Jason Statham Website and Photos

Jason Statham (born 12 September 1972) is an English actor, known for his hard man roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Revolver and Snatch. Statham also appeared in supporting roles in several American films, such as Chaos,The One, The Italian Job, and Collateral, as well as playing the lead role in The Transporter, Transporter 2, Crank, and War. Statham is currently working on The Bank Job, and Death Race (film) (a remake of Paul Bartel’s Death Race 2000).

Statham was born in Sydenham, London, the second son of a lounge singer and dressmaker-turned-dancer who ran a black market operation. He grew up, initially, following his parents’ trail to master the art of street theatre. Statham developed an interest in sports, diving in particular, which led him to become an excellent athlete in the sport; he finished 12th in the World Championships in 1992 and he was also a member of Britain’s National Diving Squad for twelve years.

Statham’s life in media began when he was spotted by a talent agent specialising in athletes while training at London’s Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. Afterwards, he became a model for the clothing brand French Connection where he was introduced to then-fledgling British director Guy Ritchie.

Ritchie was working on a film project and needed to fill the role of a street-wise con artist. After learning about Statham’s past, Ritchie cast him to play the role of Bacon in Ritchie’s breakout 1998 hit, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The movie was well received by both critics and audiences, which helped catapult the unknown actor into the public eye. Statham’s second collaboration with Ritchie came in the 2000 film Snatch. Cast alongside popular actors Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio del Toro, and with the movie earning more than $80 million in box-office revenues, Statham was able to break into Hollywood and appeared in two movies in 2001: John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars and the Jet Li vehicle, The One.

Statham was offered more film roles, and in 2002 was cast as the lead role of driver Frank Martin in the action movie The Transporter. A sequel, Transporter 2, followed in 2005. He also appeared in supporting roles in The Italian Job (2003) (in which he also played a driver), Cellular (2004) before taking the lead role in Crank (2006).

Statham compares his role in Crank to his real life in the September 2006 issue of Maxim Magazine In 2005, Statham was once again cast by Ritchie to star in his new project, Revolver and has been billed to appear in three film projects in 2007/2008: In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale and The Italian Job sequel The Brazilian Job. He has also been tipped to play Domovoi Butler in the upcoming Artemis Fowl movie. In numerous American films Statham can be heard speaking with a slight American accent.

Statham dated English model and actress Kelly Brook for seven years but the couple split when she met actor Billy Zane on the set of Survival Island. They got back together temporarily after Kelly Brook ended her engagement to Zane. In 2005, Statham dated former Bardot singer Sophie Monk but they are no longer together.

Jason Statham Website: http://www.westlord.com/jasonstatham/

Denzel Washington new Photos and Biography

Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is a two-time Academy Award- winning American actor and director. He has garnered much critical acclaim for his portrayals of several real-life figures, such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Frank Lucas, and Herman Boone.

In the Summer of 1990 he starred in a movie called Mississippi Masala where he played the character Demetrius Williams. Washington played one of his most critically acclaimed roles in 1992’s Malcolm X, directed by Spike Lee. His performance as the Black Nationalist leader earned him an Oscar nomination. Both the influential film critic Roger Ebert and the highly acclaimed film director Martin Scorsese called the movie one of the ten best films made during the 1990s.

Malcolm X transformed Washington’s career, turning him, practically overnight, into one of Hollywood’s most respected actors. He turned down several similar roles, such as an offer to play Martin Luther King, Jr., because he wanted to avoid being typecast. The next year, in 1993, he took another risk in his career by playing Joe Miller, the homophobic lawyer of a homosexual man with AIDS in the movie Philadelphia starring Tom Hanks. During the early and mid 1990s, Washington became a renowned Hollywood leading man, starring in several successful thrillers, including The Pelican Brief and Crimson Tide, as well as comedies (Much Ado About Nothing) and romantic dramas (The Preacher’s Wife).

While filming the 1995 film, Virtuosity, Washington refused to kiss his white female co-star, Kelly Lynch, during a romantic scene between their characters. During an interview, Lynch stated that while she wanted to, “Denzel felt very strongly about it. I felt there is no problem with interracial romance. But Denzel felt strongly that the white males, who were the target audience of this movie, would not want to see him kiss a white woman.” Lynch further stated, “That’s a shame. I feel badly about it. I keep thinking that the world’s changed, but it hasn’t changed quick enough.”

A similar situation also occurred during the filming of The Pelican Brief when Julia Roberts expressed in an interview her desire to have her character in the film engaged in a romantic relationship with Washington’s character. And an additional occurrence was in the 1989 film The Mighty Quinn where Washington’s Quinn character did not kiss Mimi Rogers’ alluring Hadley character. However, in 1998, Washington starred in a scene of a sexual nature with actress Milla Jovovich, in Spike Lee’s He Got Game.

In 1999, Washington starred in The Hurricane, a movie about boxer Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he had spent almost 20 years in prison. Various newspaper articles have suggested that the controversy over the film’s accuracy may have cost Washington an Oscar for which he was nominated. Washington did receive a Golden Globe Award in 2000 and a ‘Silberner Bär’ (Silver Berlin Bear) at the Berlin International Film Festival for the role.

He also presented the Arthur Ashe ESPY Award to Loretta Claiborne for her courage. He appeared as himself in the end of The Loretta Claiborne Story movie. Washington is often cited as an example of human physical attractiveness due to the symmetry of his facial features.
In 2000, Washington appeared in the crowd-pleasing Disney film, Remember the Titans, which grossed over $100 million at the United States box office.

He was nominated and won an Oscar for Best Actor for his next film, the 2001 cop thriller, Training Day, which was considered a change of pace for Washington, as he played a villainous character after many roles as a heroic lead. Washington was the second African-American performer ever to win an Academy Award in the category of Best Actor (for Training Day), the first being Sidney Poitier, who happened to receive an Honorary Academy Award the same night that Washington won for Best Actor. Washington is the only actor of African descent to have acting nominations (five times) for an African-American performer.

After appearing in 2002’s box office success, the Health care-themed John Q., Washington directed his first film, a well-reviewed drama called Antwone Fisher, in which he also co-starred.

Between 2003 and 2004, Washington appeared in a series of thrillers that performed generally well at the box office, including Out of Time, Man on Fire, and The Manchurian Candidate. In 2006 he starred in Inside Man, a Spike Lee-directed bank heist thriller co-starring Jodie Foster and Clive Owen, and Déjà Vu released in November 2006. Next he was working with Russell Crowe in the film American Gangster. Denzel’s next movie, ‘The Great Debaters’, is to be released on December 25, 2007. IMDB has posted the page for his next movie in which he plays with John Travolta, directed once again by Tony Scott.

Washington made a rare stage appearance in 2005 as Brutus in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar on Broadway. The production’s limited run was a sell-out despite receiving universally terrible reviews.

In 1983, Washington married actress Pauletta Pearson (now Pauletta Washington), whom he met on the set of his first screen role, Wilma. The couple has four children: John David (b. July 28, 1984), who signed a football contract with the St. Louis Rams in May 2006 after playing college football at Morehouse; Katia (b. November 1987), who is attending Yale University, and twins Olivia and Malcolm (b. April 10, 1991). In 1995, the couple renewed their wedding vows in South Africa with Archbishop Desmond Tutu officiating.

Washington and his family visited soldiers at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. He later made a sizable donation to the Fisher Houses, small hotels that provide rooms for soldiers’ families while the soldiers are hospitalized. In October 2006, he published a bestseller entitled Hand to Guide Me, featuring actors, politicians, athletes, and other public figures recalling their childhood mentors. The book was published in commemoration of the Boys and Girls Club of America’s centennial anniversary. Denzel had participated in the club as a child.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia named Washington as one of three people (the others being directors Oliver Stone and Michael Moore) they want to negotiate with for the release of three defense contractors that the group has held captive since 2003. On May 20, 2007 Washington received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from Morehouse College. Washington is also a devout Christian.

Denzel is a devoted, and ardent admirer of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He is an alum of the Mount Vernon Boys & Girls Club, New York, and is, to this day, actively involved in the Club, and other Boys & Girls Clubs across the nation. Denzel is an outspoken defender of children’s rights, particularly those children of color growing up in difficult, almost hopeless circumstances.

• Denzel Washington Website: http://www.westlord.com/denzel/
• American Gangster (2007) Movie Desktop Wallpapers: http://www.snoron.com/movies-wallpapers/american-gangster/

Dwayne Johnson The Rock new Tattoos

The tattoos of “The Rock”, Dwayne Johnson. The wrestler and action super star flaunt two tattoos – a bull on his right upper arm and a Samoan design covering whole of his left shoulder. The bull tattoo with red eyes is in sync with his zodiac birth sign Taurus. The Samoan design inked by an Hawaiian artist is dedicated to his family.

Dwayne Douglas Johnson better known by his former ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. Wrestling under different ring names, Johnson gained mainstream fame as a standout in the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) from the late 1990s to 2003.

Since 2001, he has expanded his movie career, taking on roles in action and comedy films such as The Scorpion King, The Game Plan, The Rundown, Doom, The Mummy Returns, Walking Tall and Southland Tales. He still makes occasional WWE appearances for promotional purposes. As such, he is often billed outside the wrestling industry as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Johnson was a nine-time world champion in his professional wrestling career: a two-time WCW Champion and a record-setting seven-time WWE Champion; his last reign was as WWE Undisputed Champion. He also was the winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble.

Dwayne tattoos, one on his right arm of a Brahma Bull that represents his sun sign which is Taurus and also he has an affinity for bulls. His next tattoo extends from his left shoulder, shoulder blade, and midway his left arm. It is a Polynesian tattoo (basically Marquesan) that he had done in Hawaii sometime in February 2003 by Po’oino Yrondi – famous Tahitian tattooist.

Professional wrestler and action movie star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is not only the third generation in his family to wrestle professionally, he is the third generation in a row to be tattooed. One of his grandfathers and his father also were tattooed. Presently, The Rock has two tattoos. One is a modern single design on his right upper arm of a bull. However, his second tattoo was a departure from modern tattoo design, being a traditional Samoan style of tattoo all over his left shoulder.

The bull head tattoo on Johnson’s right arm corresponds to his Western zodiac birth sign of Taurus, the Bull. The tattoo is a long-horn type of steer and is a fairly straightforward outline style of design. The eyes of the bull are also colored in red. The tattooing on his left arm and shoulder is traditional Samoan style tattooing, done by an artist in Hawai’i.

It incorporates traditional tribal patterns and symbols representing Johnson himself, his wife and daughter, his family and spirit guides. This extensive half sleeve wraps all the way around the upper arm, over the shoulder and onto the chest. A later session extended the section on his chest, adding a large symbolic warrior face over his heart.

Traditionally, Samoan tattooing was done by an artist, assisted by multiple people. The tattooist would use two tools, one a bone-tipped rake and the other the striking stick. The rake would be dipped in ink, then struck with the other stick to puncture the skin. The assistants had the job of holding the skin of the tattooee taut so that the artist could work.

In his recent interview with Playboy magazine, Johnson did mention that that work took sixty hours total to execute, spread out over three sessions and was composed entirely freehand (meaning the artist worked right on his skin without a stencil or transfer). He did not mention if the tattoo was done with the traditional hand tools or if any of the ink was tattooed by conventional machine.

Johnson eventually crossed over into mainstream popularity, such as with a guest appearance on hip hop musician Wyclef Jean’s track “It Doesn’t Matter” and the accompanying video. While still wrestling full-time, Johnson made an appearance as host of the popular sketch comedy TV series Saturday Night Live in 2000. The episode was very popular, and it showcased Johnson’s acting and comedic ability favorably. It was after this appearance, Johnson says, that he began receiving offers to do more in Hollywood.

After this, Johnson started to get offers from Hollywood for a multitude of different projects. He was a guest star on the Star Trek: Voyager episode Tsunkatse. He starred in an episode of That ’70s Show in which he played the role of his father. He also hosted an episode of SNL (along with Triple H, Mankind, and The Big Show). The episode was considered a major success, and helped get his acting career started.

The Rock’s first role in a major film was a limited appearance as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns, and his natural charisma translated well to the silver screen. The success of this movie, to which his performance contributed, led to his first leading role starring in the follow-up to The Mummy Returns, titled The Scorpion King. He was at one time cast as the lead in a Johnny Bravo film which ended up being canceled during production.

Since his last in-ring appearance in WWE in 2004, he has focused solely on acting, and starred in several popular movies such as The Rundown, Walking Tall, Be Cool and Gridiron Gang. The Game Plan was The Rock’s first appearance for Disney. He has stated several times, when asked on talk shows and in the media, that he is done with wrestling. WWE continues to sell “The Rock” gear and merchandise, however, and he is featured prominently on the company’s montage before all shows.

Johnson was featured in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest salary as an actor in their first starring role. It was recently announced that he was going to host his third SNL on November 10, 2007 with musical guest Amy Winehouse, but has been canceled due to the 2007 Writers Guild of America Strike.

• Dwayne Johnson The Rock Tattoos: http://www.westlord.com/dwayne-johnson/tattoos.html
• Dwayne Johnson Website: http://www.westlord.com/dwayne-johnson/

Emile Hirsch Biography and Photos

Emile Davenport Hirsch (born March 13, 1985) is an American television and film actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television films and series, and became known as a film actor after roles in The Emperor’s Club, The Girl Next Door, Alpha Dog and Into the Wild. Hirsch is slated to appear in the upcoming film Speed Racer.

Hirsch was born in Topanga, California, the son of Margaret (née Davenport), a visual artist and teacher who designed pop-up books, and David Hirsch, an industrial consultant, manager, and producer. He has an older sister, Jenny, who introduced him to acting. Hirsch was raised in Los Angeles, California and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lived with his mother after his parents divorced. He attended Paul Revere Middle School and the Academy of Music at Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles.

Hirsch began acting at the age of eight, appearing in minor roles on television shows or made-for-television films, including Kindred: the Embraced; Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and NYPD Blue. He made his film debut with the 2002 drama, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, where he starred opposite Kieran Culkin in the story of two Catholic school boys. His next role was in the prep school drama, The Emperor’s Club, which was released later in 2002. Both films received generally positive reviews, but performed only moderately at the box office.

Hirsch was subsequently cast opposite Elisha Cuthbert in the 2004 teen comedy, The Girl Next Door, and as a result gained renown among teenage audiences. The Mudge Boy, an independent film that he had starred in before making Girl Next Door, was given a limited release in the summer of 2004. Hirsch next appeared in Imaginary Heroes, a drama about a dysfunctional family, which received a limited release in February 2005 but failed to reach a wider audience, despite mostly positive reviews.

In 2005, Hirsch starred in Lords of Dogtown; the film, about a number of well-known skaters of the 1970s, was released on June 3, 2005, but ultimately performed poorly at the box office. He subsequently appeared in Alpha Dog, a dark drama in which he played a character based on real-life drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood; the film was shot in 2004 and released on January 12, 2007. Hirsch consulted with Hollywood’s real life father before playing the role, and has said that he felt “pretty afraid in my bones most of the time” while filming because of the film’s raw characters and dialogue.

Hirsch next played adventurer Christopher McCandless in Sean Penn’s critically acclaimed adventure-drama Into the Wild, released on September 21, 2007; he lost 40 pounds for the role and has been noted in reviews as a potential Academy Award nominee for the film. Hirsch is also filming the lead role in Speed Racer, scheduled for a May 2008 release.

It has been announced that Hirsch is in his final negotiations to star in Gus Van Sant’s upcoming Harvey Milk bio-pic Milk. Hirsch is in talks to play gay rights activist Cleve Jones. Sean Penn is set to play Harvey Milk.

Al Pacino Wallpapers and Photos

Alfredo James Pacino (born April 25, 1940) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Tony, BAFTA, Emmy, and SAG award-winning American film and stage actor and director, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of all time.

Arguably the greatest and most accomplished actor of his generation, Al Pacino became a cultural icon thanks to revered performances in a wide range of classic films, including “The Godfather” (1972), “Scarface” (1983) and “Glengarry Glen Ross” (1992).

Coming to prominence during the 1970s – a period commonly regarded as Hollywood’s last Golden Age – he possessed none of the classic features of leading men from Tinseltown’s previous heydays, but nonetheless, enthralled audiences with absorbing performances on screens both large and small, as well as on stage. As a Method actor, Pacino revealed the dark complexities of characters like Frank Serpico, Sonny Wortzik and Colonel Frank Slade. But in life, the actor remained an elusive figure, preferring to avoid disclosing anything of a personal nature. Despite such reluctance to open up about his life, Pacino maintained a long, prominent career in which he accomplished acting’s rarest of feats—winning Oscar, Emmy and Tony awards.

Born on April 25, 1940 in South Bronx, NY, he was raised by his mother, Rose, and maternal grandparents, after his father, Salvatore, an insurance salesman and restaurateur, abandoned the family when Pacino was two years old. Thanks to being exposed to theater and movies through his mother, he alleviated loneliness and shyness by acting out scenes from “The Lost Weekend” to whoever would pay attention. Pacino later attended The School of Performing Arts, but dropped out when he was 17; instead studying at HB Studio and apprenticing at such avant-garde off-off-Broadway venues as Elaine Stewart’s Cafe LaMaMa and Julian Beck and Judith Malina’s Living Theatre. In one of those life changing events that seemed innocuous at the time, Pacino was cast in August Strindberg’s “Creditors,” directed by Charlie Laughton – the two went on to be lifelong friends – an experience that convinced him that he could be an actor. Pacino moved on to train at the fabled Actors Studio under Lee Strasberg, acquiring the Method acting intensity that propelled him to stardom.

Pacino first made his mark with an OBIE-winning performance as Murph, one of two men terrorizing an Indian (John Cazale) in Israel Horovitz’s “The Indian Wants the Bronx” (1968). The following year, he won his first Tony Award playing Bickham, a drug-addled psychotic in Don Petersen’s “Does the Tiger Wear a Necktie?” After making his feature debut in “Me, Natalie” (1969), Pacino landed his first leading role – as another drug addict – in “Panic in Needle Park” (1971).

His bravura performance in that quirky film grabbed the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola, who persuaded a skeptical Paramount Studios to accept the actor as the dark and brooding mob boss Michael Corleone in “The Godfather.” Though Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro won Oscars for portraying Vito Corleone in the compelling original and even better sequel, “The Godfather, Part II” (1974), it was Pacino’s Michael that dominated both films, maturing from a cherubic war hero to cold-blooded mobster, who coolly orders executions, including one on his own brother (Cazale). Pacino was the right actor at the right time to play the lonely tyrant – his finely calibrated, dark volatility perfectly embodying the alienation and moral tumult of the decade.

Trading on the moody romanticism of his sad, sunken eyes, Pacino become a major star of the 70s, enjoying a four-year career roll practically unmatched in film history. In one searing performance after another, his brooding, anti-authoritarian, streetwise figures reflected the cynical mood of the times. After crossing to the other side of the law to portray the tightly-wound hippie cop of Sidney Lumet’s “Serpico” (1973), he continued to establish his tragic, hair-trigger persona as Sonny, the bungling bisexual bank robber exposed to the glare of the media as he holds hostages in Lumet’s “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975).

Tucked amidst these career-making turns was an underrated turn in “Scarecrow” (1973), a road movie co-starring Gene Hackman, which removed the actor from his typical inner city environs. His breakdown after hearing from the bitter wife he abandoned that his son is dead – though the audience knows better – was one of his finest moments on screen.

Pacino went on to make a series of false steps, starting with “Bobby Deerfield” (1977), which cast him as a sports car racer involved in a maundering romance with Marthe Keller. In “…And Justice for All” (1979) – which seemed like a move back to solid ground – Pacino displayed lots of angry flash, but little complexity or soul.

His next film “Cruising” (1980), elicited either scorn or outrage from audiences and critics for its ridiculous, simplistic and hateful story of an undercover cop who infiltrates New York’s gay scene to find a killer and ends up being turned to the other side. “Author! Author!” (1982), Pacino’s first outright comedy, was a mildly enjoyable attempt to channel his intensity and energy in a new direction. But he returned to form – however outrageously – with his performance in Brian DePalma’s remake of “Scarface” (1983). Like the film itself, Pacino was deliciously over-the-top, but undeniably potent.

Regardless of the negative criticism the film received, “Scarface” marked another seminal moment in the actor’s long career. Unfortunately, he followed up with the incredibly dull saga set in 1776, “Revolution” (1985). The nadir of his film career, “Revolution” forced Pacino to reassess his work onscreen.

Unlike many stage-trained actors who abandoned the theater when their movie stardom went into ascent, Pacino was never far from the footlights, often citing the thrill of working on stage by remarking to in 1999, “When you walk the wire in a movie, it’s not easy to walk, but it’s painted on the floor. But when you walk it on the stage, it’s 100 feet high without a net.” He won his second Tony Award for “The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel” (1977), reprising the starring role he had played in a Boston production earlier in the decade. Several times Pacino had essayed numerous Shakespearean roles, including the villainous Richard III and vengeance-minded soldier Marc Antony in a 1988 production of “Julius Caesar.” He also enjoyed a long association with David Mamet’s “American Buffalo,” playing Walter ‘Teach’ Cole from 1980-83 in a variety of venues, both off- and on Broadway. Though asked to revive the role in the 1996 film version, his loyalty to others previously connected to the project resulted in Dustin Hoffman assuming his signature role instead.

Pacino rediscovered his zest for film by co-directing and producing “The Local Stigmatic,” a pet project – adapted from a play he had once acted in – which he occasionally showed privately and continued to tinker with over the years. Harold Becker’s sexy, urban thriller “Sea of Love” (1989), provided the perfect comeback role – that of a streetwise cop-on-the-edge who falls for a murder suspect (Ellen Barkin at her most sizzling). Aided by an excellent, witty script by Richard Price, Pacino brought great depth to his loner, clutching at a second chance with the femme fatale – his impassioned reaction when one particular twist seemed to clearly indict Barkin – ranked high amongst his best work on screen.

After an amusing parody of his previous gangster roles with an outlandish turn as Big Boy Caprice in “Dick Tracy,” he dusted off Michael Corleone one more time for the mediocre “The Godfather, Part III” (both 1990). He then poignantly played a short order cook recently released from prison opposite a game (albeit miscast) Michelle Pfeiffer in Garry Marshall’s “Frankie and Johnny” (1991).

Pacino was in top form in the 1992 adaptation of Mamet’s blistering “Glengarry Glen Ross,” picking up an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Ricky Roma, a hotshot real estate salesman competing with an office occupied by a bunch of down-and-out losers. That same year, he finally copped the elusive Oscar after eight nominations for his bravura star turn as the unabashed, “hoo-hahing” blind veteran cutting loose on the town in “Scent of a Woman,” a slight story ennobled by his electrifying portrayal. Similarly, his prison-sprung drug lord in “Carlito’s Way” (1993) showed his way with gutter-tough poetry, while his talent for various ethnic characterizations could be as riveting as ever. In Michael Mann’s “Heat” (1995), Pacino was finally paired opposite Robert De Niro, marking their first and long-anticipated appearance on screen together. Though both received high marks from reviewers, the lion’s share of the praise went to writer-director Mann for directing a tense, but rich crime thriller. That year also saw him age himself to beautifully render the grandfather in “Two Bits,” a Depression-era family drama too slow and delicate to realize its full potential.

Former NYC deputy mayor Ken Lipper scripted “City Hall” (1996), which cast childhood friend Pacino as a compassionate mayor embroiled in a corruption scandal, teaming him for the first time with another Bronx native, Danny Aiello. Though a descent into implausible melodrama compromised its compelling beginning, “City Hall” proved to be another that stood out as one of Pacino’s more intriguing films. Meanwhile, Pacino finished work after four years on “Looking for Richard” (1996), which he finally unveiled to great acclaim.

Whittled down to two hours from more than 80 of raw footage, this documentary followed the actor-director in an exploration of Shakespeare’s first great tragedy, Richard III, while examining the relevance of The Bard to people in every walk of life. Pacino was back on Broadway as director and star of Eugene O’Neill’s “Hughie” in 1996 – his first visit to the NYC boards since his 1992 performances in “Salome” and “Chinese Coffee” – the latter of which became his next pet project as filmmaker. He finished shooting in 1997, but waited until 2000 to show “Chinese Coffee” at festivals.

If the 1980s had been inimical to Pacino’s talents, the 1990s turned out to be his most prolific. He delivered an atypical, introspective turn as a low-level gangster in Mike Newell’s “Donnie Brascoe” (1997), a tremendous story of two men who grow to admire one another. As far removed from Michael Corleone as one can get in the mob food chain, Pacino’s world-weary Lefty was tragic and pathetic, but also intensely human and real, inspiring the audience’s understanding and sympathy.

The always fine Johnny Depp, in the title role, raised his acting level a notch in keeping with the high standards set by his co-star. Pacino returned to his old scenery-chewing tricks as a lawyer who happens to be Satan in “The Devil’s Advocate” (also 1997), proving yet again that it can be great fun watching a master pulling out the stops. Pacino toned it down for his next performance – one that depicted him at his intense best – playing rabble-rousing “60 Minutes” producer Lowell Bergman in Michael Mann’s “The Insider” (1999), an ambitious and intriguing drama that examined the state of journalism in the age of corporate malfeasance. Pacino closed out the decade in Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday” (1999), playing a world-weary professional football coach battling younger players more enamored by money and fame than in playing the game.

Pacino’s next major role was as the sleep-deprived Detective Will Dormer in the crime thriller feature “Insomnia” (2002), writer-director Christopher Nolan’s English-language remake of Erik Skojdbjaerg’s 1997 Norwegian film, costarring Robin Williams and Hilary Swank. While the film received mixed reviews, the actors were roundly praised for their performances. Less appreciated was the Hollywood send-up “Simone” (2002), with Pacino playing a washed-up director who revitalizes his career by secretly creating a digital actress that perfectly executes his every command and becomes a major star. Not only was the movie’s fable style tale wafer-thin, Pacino appeared out at sea with the material, giving one of his least memorable performances.

Next up was “The Recruit” (2003) which saw him play a manipulative CIA instructor who recruits a young agent (Colin Farrell) to root out a mole inside The Company. Pacino followed with a supporting role in the dismal Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez comedy dud, “Gigli” (2003), reuniting with “Scent of a Woman” director Brest to play a federal prosecutor whose mentally disabled younger brother gets kidnapped.

Pacino rebounded with a stellar turn as Roy Cohn in HBO’s acclaimed adaptation of “Angels In America” (2003), a performance that earned him a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made-for-Television and an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie. In 2004, Pacino was able to bring one of his favorite Shakespeare plays to the big screen with director Michael Radford, playing the comically bitter Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice.” Although the anti-Semitic overtones of the play made it difficult to perform in modern times, Pacino effectively portrayed the moneylender’s claim for his pound of flesh, as driven by a realistic anger over the loss of his daughter to a Christian man. Pacino returned to his scenery-chewing ways in “Two For the Money” (2005), playing Walter Abraham, a sports wagering consultant who takes a former college basketball star (Matthew McConaughey) under his wing after learning that he has a knack for predicting games.

After sitting out for much of 2006, sans a rare extensive interview on the long-running series “Inside the Actors Studio” (Bravo, 1995- ), Pacino joined the ensemble cast for “Ocean’s 13” (2007), playing a ruthless Las Vegas casino owner whose double-crossing of Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and company leads to his downfall.

On October 20, 2006, the American Film Institute named Pacino the recipient of the 35th AFI Life Achievement Award. On November 22, 2006, the University Philosophical Society of Trinity College, Dublin awarded Pacino the Honorary Patronage of the Society.
With his box office earnings relatively modest of late, Pacino looks to be gearing up with several new projects.

He starred in Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Thirteen alongside George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia as the villain Willy Bank, a casino tycoon who is targeted out of revenge by Danny Ocean and his crew.

On June 19, 2007, a boxset titled Pacino: An Actor’s Vision was released, containing 3 rare Al Pacino films: The Local Stigmatic (Disc 1), Looking For Richard (Disc 2) and Chinese Coffee (Disc 3), and also a documentary on Pacino’s entire film career, Babbleonia (Disc 4).

Al Pacino’s latest film 88 Minutes is expected to be released in 2008. In his next scheduled release Righteous Kill, Pacino and Robert De Niro co-star as New York detectives searching for a serial killer. In Rififi, a remake of the 1955 French original based on the novel by Auguste Le Breton, Pacino plays a career thief just out of prison who finds his wife has left him; in his anger, he starts planning a heist. Also Pacino is set to play surrealist Salvador Dalí in the film Dali & I: The Surreal Story.

Al Pacino Website: http://www.westlord.com/alpacino/