Photo: Justin Hoch photographing for Hudson Union Society / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Character actors are the load-bearing walls of American film, and Joe Pantoliano might be my favorite example. More than 150 roles, and you never catch him coasting — whether he is oily, funny, menacing, or all three at once. His Emmy-winning turn as Ralph Cifaretto in The Sopranos is one of television's great villain performances, repellent and magnetic in the same breath. I love that the Hoboken kid never lost that street-corner cadence; it textures everything he does. He writes, he produces, he keeps working. If you want to learn screen acting, study the people who steal scenes for a living.
Overview
Joseph Peter Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951) is an American actor who has played more than 150 roles across film, television, and theater. He won an Emmy for his portrayal of the sadistic gangster Ralph Cifaretto in HBO's The Sopranos.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Joe Pantoliano
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョー・パントリアーノ
- Reading
- じょー・ぱんとりあーの
- Born
- September 12, 1951 (age 74)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Rabbit
- Origin
- Hoboken, New Jersey, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / screenwriter / film producer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Cliffside Park High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2003 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Actor — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.