Joe Pantoliano: Summary

Recent Role:: Himself on TMZ on TV

Gender:: Male

Birthday:: 9-12-1951

Birthplace:: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

Birth Name:: Joseph Peter Pantoliano

AKA:: Joey Pants

You may not have heard of him, but the odds are that you have seen him. Joe Pantoliano has been credited for over 100 film, television and stage appearances. He is a fantastic character actor best known for his roles as rough, tough, and sometimes dirty characters.
Pantoliano was born on September 12, 1951 in Hoboken, NJ. He is the son of Dominic (a hearse driver) and Mary (a part-time seamstress/bookie.) At an early age Pantoliano's mother left his father. She never officially divorced Pantoliano. She moved in with her distant cousin Florio. Mary took Joe and younger sister, Maryanne to live with Florio in northern New Jersey. Later, Pantoliano moved to Manhattan. He worked as a waiter while he attended acting classes and tried out for auditions. In 1972, he became a member of the touring production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It would not be until four years later when he would make the move to Hollywood. Since then, Pantoliano has been seen by millions. Some of his more memorable roles were in the films, Risky Business (1983), The Goonies (1985), Midnight Run (1988), and perhaps his most famous role, Cypher, in The Matrix(1999.) He also gained acclaim and an Emmy for his role as Ralphy Cifaretto in The Sopranos.
In 1979, Pantoliano married Morgan Kester. The couple had a son, Marco (1981.) The couple divorced in 1985. In 1994, Pantoliano married for a second time to model and artist, Nancy Sheppard. The couple have two daughters together, Daniella (1992) and Isabella Grace (1998.) Pantoliano is also the step father of Melody, born to Nancy Sheppard in 1985. You may not have heard of him, but the odds are that you have seen him. Joe Pantoliano has been credited for over 100 film, television and stage appearances. He is a fantastic character actor best known for his roles as rough, tough, and sometimes dirty characters.
Pantoliano was born on September 12, 1951 in Hoboken, NJ. He is the son of Dominic (a hearse driver) and Mary (a...

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amauriel
member since: Jun 3, 2005
empty ...Continue »
Joe Pantoliano is a truly cool actor. You really believe that he got into acting because he loves it for what it is. You'll never see him in any tabloids and you won't hear any gossip about him. In his roles, you sense more realism than many other actor's who are considered more talented than he. Of all of his roles in all of his movies, my favorite has to be "The Matrix."
03/12/07 03:46pm | report abuse
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kinglink2
member since: Dec 22, 2004
A skilled that has proven he can take on almost any roll given to him. ...Continue »
When most people think of a role that "Joey Pants" has played they will likely to think of a roll where he was a bad guy. Whether it be Ready to Rumble, the Matrix (Cypher), or The Sopranos, this actor has proven he's the guy you love to hate.

The skill of this actor above all else is that he will constantly suprise the audience with his rolls. If one looks at many of his acting jobs, they are so unique and different that unless someone is told they will likely not realize who they are watching.

While he has never proven himself good enough to be a leading actor for the most part and likely will not be the leading actor, with his skill, he makes a perfect actor to tie a tv show together such as The Handler or to have a medium size part in movies, such as Bad Boys, The Fugative.

He has also written an autobiography about his life growing up in an Italian family, which shines a little light on how he got started into acting.

Overall Joe Pantoliano is definatly a guy to watch. He gives a compelling performance every time, and definatly will grow to be one of the great character actors.
07/05/05 09:59pm | report abuse