Formerly co-owner of Beverly Hills' Grand Havana Room.
One of his favourite movies is Shrek (2001).
Keen wine buff. On a recent episode of Jon Favreau's "Dinner for Five" (2001) on IFC, he was choosing the wine, inquiring about a '97 Ornellaia before settling on a '79 Tignanello. When the wine was presented to him for tasting - he picked up that it was corked, asked the sommelier to taste it himself and he concurred!
Italian-American.
Joe Pantoliano Detailed Biography
Joe Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951) is an Italian-American actor. Because his last name is relatively awkward for English speakers to pronounce, he often just asks people to call him Joey Pants.
Pantoliano was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, to first-generation Italian-American parents. He played the character Cypher in The Matrix, as well as Ralph Cifaretto in the HBO show The Sopranos, and also provided the voicework for the club owner Luigi Goterelli in the smash-hit videogame title, Grand Theft Auto III. Pantoliano is also well-known for his role as Eddie Moscone, the bail bondsman in the Robert De Niro comedy Midnight Run. He also played Deputy Marshal Cosmo Renfro in The Fugitive along with Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones and reprised the role in the sequel U.S. Marshals.
In 2003, Pantoliano won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Cifaretto on The Sopranos.
"Joey Pants" was one of nine contestants on the VH1 reality show But Can They Sing? The show is based on the talent search show, American Idol, but with celebrities competing and the winner's prize will go to the charity of their choice. The show premiered October 30, 2005.
