Biography (EN)
Alfredo James Pacino was born on April 25, 1940, in East Harlem, New York City, to Italian-American parents. Raised in the Bronx, he was known as "Sonny" as a teenager and was something of a street rebel. Pacino's path to success was a long grind, eventually leading him to study under Lee Strasberg at the Actor’s Studio, where he mastered the Method that allowed him to truly inhabit his characters.
His ascent was meteoric: after playing a drug addict in The Panic in Needle Park (1971), he caught the eye of Francis Ford Coppola, who insisted on casting him as Michael Corleone in The Godfather, despite studio opposition. This role brought him global fame and his first Oscar nomination. Throughout the 70s, he delivered a legendary run of performances in Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, and ...And Justice for All.
Interestingly, despite his genius status, Pacino went years without winning an Academy Award. He finally won his sole Oscar in 1993 for his portrayal of a blind lieutenant colonel in Scent of a Woman. Al Pacino is also a distinguished stage actor and director, having spent decades exploring the works of William Shakespeare.