His next assignment is to team up with enforcers Joe and Serge to conduct a raid on a shop manager for $40,000 that he may or may not have "owed" to somebody. He made transcripts of these sessions, took the lines the actors came up with that he liked best, and put them into a revised script that the cast worked from during principal photography. The first film Pesci starred in was the 1976 low-budget crime film The Death Collector alongside Frank Vincent. [6], In 1988, Pesci appeared in the Michael Jackson musical anthology film Moonwalker, in the film's sixth and longest segment, "Smooth Criminal." } As always, we ask you to abide by our commenting guidelines. The same year, Pesci spearheaded the cast of The Public Eye as Leon "Bernzy" Bernstein, a photographer. In 2017, Pesci was cast alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in The Irishman, a crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. After the film Pesci returned to The Bronx and lived above Amici's Restaurant, where he was an employee. Pesci is a character in the 2005 musical Jersey Boys, which tells the story of The Four Seasons, due to his involvement in the band's formation. Pesci was briefly a recurring character on Saturday Night Live, played by Jim Breuer. Joseph Frank Pesci (/ˈpɛʃi/ PESH-ee, Italian pronunciation: [ˈpeʃːi]; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. In 1993, Pesci made an appearance in A Bronx Tale as Carmine. top:-15px; In 1995, Pesci had his third collaboration with Scorsese and De Niro in the film Casino, playing Nicky Santoro, based on real-life Mob enforcer Anthony Spilotro, along with Sharon Stone and James Woods; Pesci had previously co-starred with the latter in Once Upon a Time in America. [7][8] In 1975, they appeared in the Broadway show The New Vaudevillians, which only lasted one week. The film follows the progress of Jerry Bolanti a small-time, short tempered crook who becomes an enforcer for the mob. Do I amuse you?" [18] Two years later, Pesci reprised his role in the sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Vincent was a longtime friend of Joe Pesci who had prominent roles in two landmark Martin Scorsese films. [16] Pesci received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role, which he accepted with one of the shortest speeches in Oscar history, saying simply, "It's my privilege. Over the next few years, Pesci appeared in several smaller films, including Dear Mr. In 2010, he starred in the brothel drama Love Ranch, alongside Helen Mirren. The comedy never quite clicked either, but the friendship lasted, and they both appeared in a 1976 micro-budget gangster film called The Death Collector. Vincent, who died today at 80, is being remembered as “the consummate NYC actor” and “a lovely man” by friends, colleagues and industry fans. (billed as Joe Ritchie), on which he sang covers of contemporary pop hits. [27] His first was in 1964,[28] from which he has a daughter. Jerry's boss Anthony learns of the deed and sends a man of his own to even the score. To report inappropriate comments, abuse and/or repeat offenders, please send an email to, Frank Vincent, whose memorable portrayal of Phil Leotardo on. 1972: "Can You Fix The Way I Talk for Christmas?". In the above publicity photo, L-R: Vincent, Pesci and Capri. There doesn't seem to be any video around of the trio, but this 1990 clip shows Pesci vocalizing onstage, with a saxophonist, Arlene Carroll and--while hard to see in the back--Vincent on the drums. [1][2] It has the tagline, "If You Liked "The Godfather" & "Dog Day Afternoon," Then This Is Your Kind of Motion Picture. [1] At age 10, he was a regular on a television variety show called Startime Kids, which also featured Connie Francis. Truth was, the two friends played music together and for a while worked as the comedy team of Pesci and Vincent and in the 70's, played music with Ray Capri. He is similarly a character in the musical's 2014 film adaptation. During his monolog, he restored a picture of Pope John Paul II that had been torn by Sinéad O'Connor on the previous broadcast.[19]. The movie ends exactly the same way it began by showing the same two hoodlums in the same automobile dumping yet another body into the same ravine. Breuer's characterization was based on Pesci's Goodfellas character, re-imagined as a talk show host, but maintaining Tommy DeVito's violent temper, often beating his guests with a baseball bat. Their act coupled Abbott and Costello-inspired double act antics with Don Rickles-style insult comedy, which proved popular with crowds.