When most people think of acting, what comes to mind

is usually basic information that's not particularly

interesting or beneficial. But there's a lot more

to acting than just the basics.

Once you begin to move beyond basic background informat-

ion, you begin to realize that there's more to acting

than you may have first thought.

The greatest and most accomplished actor of his

generation, Al Pacino became a cultural icon thanks

to revered performances in a wide range of classic

films, including "The Godfather" (1972), "Scarface"

(1983) and "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1992). Coming

to prominence during the 1970s – a period commonly

regarded as Hollywood’s last Golden Age.

His birth name is Alberto Pacino and he was born

on April 25, 1940 in East Harlem,New York. He was

educated in the high school for the performing

arts, Hew York.He studied acting at the Actors

Studio and the Herbert Berghof studios which is

located in NYC.

Al's mother, Rose Gerard Pacino died when Al

was only22. She used to take Al to the movies

after work and she is credited with planting

the seed for his future acting career. She died

at the age of 43.

Al's father, Salvatore Pacino has owned a variety

of business's and currently lives in California

with his fifth wife. He divorced Al's mother when

Al was 7 years old.

In 1966, Pacino studied under legendary acting

coach Lee Strasberg (alongside whom he would l

after feature in the 1974 film The Godfather Part II).

However, it did put him in financial straits until

the end of the decade when he had won an Obie Award

for his work in The Indian Wants the Bronx and the

Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Does the

Tiger Wear a Necktie?.

He made his first screen appearance in an episode

of the television series N.Y.P.D. in 1968, and his

largely unnoticed movie debut in Me, Natalie came

the following year.

It was the 1971 film The Panic in Needle Park, in

which he played a heroin addict, that would bring

him to the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola.

Pacino's rise to fame came after portraying Michael

Corleone in Coppola's blockbuster 1972 Mafia film

The Godfather

In 1973 Pacino starred in the very successful Serpico

and the less popular Scarecrow alongside Gene Hackman.

In 1974, Pacino repriced his role as Michael Corleone

The Godfather Part II In 1975. He enjoyed further

success with the release of Dog Day Afternoon,

In 1977, Pacino starred as a race-car driver in

Bobby Deerfield.

During the 1970s, Pacino had four Oscar nominations

for Best Actor for his performances in Serpico,

The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and

Justice for All.Pacino also won a second Tony Award

for The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and performing

the title role in Richard III for a record run on

Broadway.

1983's Scarface, directed by Brian DePalma, proved

to be a career highlight and a defining role. Upon

its initial release, it did well at the box office,

grossing over $45 million domestically.Pacino earned

a GoldenGlobe nomination for his performance in Scarface

as a Cuban drug gangster. He had stated that this movie

was the best of his career.

In the 80's he went into a four year hiatus and returned

to the stage.His greatest stage success of the decade

was David Mamet's American Buffalo, for which Pacino

was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.Pacino has since

turned acclaimed performances in such crime dramas

as Carlito's Way (1993), Donnie Brasco (1997), the

multi-Oscar nominated The Insider (1999) and Insomnia

(2002).

In 1995, Pacino starred in Michael Mann's Heat, in

which he and fellow film icon Robert De Niro appeared

on screen together for the first time. They were both

together againin the Godfather Part 111. He then went

back to the stage and did "Looking For Richard".

{Pacino's greatest stage successes of the decade

were in revivals of Eugene O'Neill's Hughie and

Oscar Wilde's Salome.}

He then went on to make "The Devils Advocate" He

has won two Golden Globes since 2000, the first

being the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime

achievement in motion pictures, and the second

for his role in the highly praised HBO miniseries

Angels in America.

On October 20, 2006, the American Film Institute

named Pacino the recipient of the 35th AFI Life

Achievement Award.[5] On November 22, 2006, the

]University Philosophical Society of Trinity

College, Dublin awarded Pacino the Honorary

Patronage of the Society.[6]

His latest film 88 minutes is due to be released

in 2008 His next release is Righteous Kill where

he will be teamed with his Heat co-star Robert

De Niro. Pacino is set to play surrealist Salvador

Dalí in the film Dali & I: The Surreal Story.

Although he has never been married,he has three

children.He has been romantically involved with

some of the top female stares in Hollywood and

other less known beautiful women.

This is certainly not an all inclusive story of Al

Pacino's life, but it will give you some of the

highlights of one of the best, if not the best,

actors in history.

It never hurts to be well-informed with the latest

on actor. Compare what you've learned here to future

articles so that you can stay alert to changes in

the area of actors.