Bio: With more than 100 film, television and stage credits to his name, Joseph Peter Pantoliano is a prolific American character actor who has played many diverse and memorable roles, from Guido in Risky Business (1983) to Eddie Moscone in Midnight Run (1988), Cosmo Renfro in The Fugitive (1993), Cypher in The Matrix (1999) and Teddy in Memento (2000).Pantoliano was born September 12, 1951 in Hoboken, New Jersey, the son of Mary (Centrella) and Dominic Pantoliano, first-generation Italian Americans who split when Joe was twelve years old (though they never officially divorced). His mother was a seamstress and bookie, and his father was a hearse driver and foreman at a factory. Despite suffering from severe dyslexia that made studies difficult for him, Pantoliano displayed acting talent from an early age and moved to Manhattan after high school to pursue an acting career.After four years in Manhattan that included auditions, acting classes, waiting tables and a role as Billy Bibbit in the touring production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", Joe Pantoliano moved to California to pursue television and film acting. Joe was successful in landing a number of television roles before getting his feature film debut in The Idolmaker (1980), but his true Hollywood breakthrough came with his turn opposite a 21-year-old Tom Cruise as ruthless pimp Guido in 1983's Risky Business (1983). A wide array of TV and film roles followed that have led Joe to work with many of Hollywood's brightest talents, both on-screen and off, including Richard Donner, Steven Spielberg, Lilly Wachowski & Lana Wachowski, Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Wesley Snipes, Christopher Nolan and many others.Winner of a primetime Emmy for his work on The Sopranos (1999), for which he also received two SAG Award nominations, Joe Pantoliano is married to former model Nancy Sheppard, with whom he has two daughters, Daniella and Isabella. Pantoliano also has a son, Marco, from a previous marriage, and a step-daughter, Melody.
Tivia: According to his book, "Who's Sorry Now?", at age 12 during an argument in a grocery store, his mother, Mary Centrella Pantoliano, told Joe that his real father was her third cousin, Florio "Florie" Isabella, a made man who had spent several years in prison. Shortly before, Joe's father, Monk, and Mary had separated and Florie moved in with the family. Monk and Mary never got divorced, and Joe never found out which man was actually his father.At age seventeen he moved from his hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey, to Manhattan to study to become a barber.Founded the charity organization "No Kidding, Me Too!" (nkm2.org) to foster education and awareness of mental illness. The foundation's goal is to "Stomp the Stigma" associated with mental illness and encourage those suffering to seek help. (2008)Has suffered from Clinical Depression since the mid-1990s.Was offered the role of Leo in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), but was forced to turn it down due to a conflict with the film The Last of the Finest (1990). Joe Pesci ultimately played the role.He has appeared in four films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Goonies (1985), La Bamba (1987), The Matrix (1999) and Memento (2000).He landed his first professional role in 1972 when he played Billy Bibbit in the national touring company of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He worked in regional theater appearing in more than 40 Off-Broadway productions including Vision of Kerouac at the Lion Theater and The Death Star at the Theater of St. Clements.Appeared as Eddie Valiant in an early animation test for Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).He and his wife Nancy Sheppard were married by Charles Rocket.One of his favourite movies is Shrek (2001).Keen wine buff. On a recent episode of Jon Favreau's Dinner for Five (2001) on IFC, he was choosing the wine, inquiring about a '97 Ornellaia before settling on a '79 Tignanello. When the wine was presented to him for tasting, he picked up that it was corked and asked the sommelier to taste it himself, and the sommelier concurred.Formerly co-owner of Beverly Hills' Grand Havana Room.Has a son and two daughters: Marco Pantoliano, Michelle Rinaldi, and Melody Pantoliano.Often works with Carrie-Anne Moss.Working on a novel about his hometown, Hoboken, New Jersey, entitled, "Who's Sorry Now?" He hopes to have the book completed in the next fifteen months and is working on a deal with a publisher. (July 2001)He studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.Studied acting with Michael Howard in New York City.Daughter Isabella Grace born 27 August 1998.Parents are Dominic and Mary.