Al Pacino’s impressive rags to riches journey is a story that everyone can learn from. He tasted superstardom with the box office success like The Godfather. Pacino started his career on stage and then moved on to movies. Today, Al Pacino is the owner of a multi-million Dollar fortune. He had to overcome a lot of obstacles to reach the peak that he is at now. Pacino was a college dropout with no one to support him. He took the leap of faith and emerged successfully.
Let’s have a look at Al Pacino’s Rags to Riches story:
Al Pacino – An Unassuming origin:
Rose Gerardi and Salvatore Pacino had a son, Alfredo James Pacino, on 25th April 1940 in East Harlem, Manhattan. His troubles started early with his parent’s divorce when he was two years old. So he had to move to the Bronx with his mother.
He went to Herman Ridder Junior High school. Pacino was never fond of going to school. His teachers attributed this to the lack of a father figure in his life. He only did well in English at school, and was scoring very poorly in all the other subjects. Pacino auditioned for the High school Of Performing Arts and was accepted immediately. However, his mother was not happy with his unconventional choice of theater and performing arts.
The Trial of Fire:
He got into an argument with his mother and decided to leave the house. As a result, things became difficult for him financially. Little did Pacino and his mother realize that his interest in acting was his pathway to glory.
In the beginning, Pacino took on whatever work he found to support himself- janitor, messenger, busboy. Then, finally, he tried to take on whatever roles he could in the basement plays managed by the New York city’s underground theatre circuit. This was one of the darkest phases of his life.
Al Pacino: the Theatrical Journey:
Pacino gave many auditions and faced a string of rejections. He finally got a break when he auditioned for HB Studio and was selected and mentored by Charlie Laughton. He learned his basics and spent four years there. Pacino was then accepted into The Actors Studio. This was his most significant achievement in his young life. He also learned the art of method acting from Lee Strasberg. He had a short and successful stint as a theatre artist. His role in The Indian Wants The Bronx gave him a break he needed. It landed him in the role of Michael Corleone in the Godfather movies.
Al Pacino’s Journey in Films:
He made his debut in 1969 in Me, Natalie. In 1972 he struck gold when he landed The Godfather series when his performances caught the attention of Francis Ford Coppola. In 1972, Al Pacino got 15000$ for his first Godfather movie. The figure was a whopping $5 million for the third movie.
His other remarkable roles include– Scent of a Woman, Dick Tracey, The Devil’s Advocate, Once Upon a Time, The Irishman, etc.
A Man Of Fortune
As per his deal with HBO, he would receive a paycheck of $10 million for any in-house production. This increased to $20 million for the Netflix production, The Irishman. As a result, the 81-year-old actor has amassed a considerable fortune along with fame and recognition. He is with a whopping $120million.
Pacino has two lavish homes- one in New York and one in Beverly Hills. He has more than earned the lifestyle after more than two decades of an exemplary acting career and a long struggle before that.
