Joe Pesci | |
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![]() Pesci in 2009 | |
Born | Joseph Frank Pesci February 9, 1943 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
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Children | 1 |
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Joseph Frank Pesci (/ˈpɛʃi/ PESH-ee, Italian: [ˈpeʃʃi]; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor. He is known for portraying tough, volatile characters in a variety of genres and for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in the films Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and The Irishman (2019). He has received several awards including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award with nominations for three Golden Globe Awards.
He also appeared in Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Moonwalker (1988), JFK (1991), A Bronx Tale (1993), and The Good Shepherd (2006). Pesci is also known for his comic roles in Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), My Cousin Vinny (1992), and the Lethal Weapon franchise (1989–1998).
Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the gangster character Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas and received two other nominations in the same category for his portrayals of Joey LaMotta and Russell Bufalino in Raging Bull and The Irishman, respectively. He announced his retirement from acting in 1999, but has returned to act in four films and a television series since then.
Pesci is also a musician who has recorded three studio albums: Little Joe Sure Can Sing! (1968), Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You (1998), and Pesci... Still Singing (2019).