Joe Pantoliano

Other notable film credits include Risky Business (1983), Empire of the Sun (1987), La Bamba (1987), Midnight Run (1988), The Fugitive (1993), Baby's Day Out (1994), the Wachowskis' directorial debut Bound (1996), and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010). In 2025, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in The Last of Us. Pantoliano has published two memoirs and is active in the field of mental health, having documented his mother's issues and his own. He founded the nonprofit No Kidding, Me Too! Which is dedicated to removing the stigma from mental illness.

• Birth Name — Joseph Peter Pantoliano • Born — 12 September 1951 • Birthplace — Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S. • Other Names — Joey Pants • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1974–present • Children — 4

Joseph Peter Pantoliano was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on September 12, 1951, the son of Italian-American parents Mary (née Centrella) and Dominic "Monk" Pantoliano. He traces his ancestry to Avellino, Campania. His mother was a bookmaker and seamstress, while his father was a hearse driver and factory foreman. His family moved to Cliffside Park, New Jersey, where he attended Cliffside Park High School. He attended the HB Studio and studied extensively under actors Herbert Berghof and John Lehne.

• Illustration — Pantoliano aboard USS John F. Kennedy during Fleet Week, 2005 Pantoliano first grew to fame as Guido the killer pimp in 1983's Risky Business. In 1985 he appeared as the villainous Francis Fratelli in teen classic The Goonies. He gained fame among a new generation as Cypher in the 1999 landmark sci-fi film The Matrix. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the role of Ralph Cifaretto in HBO's The Sopranos. Pantoliano is also known for his role as Eddie Moscone, the foul-mouthed, double-crossing bail bondsman, in the Robert De Niro comedy Midnight Run, as Captain Conrad Howard in Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Bad Boys for Life and Bad Boys: Ride or Die, as double-crossed mafioso Caesar in Bound, as John "Teddy" Gammell in Memento, and as investigative journalist Ben Urich in Mark Steven Johnson's 2003 Daredevil adaptation. He played Deputy U.S. Marshal Cosmo Renfro in The Fugitive along with Tommy Lee Jones and reprised the role in the sequel U.S. Marshals. In 2003 Pantoliano replaced Stanley Tucci in the Broadway play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. In 2012 Pantoliano starred as the eccentric pawn broker Oswald Oswald in the film adaptation of Wendy Mass's popular children's book Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, written and directed by Tamar Halpern. In 2013, he was cast as Yogi Berra in the Broadway production of Bronx Bombers, but dropped out during rehearsals due to "creative differences." From 2015 to 2018 he played Michael Gorski in the Wachowskis' Netflix series Sense8. In 2025, Pantoliano appeared in the episode "The Price" in the second season of The Last of Us playing Gail's moribund infected husband Eugene Lynden. Despite his limited appearance, his one-scene performance was met with high critical acclaim, earning him a nomination for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

Pantoliano was married to Morgan Kester from 1979 until they divorced in 1985. He married his second wife, former model Nancy Sheppard, in 1994; they have four children together, and reside in Wilton, Connecticut. He was introduced to Sheppard by actress Samantha Phillips. During his tenure on The Sopranos, Pantoliano struggled to stay anonymous in his native New Jersey; when filming his scenes as Ralph, he prevented the public from recognizing him by wearing a wig based on the hairstyle of filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who had previously directed him in Memento. Pantoliano's use of a wig was later alluded to in the show, with a reveal that his character also wore a wig. On October 9, 2007, Pantoliano announced on the National Alliance on Mental Illness blog that he had been suffering from clinical depression for the past decade, although he was formally diagnosed only recently. He also has dyslexia. He said his 2006 film Canvas helped him come to terms with his depression. Rather than hide his illness from the public, he chose to speak out about it to remove some of the stigma commonly associated with mental illness. He founded a nonprofit organization called No Kidding, Me Too! which aims to unite members of the entertainment industry in educating the public about mental illness. The title comes from the response he frequently heard after revealing how mental illness affected him and his family. He directed, wrote, and starred in the documentary No Kidding! Me 2!! (2009). Pantoliano is the author of two memoirs: Who's Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-Up Guy and Asylum: Hollywood Tales From My Great Depression: Brain Dis-Ease, Recovery, and Being My Mother's Son. He revealed in the latter that he struggled with alcoholism, food addiction, sex addiction, and addictions to Vicodin and Percocet before being diagnosed with clinical depression. On May 1, 2020, Pantoliano suffered a concussion and chest trauma when he was hit by a car while walking in his neighborhood.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1977 — McNamara's Band — Frankie Milano — Television film • 1978 — Free Country — Louis Peschi — 3 episodes • 1979 — From Here to Eternity — Private Angelo Maggio — 3 episodes • 1980 — Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story — Ray Neal — Television film • 1981 — M*A*S*H — Corporal Gerald Mullen / Josh Levin — Episode: "Identity Crisis" • 1981–1984 — Hart to Hart — Frank Tisdale / Nate Volkman — 2 episodes • 1982 — Chicago Story — Cooney — Episode: "Who Needs the Truth?" • 1983 — Hardcastle and McCormick — Teddy Hollins — Episode: "The Crystal Duck" • 1984 — Mister Roberts — Insignia — Television film • Hill Street Blues — Sonny Orsini — 2 episodes • Trapper John, M.D. — Michael Merrow — Episode: "Where There's a Will" • Simon & Simon — Carl — Episode: "Who Killed the Sixties?" • 1985 — Robert Kennedy & His Times — Roy Cohn — Episode #1.1 • 1986 — Amazing Stories — Joe — Episode: "One for the Road" • L.A. Law — Rob Cavanaugh — Episode: "Pilot" • 1987 — Destination America — Lieutenant Mike Amico — Television film • Beverly Hills Buntz — Jimmy Montaigne — Episode: "Pilot" • 1988 — Rock 'n' Roll Mom — Ronnie — Television film • 1989 — Nightbreaker — Sergeant Jack Russell • data-sort-value="Hitchhiker, The" | The Hitchhiker — Brother Charles — Episode: "Miracle of Alice Ames" • Tales from the Crypt — Ulrich The Undying — Episode: "Dig That cat...He's real gone" • 1990 — El Diablo — Truman "Kid Durango" Feathers — Television film • 1990–1991 — data-sort-value="Fanelli Boys, The" | The Fanelli Boys — Dominic Fanelli — 19 episodes • 1991 — One Special Victory — Daniel — Television film • 1992 — Through the Eyes of a Killer — Jerry • Highlander: The Series — Dr. Wilder — Episode: "Deadly Medicine" • 1994 — Dangerous Heart — Barclay — Television film • Beethoven — Sparky (voice) — 12 episodes • 1995 — data-sort-value="Marshal, The" | The Marshal — Cameris — Episode: "Unprotected Witness" • NYPD Blue — Vinnie Greco — 3 episodes • 1996 — Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice — Detective Meyer Meyer — Television film • Life with Louie — Jojo Stomopolous (voice) — Episode: "Caddy on a Hot Tin Roof" • Arliss — Vic Freed — Episode: "The Client's Best Interest" • 1996–1997 — EZ Streets — Jimmy Murtha — 12 episodes • 1998 — Hercules — King Pan (voice) — Episode: "Hercules and the King for a Day" • data-sort-value="Lionhearts, The" | The Lionhearts — Director (voice) — 5 episodes • 1998–2000 — Godzilla: The Series — Victor "Animal" Palotti (voice) — 8 episodes • 1999 — Sugar Hill — Joe — Pilot • data-sort-value="Outer Limits, The" | The Outer Limits — Stan Harbinger — Episode: "Alien Radio" • Olive, the Other Reindeer — Martini (voice) — Television special • 2001 — Roswell — Kal Langley — 2 episodes • 2001–2004 — data-sort-value="Sopranos, The" | The Sopranos — Ralph Cifaretto — 21 episodes • 2002 — data-sort-value="Nick Cannon Show, The" | The Nick Cannon Show — Himself — 2 episodes • 2003 — Gary the Rat — Anthony "The Heel" Stilletto (voice) — Episode: "Sleeps with the Fishes" • 2003–2004 — data-sort-value="Handler, The" | The Handler — Joe Renato — 16 episodes • 2004 — Dr. Vegas — Tommy Danko — 7 episodes • 2006 — Deceit — Anthony — Television film • Waterfront — Jimmy Centrella — Unreleased series • data-sort-value="Simpsons, The" | The Simpsons — Dante (voice) — Episode: "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer" • 2011 — How to Make it in America — Felix DiFlorio — 2 episodes • 2014 — More Time with Family — Stan Rizzo — Pilot • 2015 — Deadbeat — Famous Actor — Episode: "The Emancipation Apparition" • 2015–2017 — Sense8 — Michael Gorski — Uncredited; 5 episodes • 2017 — SpongeBob SquarePants — Stickyfins Whiting (voice) — Episode: "The Getaway" • 2018 — Lake Placid: Legacy — Henderson — Television film • 2020–2021 — MacGyver — Eric Andrews — 2 episodes • 2020–2023 — Tacoma FD — Eddie Penisi Sr. — 4 episodes • 2021 — data-sort-value="Santa Stakeout, The" | The Santa Stakeout — Francis Miller — Television film • 2022 — Chucky — Himself — Episode: "Death on Denial" • 2023 — The Patrick Star Show — Stickyfins Whiting (voice) — Episode: "Patrick's Prison Pals" • 2024 — Dexter: Original Sin — Mad-Dog — Episode: "Fender Bender" • 2025 — The Last of Us — Eugene Lynden — Episode: "The Price" • Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story — Uncle Tommy — Television Film • 2026 — Power Book III: Raising Kanan — Pino Barnardi — 8 episodes • Wonder Man — Himself — Miniseries; 2 episodes

• Year — Title — Character — Notes • 2001 — Majestic — Tim Pritchard — Episode 4 • Grand Theft Auto III — Luigi Goterelli • 2013 — Call of Duty: Black Ops II — Albert "Weasel" Arlington — Mob of the Dead expansion