Joe Pantoliano

He was married to Morgan Kester from March 31, 1979 to February 23, 1984. He got married for a second time to former model Nancy Sheppard on February 18, 1994. He has six children.

He declared on the National Alliance on Mental Illness blog on October 9, 2007, that for the past decade he has been a victim of clinical depression, which was, however, formally diagnosed quite late. He mentions that the 2006 drama film ‘Canvas,’ where he starred as John Marino, aided him in his fight with depression.

He created ‘No Kidding, Me Too!,’ a non-profit organization to bring together the members of showbiz for educating public on mental illness. He is also coming up with the documentary titled ‘No Kidding, Me Too!.’

He was born on September 12, 1951, in Hoboken, New Jersey, US, to first-generation Italian-Americans Dominic “Monk” Pantoliano and Mary (née Centrella). His father was a hearse driver and factory foreman, while his mother was a bookie and seamstress. His parents parted ways (although never divorced officially) when Pantoliano was 12 years old.

He studied at the Cliffside Park High School, but fared badly in studies due to severe dyslexia. Nevertheless, he showed talent in acting from an early age and after noticing such talent his stepfather motivated him to endeavour into theatres.

Following high school, he relocated to New York, where he attended HB Studio and studied acting with actors Herbert Berghof and John Lehne. During his four-year tenure at the HB Studio, he sustained himself by working as a waiter, while giving auditions. He also performed as Billy Bibbit in the touring production of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.’

After his stint in New York, he moved to Hollywood to pursue acting in films and television.

His early on-screen pursuits includes films like ‘Road Movie’ (1974), ‘For Pete's Sake’ (1974), ‘The Idolmaker’ (1980) and ‘Monsignor’ (1982); and TV productions like ‘McNamara's Band’ (1977) and ‘Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story’ (1980), series ‘Free Country’ (1978) and miniseries ‘From Here to Eternity’ (1979).

He landed up with his big break playing the hard-hearted pimp ‘Guido’ in Paul Brickman’s directorial debut ‘Risky Business,’ an American romantic comedy film starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. This 1983 film became a blockbuster hit grossing $63.5 million at the box-office and shot Pantoliano to fame garnering him widespread popularity.

He furthered his fame playing the negative role of Francis Fratelli in the 1985 adventure comedy film ‘The Goonies,’ which slowly evolved as a cult film.

The biographical film ‘La Bamba,’ based on the life and career of American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Ritchie Valens, saw Pantoliano essaying the character of American musician, producer and Del-Fi Records owner, Bob Keane, while actor Lou Diamond Phillips played Valens. The film released on July 24, 1987, and became a blockbuster hit, earning a Golden Globe nomination.

The 1988 action comedy film ‘Midnight Run’ starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin featured Pantoliano in the role of the foul-mouthed, double-crossing bail bondsman Eddie Moscone.