Joe Pesci

Joe Pesci Bio

Joseph Frank Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and singer whose career has spanned more than six decades in film, television, and music. He is best known for portraying tough, volatile characters in a variety of genres and for his long-running collaborations with director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro. His work on Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, and The Irishman has placed him among the most recognizable supporting actors of his generation. Beyond film, Pesci has also built a parallel music career, releasing three studio albums over the years.

Early Life and Background

Joseph Frank Pesci was born on February 9, 1943, in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Belleville. His mother, Mary Pesci, worked part-time as a barber, and his father, Angelo Pesci, was a forklift truck driver for General Motors and a bartender. Pesci is of Italian descent, with family roots in Turin and in Aquilonia in the province of Avellino. He attended Belleville High School, where he developed an early interest in performance.

By the time Pesci was five years old, he was appearing in plays in New York, and at age ten he became a regular on the television variety show Startime Kids, which also featured singer Connie Francis. Growing up in Belleville, he crossed paths with guitarist Tommy DeVito of The Four Lovers, a novelty act that also included Frankie Valli. Pesci also knew keyboardist Bob Gaudio of The Royal Teens. In 1958, Pesci introduced Gaudio to DeVito and Valli, an introduction that led to the formation of the legendary band The Four Seasons. He and DeVito remained friends for the rest of DeVito’s life, and Pesci later placed him on his personal payroll when DeVito faced hard times in the 1970s.

Path to Acting

Pesci began his professional entertainment career in the early 1960s. In the 1960s, he worked as a barber while playing guitar with several bands, including Joey Dee and the Starliters, the group known for introducing the Peppermint Twist. In 1968, he released his debut album, Little Joe Sure Can Sing!, billed under the name Joe Ritchie, on which he sang covers of contemporary pop hits.

From 1970 to 1976, Pesci joined comedian Frank Vincent as the duo Vincent and Pesci, performing an Abbott and Costello-inspired double act combined with Don Rickles-style insult comedy. In 1975, the pair appeared in the Broadway show The New Vaudevillians. Pesci’s first film role came in 1976 in the low-budget crime film The Death Collector, which reunited him with Vincent and opened the door to his later work with Scorsese.

Joe Pesci Career

Early Career (1961–1979)

Pesci’s entertainment career began in 1961, when he was still a teenager working in television and live performance. After his early stage appearances, he transitioned into nightclub work as a guitarist and singer before pairing with Frank Vincent for a comedy act. Their double act toured clubs throughout the early 1970s and provided Pesci with a steady platform for improvising characters and developing timing. The duo’s only Broadway outing, The New Vaudevillians, lasted only a week, but the years of stage work sharpened the instincts that later defined Pesci’s screen presence.

Pesci’s first film role came in 1976 with The Death Collector, a low-budget crime picture he made with Vincent. Although the film drew limited attention, it caught the eye of director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro, who were casting their next project. That connection would lead to one of the most celebrated supporting performances of the early 1980s.

Breakthrough (1980–1999)

In 1979, Pesci received a phone call from Scorsese and De Niro, asking him to co-star in Raging Bull as Joey LaMotta. During filming he broke a rib in a fight scene with De Niro. The role earned Pesci a 1981 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a Most Promising Newcomer award at the British Academy Film Awards. In 1984, he appeared in Once Upon a Time in America alongside De Niro, and the following year he starred as private detective Rocky Nelson in the short-lived television comedy series Half Nelson.

In 1988, Pesci appeared in the Michael Jackson musical anthology film Moonwalker as the antagonist Frankie Mr. Big LiDeo. He then played comedic sidekick Leo Getz in the Lethal Weapon sequels released in 1989, 1992, and 1998. In 1990, he reunited with Scorsese and De Niro for Goodfellas, playing mobster Tommy DeVito. Pesci’s improvisations during rehearsals helped create some of the film’s most memorable scenes, including the Funny how? Do I amuse you? exchange with Ray Liotta. His performance earned the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, accepted with one of the shortest speeches in Oscar history.

That same year, Pesci co-starred in the blockbuster Home Alone as burglar Harry Lime, a role he reprised in the 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. In 1991, he played David Ferrie in JFK, and in 1992 he starred as the title character in the comedy My Cousin Vinny alongside Marisa Tomei. He made his third collaboration with Scorsese and De Niro in Casino (1995), playing Nicky Santoro, based on real-life mob enforcer Anthony Spilotro. Pesci retired from acting in 1999 to focus on music and life away from the camera.

Notable Works and Milestones

Pesci’s signature work includes Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Casino, Home Alone, My Cousin Vinny, and The Irishman, a body of work that has earned him three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. His collaborations with Scorsese and De Niro across four landmark films have defined a generation of American crime cinema, while his comic performances have introduced him to entirely new audiences.

Joe Pesci Award Nominations

Joe Pesci has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor during his career. His first nomination came for his portrayal of Joey LaMotta in Raging Bull in 1981, followed by his winning performance as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas in 1991. He earned his third nomination in 2020 for his role as Russell Bufalino in The Irishman. He has also received additional nominations from BAFTA and the Screen Actors Guild for his work in The Irishman.

Joe Pesci Awards Won

Joe Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1991 for his performance as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He also won the Most Promising Newcomer award at the 1981 British Academy Film Awards for Raging Bull, confirming his arrival as a major screen talent.

Joe Pesci Family

Joe Pesci was born to Angelo Pesci, a forklift truck driver for General Motors and a bartender, and Mary Pesci, a part-time barber. He is of Italian descent, with family origins in Turin and in Aquilonia in the province of Avellino. Pesci has a daughter from his second marriage to actress and model Claudia Haro.

Personal Life

Pesci has been married and divorced three times. His first marriage took place in January 1964, and his second marriage, to Claudia Haro, lasted from 1988 to 1992 and produced one daughter. From 2000 to 2008 he was in a relationship with actress Angie Everhart; the two became engaged in 2007 before ending their engagement the following year. Outside of film, Pesci is also a musician, recording three studio albums: Little Joe Sure Can Sing! (1968), Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You (1998), and Pesci… Still Singing (2019).