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.
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
- Occupation
- actor / screenwriter / film producer
2. Background
- High school
- Cliffside Park High School
Awards & achievements
- 2003 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Joe Pantoliano born?
Born September 12, 1951 (age 74).
Where is Joe Pantoliano from?
Joe Pantoliano is from Hoboken, New Jersey, United States.
What does Joe Pantoliano do?
Joe Pantoliano works as actor, screenwriter, film producer.
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 or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.