Joe Pantoliano made his acting debut in the role of an ‘undercover cop’ in the 1974 screwball-comedy film ‘For Pete's Sake,’ directed by Peter Yates. However, his role wasn’t credited in the film. He made his television debut in the 1977 television film ‘McNamara's Band.’ The following year, he joined the cast of the American sitcom ‘Free Country’ where he played the role of ‘Louis Peschi.’ The show aired 5 episodes. In 1980, he starred as ‘Gino Pilato’ in the American musical drama film ‘The Idolmaker,’ directed by Taylor Hackford. The film marked the official film debut of Pantoliano. He returned to television and appeared in series like ‘Hart to Hart’ (1981-1984), ‘M*A*S*H’ (1981), ‘Chicago Story’ (1982), and ‘Hardcastle and McCormick’ (1983).
In 1983, he acted in the teen sex comedy film ‘Risky Business,’ directed by Paul Brickman. The film opened to positive reviews from critics with many calling it one of the best films of 1983. ‘Risky Business’ was also a major commercial success, grossing over $63.5 million against a budget of $6.2 million. Pantoliano next acted in ‘Eddie and the Cruisers’ (1983), ‘The Mean Season’ (1985), ‘The Goonies’ (1985), and ‘Running Scared’ (1986). In 1987, he portrayed American musician ‘Bob Keane’ in the biographical film ‘La Bamba,’ directed by Luis Valdez. The film opened to critical acclaim with critics praising its screenplay and writing. In 2017, ‘La Bamba’ was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
He then acted in ‘The in Crowd’ (1988), ‘Downtown’ (1990), ‘Backstreet Dreams’ (1990), ‘Zandalee’ (1991), ‘The Fugitive’ (1993), ‘Me and the Kid’ (1993), ‘Baby's Day Out’ (1994), ‘Bad Boys’ (1995), ‘Top of the World’ (1997), and ‘Taxman’ (1998). In 1991, Pantoliano starred as ‘Cypher’ in the science fiction action film ‘The Matrix.’ The film opened to positive reviews and was a massive box office success, grossing over $466.6 million on a budget of $63 million.
Pantoliano joined the cast of the crime drama television series ‘The Sopranos’ in 2001. He played the role of ‘Ralph Cifaretto’ in the series which earned him a ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.’ Pantoliano left the show in 2004 and went on to star in television series like ‘Dr. Vegas’ (2004), ‘The Simpsons’ (2006), ‘How to Make it in America’ (2011), ‘Sense8’ (2015-2017), ‘Tacoma FD’ (2020), and ‘MacGyver’ (2020). Pantoliano was last seen in the 2021 television film ‘The Santa Stakeout’ where he played the role of ‘Francis Miller.’
Thomas Anderson, a computer programmer, is led to fight an underground war against powerful computers who have constructed his entire reality with a system called the Matrix.
Ex-insurance investigator Leonard Shelby suffers from short-term memory loss caused by a head injury sustained while trying to stop his wife's murderer. He is determined to track down the culprit, who he suspects is someone named John G, and desperately attempts to retain information by taking copious notes, Polaroid photos, and by etching tattoos over his body.
Respected Chicago surgeon Richard Kimble is wrongly convicted of killing his wife, but escapes from captivity while being transported to death row. Now, with veteran U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard's team on his trail, he must avoid a nation-wide manhunt to clear his name and expose his wife's actual killer, a one-armed man.
The Goonies are a group of Oregon children who are trying to save their neighborhood from developers. After discovering a map to the treasure of the 17th century’s notorious pirate One-Eyed Willy, they head out on an adventure to find the fortune, but are pursued by a family of criminals who want to grab the riches. Finally, who gets the treasure?
Schoolboy Jamie Graham gets separated from his wealthy British family in Shanghai after the Japanese army begins occupying China during WWII and struggles to overcome hunger on the streets until being taken to a POW camp. He remains upbeat despite witnessing the horrors of war firsthand and survives with the help of several strangers whom he befriends.
When bounty hunter, Jack Walsh, is hired by bail bondsman Eddie to bring back mob accountant Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas to Los Angeles, he is told that the job will be as easy as a midnight run. No doubt, he captures Duke in New York City; but by then both FBI and the mob are anxious to have him in their hand first.
Bound is a crime thriller film, which tells the story of Violet, mistress of a gangster named Caesar. After she falls in love with Corky, she makes a plan with the latter, to steal millions of stashed mob money, and pin the blame on Caesar.
Eddie and the Cruiser is a mystery drama film which tells the story of Maggie Foley, a TV news reporter who investigates the story of Eddie Wilson, a cult rock star of the 1960s who was the leader of a rock band. She investigates his life, feeling that he may still be alive. The film shows us his life through flashbacks, as she searches for the missing tapes of the band’s album which was never released.
Joel Goodson decides to cut loose with his friend Mike, after his parents go away for a trip. He ends up having sex with prostitute Lana, getting the house burgled, and crashing his father’s Porsche. He finally decides to turn the house into a brothel with Lana for a night to earn enough to pay for the repairs.
Bad Boys for Life is a 2020 action comedy film, which tells the story of Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, of the Miami Police Department, as they work together to bring down a mother-and-son pair of drug lords who wreak havoc on the city.
When a huge supply of confiscated heroin is stolen from the police vault, two Miami cops, Marcus and Mike, are tasked to get it back. Matters complicate when a murder takes place and the sole witness, Julie, insists on speaking only to Mike who she has never met. Marcus and Mike now have to switch places, keep Julie safe, catch the real culprit and recover the drugs.
The biopic sketches the life of rock-n-roll star Ritchie Valens. From the humble conditions of a farm-working family in Pacoima, California, teenager Ritchie rose to become a rock-star. Ballad ‘Donna,’ which he wrote for girlfriend, brought him overnight success, but affected his relationship with half-brother, Bob Morales. Haunted by recurrent nightmares of plane-crash, it became a tragic reality for the young star in 1959.
Miami narcotics detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowery are assigned to investigate the high flow of illegal drug Ecstasy into the city. The trail takes them to Johnny Tapia, the dangerous Cuban drug-lord all out to take over Miami’s drug business. Mike is dating Marcus’ sister Syd, who is working undercover with DEA. Together, they fight to bring Tapia to justice.
Running Scared is an action comedy film which tells the story of two policemen in Chicago, Danny and Ray, who are nearly killed during an attempt to arrest a drug lord, after which they are forced to take a vacation. However, when they learn that the drug lord is being released on bail, they vow to capture him before retiring.
U.S. Marshal, Samuel Gerard, is charged with the transport of federal fugitive Mark Roberts. However, when the plane crashes, Roberts escapes but not before rescuing other passengers. DSS Special Agent, John Royce, joins Gerard in the hunt for Roberts, but Gerard is starting to have doubts about Robert’s guilt.
Four days after a car accident, Martin, a biochemist, realizes that his identity has been stolen. He sets out to unravel the mystery behind the theft, and also teams up with a young woman to prove who he really is.
The Moguls is a comedy film which tells the story of Andy, a man going through midlife crisis, who decides to create a porn film and break into the porn industry. He manages to convince several people living in his town to assist him in the process.
While airing a science fiction classic named ‘Amazon Women on the Moon’, a TV station starts experiencing problems.
Loosies is a romantic comedy drama film which tells the story of Bobby Corelli, a young pickpocket in New York, who is enjoying a carefree life until he is one day confronted by a woman named Lucy, with whom he had a one night stand some time back. She tells him that she is pregnant with his child, and tells him to take responsibility for it.
16-year-old Percy Jackson finds out that he is Poseidon's demigod son after being accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt, and loses his mother to Hades on his way to a training camp for demigods. Along with his friends, he embarks on a perilous journey to catch the real thief to appease warring Gods and to save his mother.
The film follows the adventures of a baby around Chicago after it manages to escape its three abductors. While the movie was a critical and commercial failure at the time of its release, it has since become a household name.
Wedding Daze is a romantic comedy film which tells the story of Anderson, whose girlfriend passes away due to a shock, after he proposes to her. He soon finds his life to be meaningless, but his friends try to convince him to move on with his life. They try to hook him up with a waitress named Katie.
During WWII, Father John Flaherty gets appointed as the Vatican treasurer. Perceiving the financial difficulties of Vatican, he collaborates with the Mafia to raise money by black marketing operations. His lapses are ignored and he rises through ranks. Attracted towards a postulant nun, Flaherty enjoys an affair with her under different guise. Can he leave his ways and return to his faith?
Daredevil is the film adaptation of the eponymous Marvel Comics character who is a masked vigilante protecting a New York City neighbourhood from crime but gets embroiled with dangerous criminals like Bullseye and Kingpin. Ben Affleck plays a blind lawyer, Matt Murdock, and his alter ego, Daredevil, in this action film that also features another Marvel Comics character, Elektra.
Ben Holmes is supposed to reach Savannah, from New York, in order to make it to his wedding. However, after his plane suffers an accident, he joins a young stranger in her rental car for a road trip to his waiting bride-to-be. However, nature seems to conspire against all his attempts to reach his destination.
When tycoon R.B. Travis’s son and his diamond-exploring team goes missing in Congo, Travis sends his son’s ex-fiancée, Dr. Karen Ross, to look for them. Ross, with an expert guide, a primatologist, an explorer and a talking gorilla, sets out in search of Lost City of Zinj and diamond mines. But, what they encounter is far more dangerous than anything they imagined.
Ready to Rumble is a comedy film which revolves around Gordie and Sean, who are sewage workers. They are shocked to see their favorite wrestler being cheated out of the title of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. They decide to do something to help him achieve the glory he deserves.
Cats & Dogs is a spy action-comedy film which revolves around an espionage war going on between dogs and cats, about which their human owners are totally unaware of.
An abandoned baby zebra is rescued and adopted by a retired horse trainer named Nolan. The zebra grows up believing himself to be a racehorse, and dreams of participating in the race one day.
A group of Caucasian teens get fascinated as well as influenced by Harlem’s hip-hop crowd which includes the popular African-American rapper Rich Bower and his partner Cigar. The teens try their best to fit into their culture.
A war is going on between the dogs and the cats. However, they all decide to unite when they learn about a rogue spy who is intending to destroy all human and canine life.
This science fiction action comedy film which takes us to the future i.e. the year 2069, revolves around a former criminal who buys a nightclub on the Moon and with the help of his friend and a robot, he turns it very successful and popular. However, when he refuses to sell it to the Mafia, his life turns upside down.
An uncouth health inspector, Larry, joins a rookie partner to probe an outbreak of food poisoning at the city's fancy and classy eateries. However, he loses his job because of his unconventional methods. In order to make dining out safe again, he has to think out of the box.
Joe Pantoliano Awards
| The Sopranos | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | 2003 |
