The legendary actor has appeared in many classic films over the course of his career.
An acclaimed Al Pacino film that ‘broke his steak’ is airing on TV tonight (Sunday, April 13) for free across the UK.
New York native Pacino is one of Hollywood’s biggest ever stars, still making movies today at the age of 84.
Despite being an actor that has inspired countless actors, and who worked with every auteur you can think of, Pacino struggled to win an Academy Award for a large portion of his career.
Pacino had been nominated for his legendary performances in The Godfather, Serpico, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, And Justice for All and Dick Tracy to no avail.
The actor didn’t do himself any favours with the Academy Awards, choosing not to attend several ceremonies due to his nerves surrounding the annual event.
“So, I didn’t show up to a couple of the Oscars and I get a reputation because they thought, somebody said and my representation said, ‘Oh Pacino’s not going because he’s not the leading actor, he’s a supporting actor for the Oscar’.
“Can you imagine me saying, ‘I don’t want to go because I should be up there with Brando’? It’s just not in my nature, it’s nowhere near it. And I knew that I didn’t want to go because it scared me, frankly. I was working in Boston in the theatre and I was afraid,” Pacino previously said on BBC Radio 2.
However, heading into the 1993 ceremony, Pacino was nominated for Glengarry Glenn Ross and the film that finally secured him a gold statue.
Released in 1992 and directed by Martin Brest, Scent of a Woman tells the story of a preparatory school student (played by Chris O’Donnell), who takes a short-term job near Thanksgiving as a companion and assistant to Pacino’s retired Army lieutenant colonel who is blind, depressed and irritable.
The performance sees Pacino at his very best, switching from kind and caring to explosive in the blink of an eye as he slowly learns to love life again.
Hearing his name read out as the winner of Best Actor Oscar, he said: “You broke my streak. I was at an affair recently… I was at a ceremonial-type thing like this recently, and I didn’t have a speech. I kept going into my pocket for a speech, but I never wrote one. But now I got one.”
He added: “I had this thought, and I thought if I ever got up here I would say it. I’ve been very lucky. I found desire for what I do early in my life and I’m lucky because I had people who encouraged that desire, from Lee Strasberg, to my great friend and mentor Charlie Laughton, to the great writers and filmmakers that I’ve been fortunate enough to work with.
“Now, recently a young girl came up to me. I was at a function for the South Bronx, which is where I’m from. And she said that I had encouraged her, and that’s not necessarily by my work but just by the fact that we came from the same place. And I just can’t forget that girl, and I can’t forget the kids out there who may be thinking tonight that if he can do it, I can do it.
“So this is really a proud and hopeful moment for me, because I want to thank the Academy for giving us a gift of encouragement. And this is a gift, a great gift to me. I thank you all, really. Thank you.”
Scent of a Woman airs on Sunday, April 13, at 10pm on BBC Two and the BBC iPlayer