Born in Manhattan's East Harlem

Raised in NYC's South Bronx, living with mother in her Sicilian parents' home after father left them

Worked in the mail room at Commentary magazine

Off-off Broadway debut at Caffe Cino in "Hello Out There"; directed by best friend Charlie Laughton

Worked as an actor at New York's Cafe La Mama and Living Theatre; also worked as a comedy writer

Appeared in the New Theatre Workshop presentation of "The Peace Creeps"

Acted in "America Hurrah" and "Awake and Sing" at the Charles Playhouse in Boston

Off-Broadway debut in the one-act play "The Indian Wants the Bronx"; written by Israel Horovitz and co-starred John Cazale

Broadway debut, "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?"; received first Tony Award

Made feature acting debut in "Me, Natalie"

Directed first stage production (also acted), "Rats" at the Charles Playhouse in Boston; written by Horovitz

First leading role in a film, "Panic in Needle Park"; directed by Jerry Schatzberg

Joined David Wheeler's Experimental Theatre Company for the production of "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel"

Earned first Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather"; Cazale played older brother Fredo

Earned First Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role in Sidney Lumet's "Serpico"

Reteamed with Schatzberg for "Scarecrow" co-starring Gene Hackman

Reprised role of Michael Corleone for Coppola's very successful sequel, "The Godfather, Part II"; earned second Academy Award nomination as Best Actor

Earned third Best Actor Oscar nomination for Lumet's "Dog Day Afternoon"; film re-teamed him with Cazale as bank robbers

Reprised role in "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" for the Broadway production; won second Tony Award

Received fourth Best Actor Oscar nomination, playing a crusading lawyer in "…And Justice for All"

Performed the title role in "Richard III" for a record run on Broadway

Portrayed Walter Cole in David Mamet's "American Buffalo" in the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions; also toured in the US and England

Starred as a playwright in the romantic comedy "Author! Author!"; written by Israel Horovitz

Portrayed Cuban drug kingpin Tony Montana in Brian De Palma's remake of "Scarface"; film scripted by Oliver Stone

Was miscast in Hugh Hudson's Colonial drama "Revolution"

Starred in "Julius Caesar" in a limited engagement at New York's Public Theater

Returned to films after a four-year absence in Harold Becker's "Sea of Love" playing a dectective investigating a murder

Feature co-directing (with David Wheeler) and producing debut, "The Local Stigmatic"; a 52-minute film shot in 16mm; screened at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC

Earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as Big Boy Caprice in Warren Beatty's "Dick Tracy"

Once again played Michael Corleone in Coppola's "The Godfather, Part III"

Won first Best Actor Academy Award for his role as a blind veteran in Martin Brest's "Scent of a Woman"

Earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for "Glengarry Glen Ross"; adapted from the Mamet play and directed by James Foley

Reteamed with De Palma for "Carlito's Way"

Played a grandfather in the Depression-era "Two Bits"; role was Pacino's tribute to his beloved grandfather who raised him

Portrayed a cop tracking criminal Robert De Niro in Michael Mann's "Heat"

Feature directorial debut with the quasi-documentary "Looking for Richard"; also co-wrote narration

Directed and starred in the Broadway production of Eugene O'Neill's "Hughie"

Played a small-time mobster in Mike Newell's "Donnie Brasco"

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame

Delivered a delicious, pull-out-the-stops portrayal of a 1990s Satan in "The Devil's Advocate"

Starred as "60 Minutes" producer Lowell Bergman in Mann's "The Insider"

Played an aging football coach in Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday"

Portrayed a sleep-deprived detective in "Insomnia"

Appeared as a manipulative CIA trainer in "The Recruit" opposite Colin Farrell

Played a press agent reportedly modeled after real-life flak Bobby Zarem in "People I Know"

Cast as Roy Cohn in the HBO adaptation of "Angels in America" directed by Mike Nichols

Starred in "The Merchant of Venice" a Shakespearian adaptation, set in 16th century Venice

Cast as sports bookie, opposite Matthew McConaughey in "Two for the Money"

Portrayed King Herod Antipas in Oscar Wilde's "Salome" at the Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles

Joined the cast of Soderbergh's "Ocean's Thirteen" as a sleazy hotel and casino operator

Played a college professor and forensics expert, hunted by a serial killer in "88 Minutes"

Again teamed with Robert De Niro as cops on the hunt of a serial killer in "Righteous Kill"