Joe Pesci

Joseph Frank Pesci –his real name– was born in the city of Newark, New Jersey, on February 9, 1943. During the 1960s he worked as a barber, following in the footsteps of his mother, who was a hairdresser. Declared a lover of martial arts, he practiced judo for a long time. In his beginnings he focused on music, he liked playing the guitar a lot, and he released an album entitled “Little Joe Sure Can Sing” under the pseudonym Joseph Richie, along with a group of friends that also included actor Frank Vincent. . He continued as a solo artist under the same name, but was unsuccessful. He then decided to focus on acting.

He made his film debut with the film Hey, Let’s Twist! (1961). Later, he participated in the recording of Death Collector (1975), and thanks to this low-budget film he was signed by Martin Scorsese in 1980. Thus, he worked in Raging Bull , along with Robert De Niro , and with his role as Joey, Pesci it won the BAFTA Award and was nominated for an Oscar.

Between Robert De Niro , Martin Scorsese and Joe Pesci , a great professional relationship was forged since then that lasted many years. Together with De Niro, he later worked in Once Upon a Time in America  (1984), with a role that suited him perfectly thanks to his Italian descent; in Goodfellas (1990), with one of his most recognized and stark roles, that of Tommy DeVito; in Casino (1995), where he offered another of his most violent interpretations; and in A Bronx Story  (1993). Such collaborations bore fruit for him: thanks to Scorsese’s direction, Joe Pesci won an Oscar for his performance in Goodfellas.. The duo formed by Pesci and De Niro was so successful that a sketch was made under the name “The Joe Pesci Show” on Saturday Night Live.

After Raging Bull (1980), Pesci succeeded with the film I Dance as Fast as I Can (1982), a biopic based on the true story of actress Barbara Gordon and her desperation to get out of an addiction. In 1988, he co-starred in the musical Moonwalker , along with the great Michael Jackson , and a year later, he landed a very successful role in the movie Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), thanks to Mel Gibson suggesting him for the role of Leo Getz.

In 1990, he participated in the very famous and entertaining feature film Home Alone , another milestone in his filmography. Pesci played a clumsy thief alongside his partner Daniel Stern. From here he had many more or less comic roles, mostly secondary, that would end up taking him to the top: Cold Case  (1991), My Cousin Vinny (1992), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Home Alone 2 (1992) and Lethal Weapon 4  (1998), etc. It was just later, in 1998, when the actor decided to take a break, which would last eight years, to dedicate himself to his two passions at the time: music and golf. In 2006 he returned to work with the film of his friend Robert De NiroThe Good Shepherd (2006), accompanying Matt Damon , Angelina Jolie , William Hurt , Alec Baldwin , and Billy Crudup .

The last two films in which Joe Pesci has participated are Love Ranch (2010), with Helen Mirren and Sergio Peris-Mencheta , and the animated film, in which he provides his voice, Savva. Heart of the Warrior (2015), both with bad reviews.