Joe Pantoliano Biography
Born: September 12, 1951
Date of Birth: September 12, 1951
Born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, Joe Pantoliano made his professional acting debut in 1972 in a touring stage production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. After moving to Hollywood in 1976, he made a guest appearance on the ABC-TV series McNamara's Band, then landed a regular role on the sitcom Free Country, co-starring Rob Reiner. The series only lasted for five episodes, but in 1979, Pantoliano landed the coveted role of Maggio in the NBC miniseries From Here to Eternity.
He made his big screen debut in 1980, playing Gino Pilato in The Idolmaker, followed by a supporting role in Monsignor (1982) starring Christopher Reeve. Pantoliano also worked with Tom Cruise in Risky Business (1983), Kurt Russell in The Mean Season (1985), and played Francis Fratelli in Steven Spielberg's The Goonies (1985). The following year, he portrayed Rob Cavanaugh in the pilot for the NBC drama L.A. Law.
Over the years, Pantoliano has appeared in over 50 films on the big screen including Midnight Run (1988), The Fugitive (1993), Bad Boys (1995), The Matrix (1999), and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010). He has also been a regular on several TV series, including EZ Streets, Sugar Hill, and HBO's hit drama The Sopranos, portraying sociopathic gangster Ralph Cifaretto. In 2002, his autobiography, called Who's Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-Up Guy, was published.
From 2004 to 2006, he played a regular role as Tommy Banko on the TV series Dr. Vegas, and Jimmy in the short-lived CBS TV drama series Waterfront in 2006.
Pantoliano lives in New York with his second wife, former model and makeup artist Nancy Sheppard, and their daughter. He also has three children from his first marriage.