Sonny Boy: A Memoir

Al Pacino was born Alfredo James Pacino in New York City in 1940. Pacino grew up in the South Bronx and was raised by his mother, Rose Gerard Pacino, and her parents. From an early age Pacino developed a fascination with movies and acting. Though he dropped out of high school to help provide for his mother, he later studied at the Herbert Berghof Studio, where he worked as a cleaner in lieu of tuition. 

After losing both his mother and grandfather at a young age, Pacino cycled through countless menial jobs to support himself, working as a building superintendent, a movie usher, and a mover. Pacino relied on his friends through a stint of homelessness, and he took any theater roles he could get. By the late 1960s Pacino’s efforts began to pay off as he landed more prominent theater roles. Critics immediately recognized Pacino’s talent; he won an Obie Award for his performance in The Indian Wants the Bronx, the highest honor for an off-Broadway performance. Pacino followed this success with his first Broadway play, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, winning a

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