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Joe Pesci

Joe Pesci brings an unusual kind of tension to the screen: even at his funniest, there is often a hint that the temperature could change without warning. That combination of menace, impatience and sharp comic timing runs through many of the movies that define his career. Born Joseph Frank Pesci in Newark, New Jersey, on February 9, 1943, he began appearing in New York plays at five and became a regular on the television variety show Startime Kids at ten. Before his film career took hold, Pesci worked as a barber, played guitar with several bands and performed with Frank Vincent in the comedy duo Vincent and Pesci. He also released the 1968 album Little Joe Sure Can Sing! under the name Joe Ritchie. A decisive screen opportunity came when Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, impressed by Pesci in The Death Collector, asked him to play Joey LaMotta in Raging Bull. The performance brought him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA award for Most Promising Newcomer. He later appeared alongside De Niro again in Once Upon a Time in America. Pesci could move between brutality and broad comedy without losing his distinctive edge. In Goodfellas, he played the volatile Tommy DeVito and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. That same year, he became Harry Lime, one of the two hapless burglars in Home Alone, returning for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. As Leo Getz in Lethal Weapon 2 and Lethal Weapon 3, his rapid-fire agitation provided comic friction alongside the films’ detectives. He also played David Ferrie in JFK. Casino brought another major Scorsese and De Niro collaboration, with Pesci playing Nicky Santoro. After retiring from acting in 1999 to pursue music and life away from the camera, he eventually returned for selected roles, including Russell Bufalino in The Irishman. Across crime films, comedies and thrillers, Pesci’s work remains grounded in precision: a pause, a stare or a sudden burst of language can shift an entire scene.