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Joseph Pesci (born February 9, 1943), best known as Joe Pesci, is an American Academy Award-winning actor, comedian and singer who is often typecast as a violent mobster, grouchy funnyman, or both.

Pesci was born in Newark, New Jersey where he worked as a barber in the 1960s and released an album entitled Little Joe Sure Can Sing under the name Joseph Richie, accompanied by a band that included good friend and future fellow actor Frank Vincent. His breakthrough as an actor came in 1980 opposite Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's boxing film Raging Bull. Subsequently he acted opposite De Niro several times, often in a similar role, in the films Once Upon A Time In America (in which he was cast at the behest of his friend De Niro), Goodfellas (for which he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), and Casino. The pairing became famous enough to inspire a recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live, called The Joe Pesci Show. Pesci also starred in Home Alone, JFK and My Cousin Vinny, and appeared in three Lethal Weapon films.

In 1999, Pesci announced that he was leaving acting to pursue a musical career and to enjoy life away from the camera. But in 2004-2005, he announced that he would return to do a cameo role in friend Robert De Niro's 2006 film The Good Shepherd.

Trivia

• His song Yo Cousin Vinny was somewhat successful in some European countries (the song is not directly related to My Cousin Vinny, however).
• He started out with Joey Dee and the Starliters, working his way around as a waiter and singing and playing guitar in local nightclubs.
• Scorsese and De Niro tracked down Pesci after seeing him in The Death Collector (1976) deeming him perfect for the role of Joey La Motta in Raging Bull (1980).
• Each of his eyes is a different color.
• He is 5'4" (163cm) tall.
• The word "pesci" in Italian is the pluralized form of "fish".
• Pesci's friend George Carlin mentions him in his bit "There is no God", in which Carlin says that he prays to Joe Pesci because, "unlike God, Pesci can get things done... especially with a baseball bat!"
• After accepting his Oscar for the role of Tommy DeVito, his entire acceptance speech was "This is an honor and privilege, thank you very much." When asked why he did not say more, he said, "I really didn't think I was going to win."
• He practiced judo in his teens, and is an avid golfer.
• Pesci does not smoke cigarettes, which is why his characters usually chew toothpicks. He does smoke cigars.
• He sang as Joe Doggs with jazz organ player Joey DeFrancesco. They recorded an album on Concord Records in 2003 titled, Joey DeFrancesco featuring Joe Doggs, Falling In Love Again.
• Pesci has a house in Lavallette, New Jersey. In the 1980s, he established a reputation as a community Little League Baseball coach.
• When De Niro first called Pesci to ask him to play Joey LaMotta in Raging Bull, he was convinced that it was a prank call and almost hung up the phone.
• Pesci has supposedly spent numerous years trying to erase all video evidence of "Yo Cousin Vinny," a song from his CD titled Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just For You.
• Pesci appeared as host on Saturday Night Live the episode following Sinéad O'Connor's performance where she tore a photo of Pope John Paul II. Pesci showed the photo taped back together and framed.
• Pesci answers his fanmail personally.
• His final film before he announced movie retirement for a career in music in 1999 was Lethal Weapon 4
• Pesci's mother's maiden name is Mesce (pronunciation rhymes with Pesci) Making her name Mary Mesce Pesci.

Filmography

References

External links

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