Photo: Montclair Film Festival / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What I admire most about John Turturro is how completely he disappears into roles that lesser actors would play for easy laughs. His Jesus in The Big Lebowski occupies only minutes of screen time, yet it is burned into film history — that, to me, is the mark of a true character actor. Winning Best Actor at Cannes for Barton Fink proved the craft beneath the eccentricity. I also respect that he writes and directs; he is a complete filmmaker hiding inside a supporting player's career. Hollywood runs on stars, but craftsmen like Turturro give movies their texture, and I would take one of his ten-minute scenes over many leading performances.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- John Turturro
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョン・タトゥーロ
- Reading
- じょん・たとぅーろ
- Born
- February 28, 1957 (age 69)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Rooster
- Origin
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Occupation
- actor / film director / writer / screenwriter / character actor
2. Background
- University
- State University of New York at New Paltz
Awards & achievements
- 1985 Theatre World Award
- 1991 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor
- 2004 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
- 1992 Caméra d'Or
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Big Lebowski | — | |
| Notable work | Barton Fink | — | |
| Notable work | Quiz Show | — | |
| Notable work | The Night Of | — | |
| Notable work | Transformers | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was John Turturro born?
Born February 28, 1957 (age 69).
Where is John Turturro from?
John Turturro is from Brooklyn, New York, United States.
What does John Turturro do?
John Turturro works as actor, film director, writer, screenwriter, character actor.
What is John Turturro known for?
Notable works include The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, Quiz Show.
Actor — see all → · Film director — 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.