Kendall Draughn

Joseph Frank Pesci, known as Joe Pesci, is an Italian-American actor, comedian, and singer who has won an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He is known for his roles in films such as Goodfellas, the Home Alone series, and the Lethal Weapon series. He achieved great fame, especially through his collaborations with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Pesci was born in 1943 in Newark, New Jersey, to Italian immigrant parents. His mother, Mary, was a part-time hairdresser, and his father, Angelo, was a construction equipment operator and bartender. Pesci, who began acting at a young age, graduated from Belleville High School. While working as a hairdresser like his mother, he also pursued music, even releasing an album in 1968 titled *Little Joe Sure Can Sing!* which featured covers of popular songs of the time. Throughout the 1970s, he performed in venues with Frank Vincent as a comedy duo. In 1976, he worked with Vincent again in the film *The Death Collector*. He gained significant fame with the 1980 film *Raging Bull*, where his performance as Jake LaMotta's brother, Joey, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. This film established his talent, and he began appearing in more films. In 1984, he appeared in Sergio Leone's last film, *Once Upon a Time in America*, playing Frankie. In 1989, he joined the *Lethal Weapon* series in the second film, playing Leo Getz. In 1990, in another Scorsese/De Niro collaboration, *Goodfellas*, his role as Tommy DeVito won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. That same year, he played Harry Lime, the main villain, in *Home Alone*. He reprised the role of Lime in the sequel in 1992 and also starred in *My Cousin Vinny*. In 1995, he played another villain, Nicky Santoro, in *Casino*. After appearing in *Lethal Weapon 4* in 1998, he largely retired from acting. He appeared in *The Good Shepherd* in 2006 and *Love Ranch* in 2010, before reuniting with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro in 2019's *The Irishman*, playing Russell Bufalino. Pesci has been married and divorced three times. His third marriage, to Claudia Haro from 1988-1992, resulted in a daughter, Tiffany.