Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors we have ever seen. It’s a great pleasure and blessing to live in the same era as he lives.
He acted in many films and I am pretty sure that many women fell in love with him during his career and many men tried to look and act like him. But it is not easy work to do.
Just the fact, that Alfredo James Pacino was considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, is enough to understand how hard it is to be Al Pacino.
About the journey he had
But it was not an easy journey for Pacino to become who he is now.
He had a very difficult childhood. His parents divorced when he was just 2 years old. His mother never understood him, when he started to show interest in art and filming. “My mother had to stop working because of her health, and I had to support her. It was then that she took a realistic look at my prospects and became very negative about my acting,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1973.
Pacino began smoking and drinking at age nine and used marijuana casually at age 13, but he abstained from hard drugs. His two closest friends died from drug abuse at the ages of 19 and 30.
So as you can understand, it is really a heroic move from him, to pass through all that, and become one of the greatest actors of all time.
But one fact is unknown about him. When he was 14 years old, he and his 2 friends were smoking outside. They were talking about their dreams and Alfredo said “Remember guys. One day, I will be one of the greatest actors in the world. People will make articles about me. I will be so influential, that they will publish even about this situation when we are just smoking and talking”. His friends started to laugh at him and told him not to talk about such stupid things.
That day changed his life. After that, he was thinking every day of becoming an actor. He even started to work at low-paying jobs; messenger, busboy, janitor, and postal clerk, to finance his acting studies. He once worked in the mail room for Commentary magazine. He acted in basement plays in New York’s theatrical underground but was rejected for the prestigious Actors Studio.
Pacino then joined the Herbert Berghof Studio (HB Studio), where he met acting teacher Charlie Laughton, who became his mentor and best friend.
First Academy Award
Pacino scored his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Unfortunately, he didn’t attend the fancy gala.
Instead, Pacino explained that he skipped the ceremony because he was “somewhat, more or less, rebellious” at the time.
“I did go back for others. But I didn’t go to them early on. It was the tradition,” Pacino told the New York Times, adding that Marlon Brando took it one step further when he actually “gave back the Oscar.”
Many might think that Pacino was surely one of the happiest men in the world following the success of The Godfather. Sadly, though, he had endured some very tragic times. His mother and grandfather both died within a year of each other, leading to what was, as Pacino described it, the “lowest point” of his life.
Not only did the deaths bring him a lot of grief at the time, but they stuck with him for years.
“I was 22, and the two most influential people in my life had gone, so that sent me into a tailspin,” Pacino recalled.
“I lost the 70s in a way, but then I gave up drinking in 1977 and decided to focus on the work.”
Despite the unfortunate event, Pacino continued working and appeared in many classics. He appeared in The Godfather sequel – for which he has been nominated for an Academy Award once again – Serpico, and the critically acclaimed Justice for All.
In 1983, he took his next step toward Hollywood immortality by starring as Tony Montana in the legendary film Scarface.
His love story
Is it possible to fall in love after 40?
People often think that after 40 the time to fall in love has passed. There are several arguments for this.
- People start not being romantic at that age.
- Mostly they adapt to their life and do not look for new challenges.
- They don’t have the courage to think about it.
In fact, it has been scientifically proven that you can fall in love at any age. Love is an all-powerful thing, it has no boundaries. It can appear at any age and in any situation.
By the way, you can be in love with the same person all your life and continue to love.
But Pacino proved to us, that you can fall in love at every age.
In 1997, he met Beverley D’Angelo. The two got involved romantically, and it took mere months before they knew that they wanted to have children together.
Both were in their 40s at the time. At the age of 49, D’Angelo delivered their fraternal twins.
“After we’d known each other for three months, he looked me in the eyes and said. ‘I want you to be the mother of my children.’ That’s all I had to hear,” Beverley D’Angelo told Closer.
Everything starts with courage. Who said that if the majority thinks something, then you should think the same way? Even if something gets complicated with age, it does not mean that it becomes impossible. Overcoming difficulties, being brave, and not giving up is one of the best qualities of a person.
Being young is not a matter of age, it is a matter of state of mind. A person can be over 50, but be young in his state of mind.
Think about this. Don’t you give up too often? Are you able to boldly express yourself without falling prey to the opinion of the majority?
In 2001, Anton James and Olivia Rose were born. Unfortunately, Pacino and D’Angelo’s romance didn’t last long after.
“I got pregnant at 48. Delivered six weeks after I was 49, and by 51, I was looking at a landscape as a single parent,” she added.
Pacino and D’Angelo’s separation actually ended up devolving into a sour custody battle.
Pacino’s lawyer famously accused D’Angelo of treating the toddlers “like hostages.” The NY Post reported at the time that Pacino filed for joint custody of the twins. He cut off D’Angelo’s $ 50,000 a month in unofficial palimony after she told him that she was moving the twins back to her native Los Angeles.
While the former pair experienced their ups and downs during the custody battle, they eventually put their differences aside to co-parent as successfully as possible.