the Scenes with ‘The Amateurs’”.
He has nine producing credits, which include the 2006 thriller movie “Deceit”, the 2006 drama film “Canvas” and the 2013 short documentary movie “The Doctor in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.
Some of Joe’s recent talk-show appearances have been in “The Adam Carolla Show”, “Josh Gates Tonight” and “Character”.
Awards and nominations
Joe’s won seven of his 17 award nominations, including a 2003 Primetime Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, for his performance in “The Sopranos”.
Some of his other wins include a 2004 Garden State Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, a 2006 Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Award for Best Dramatic Performance for “Canvas”, and a 2009 Hoboken International Film Festival Award for Best Documentary, for “No Kidding! Me2!!”
Love life and marriages
Joe’s married twice. His first wife was American former actress Morgan Kester; she gave birth to their daughter Michelle Rinaldi on 29 May 1974, and they married on 31 March 1979. Joe and Morgan’s divorce was finalized on 23 February 1984.
He was introduced to his second wife, American former model, actress and make-up artist Nancy Sheppard by their mutual friend Samantha Phillips, who’s a famous American actress; Joe and Nancy exchanged vows in a private ceremony on 18 February 1994, and they’ve been together ever since. They have three children together: daughters Isabella and Melody Pantoliano, and a son Marco Pantoliano.
There are no other women whom Joe’s been with, that we know about; he’s married to his second wife Nancy Sheppard as of June 2023, and they have three children together, while he also has a daughter with his former wife Morgan Kester.
Interesting facts and hobbies
Joe revealed on 9 October 2007 that he had been diagnosed with clinical depression; he stated that he had been struggling with depression for nearly a decade but wasn’t diagnosed. He revealed that his role in the 2006 drama movie “Canvas” had helped him cope with depression.
Joe stated in an interview that women began hitting on him after his character in the series “Sopranos” brutally beat a young stripper to death.
He was hit by a vehicle on 1 May 2020, and suffered chest trauma and a concussion.
Joe’s book “Who’s Sorry Now” was published on 10 May 2016.
One of Joe’s favorite actors is Eddie Murphy, and some of his favorite films include “Shrek 1”, “Coming to America” and “You People”.
Height, eyes and wealth
Joe’s age is 71. He has brown eyes and grey hair, is 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall and weighs around 165lbs (75kgs).
Joe’s net worth’s been estimated at over $8 million, as of June 2023.
