Overview (3)

Mini Bio (1)

Spouse (2)

Claudia Haro (7 September 1988 - 1992) ( divorced) ( 1 child) ? (1964 - ?) ( divorced) ( 1 child)

Trade Mark (6)



Frequently plays characters who are short-tempered and obscene ( Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995)).

High-pitched voice with New Jersey accent and rapid-fire delivery



Different-colored eyes.



Short stature.



Trivia (40)



Reprised his character from My Cousin Vinny (1992) for his album "Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You" (1998). The single "Yo Cousin Vinny" was a success in some European countries.

In the mid-1960s, he recorded an album under the stage name Joe Ritchie titled "Little Joe Sure Can Sing", which flopped.





Started out with Joey Dee and The Starliters , working his way around as a waiter and singing and playing guitar in local nightclubs.

Attended and graduated from Belleville High School in Belleville, New Jersey.



The word pesci in Italian means "fish" (plural).





Close friends with George Carlin , and mentioned by Carlin in his bit "There is No God".



After winning the Oscar for his role as Tom DeVito in the movie Goodfellas (1990), his entire acceptance speech was "It's my privilege. Thank you." When asked why he didn't say more, he said "I really didn't think I was going to win.".

Italian-American



Had done Judo in his teens and is an avid golfer.





Sang as Joe Doggs with jazz organ player Joey DeFrancesco . They recorded an album on Concord Records titled "Joey DeFrancesco featuring Joe Doggs, Falling in Love Again" (2003).

Has a house in Lavalette, New Jersey. In the 1980s, he established a reputation as a community Little League baseball coach.





Was the original choice to play Herman "Fergee" Ferguson in Judge Dredd (1995), which he turned down. The role was given to Rob Schneider , instead.



Pesci's performance as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas (1990) is ranked #96 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.



Robert De Niro accidentally broke his rib in a sparring scene in Raging Bull (1980). This shot appears in the film: De Niro hits Pesci in the side, Pesci groans, and there is a quick cut to another angle. The very same rib was broken again in Casino (1995) when a heavy who was holding Joe down, used him as a hassock to get up after a take.



According to Maxim magazine, he wrote and directed the "You think I'm funny?" scene from Goodfellas (1990) at director Martin Scorsese 's request.



The Good Shepherd (2006) was the first movie he had made in eight years.



Ended his 9-month engagement to Angie Everhart . The couple had been together for eight years. [April 2008]



Has one daughter with Claudia Haro : Tiffany Pesci.



He sued the producers of Gotti (2018), claiming they had promised him a major role in the film for which he had packed on extra pounds, and then changed their minds, offering him a minor character. [July 2011]



Is a producer of the multi-Tony-winning stage musical "Jersey Boys", about the formation of the famous group The Four Seasons , and his real-life role in the formation of the group was portrayed in the original Broadway production of the show by Michael Longoria

He was nominated for a 2013 New Jersey Hall of Fame for Arts and Entertainment.





Was in a relationship with Leighanne Littrell , wife of Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell , from 1995-1997.

Joe was 21-years-old when he married his first wife in 1964.



Had a daughter (born around 1967) from his first marriage.





Is known to have a very foul mouth, both on and off screen. On the set of Home Alone (1990), Chris Columbus placed a Swear Jar for the adult actors to place change in whenever they used bad language. Supposedly, Pesci filled this up in a single day.

Despite being known for playing short-tempered and violent characters, his co-stars have always spoken fondly of him and described him as soft-spoken and humble.





His acceptance speech at the Academy Awards is the second shortest in history at just six words and three seconds. The shortest is Alfred Hitchcock who simply said ''Thanks'' when receiving his Lifetime achievement award.



His portrayal of Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas (1990) has been the subject of several parodies. The character Pesto in the Animaniacs sketch "Goodfeathers", has DeVito's short temper and tendency to misinterpret a compliment. On "The Joe Pesci Show" on Saturday Night Live, Pesci (played by Jim Breuer ) is shown to have that same tendency, only to have the real Pesci show up, deny that he is like that in real life, only to lose his temper and beat up Jim Brewer a la Tommy DeVito. And in the film Jersey Boys (2014), his character (played by Joseph Russo ), even quotes Pesci's famous "funny how?" line from the film. That is even more fitting in this film, as it charts his relationship with the real Tommy DeVito

He was nominated for the 2015 New Jersey Hall of Fame for his services in the Performance Arts.





Chris Columbus cast Pesci in Home Alone (1990) because he was one of his heroes but he didn't think he would get him for such a broadly comedic role.

Speaks fluent Italian and Spanish.



Personal Quotes (4)



[on his good friend and My Cousin Vinny (1992) co-star, the late Fred Gwynne ] It takes somebody who's very serious to pull off a character like Herman Munster [from Gwynne's series The Munsters (1964)]. It's not simple to play the goof. Fred was not Herman. He was an intelligent, quiet gentleman.



[on Raging Bull (1980)] I remember being asked do you think we should shoot in black and white or in color. And I said black and white without any hesitation.



[on Robert De Niro ] We work so well together. It's like breathing in and out. It's so easy for us - we feed off each other.



[on Martin Scorsese ] Marty is probably the best director I've ever worked with and one of the best directors of our generation and previous generations.

Salary (2)