Harvey Keitel

Harvey Keitel

Born: May 13, 1939
Age: 85
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
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Biography

Harvey Keitel (/kaɪˈtɛl/ ky-TEL; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and producer. An Oscar and Golden Globe Award nominee, he has appeared in films such as Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma & Louise, Peter Yates' "Mother, Jugs & Speed", Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The Piano, Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant, Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk till Dawn, James Mangold's Cop Land, Paolo Sorrentino's Youth. Along with actors Al Pacino and Ellen Burstyn, he is the current co-president of the Actors Studio.

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Early life

Keitel was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the son of Miriam (née Klein) and Harry Keitel, Jewish immigrants from Romania and Poland, respectively. His parents owned and ran a luncheonette and his father also worked as a hat maker.

Keitel grew up in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, with his sister, Renee, and brother, Jerry. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School. At the age of sixteen, he decided to join the United States Marine Corps, a decision that took him to Lebanon, during Operation Blue Bat. After his return to the United States, he was a court reporter for several years and was able to support himself before beginning his acting career.

Career

Keitel studied under both Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg and at the HB Studio, eventually landing roles in some Off-Broadway productions. During this time, Keitel auditioned for filmmaker Martin Scorsese and gained a starring role as "J.R.", in Scorsese's first feature film, Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967). Since then, Scorsese and Keitel have worked together on several projects. Keitel had the starring role in Scorsese's Mean Streets, which also proved to be Robert De Niro's breakthrough film. Keitel re-teamed with Scorsese for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), in which he had a villainous supporting role, and appeared with Robert De Niro again in Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976), playing the role of Jodie Foster's pimp.

In 1978, Keitel starred in the directorial debuts of Paul Schrader (Blue Collar, co-starring Richard Pryor and Yaphet Kotto), Ridley Scott (The Duellists, co-starring Keith Carradine), and James Toback (Fingers, in which Keitel played a street hood with aspirations of being a pianist - a role writer/director Toback wrote for Robert De Niro to play).

Cast as Captain Willard in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979), Keitel was involved with the first week of principal photography in the Philippines. Coppola was not happy with Keitel's take on Willard, stating that the actor "found it difficult to play him a passive onlooker". After viewing the first week's footage, Coppola replaced Keitel with a casting session favorite, Martin Sheen.

Keitel drifted into obscurity through most of the 1980s. He continued to do work on both stage and screen, but usually in the stereotypical role of a thug. Keitel played a corrupt police officer in the 1983 thriller Copkiller (co-starring British rock musician John Lydon), before taking supporting roles in the romantic drama Falling in Love (1984), starring Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep, and Brian De Palma's mobster comedy Wise Guys (1986), starring Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo.

Keitel played Judas in Martin Scorsese's controversial The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and co-starred with Jack Nicholson in the Chinatown sequel The Two Jakes (1990), directed by Nicholson. Ridley Scott cast Keitel as the sympathetic policeman in Thelma & Louise in 1991; that same year, Keitel landed a role in Barry Levinson's Bugsy, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The following year, Keitel played another mobster in the Whoopi Goldberg-starring comedy Sister Act.

Keitel starred in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (which he co-produced) in 1992, where his performance as "Mr. White" took his career to a different level. Since then, Keitel has chosen his roles with care, seeking to change his image and show a broader acting range. One of those roles was the title character in Bad Lieutenant, about a self-loathing, drug-addicted police lieutenant trying to redeem himself. He co-starred in the movie The Piano in 1993, and played an efficient clean-up expert, Winston "The Wolf" Wolfe in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Keitel starred as a police detective in Spike Lee's Clockers (an adaptation of Richard Price's novel, co-produced by Martin Scorsese). In 1996, Keitel had a major role in Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's film From Dusk till Dawn, and in 1997, he starred in the crime drama Cop Land, which also starred Sylvester Stallone, Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro.

His later roles include the fatherly Satan in Little Nicky, a wise Navy man in U-571, diligent FBI Special agent Sadusky in National Treasure and the latter's sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets. In 1999, Keitel was replaced by Sydney Pollack on the set of Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, due to shooting conflicts, and appeared in Tony Bui's award-winning directorial debut, (Three Seasons (which Keitel also executive produced). Keitel also re-teamed with Jane Campion for Holy Smoke! (co-starring Kate Winslet).

In 2002 at the 24th Moscow International Film Festival, Keitel was honored with the Stanislavsky Award for his outstanding achievement in the career of acting and devotion to the principles of Stanislavsky's school.

He also appeared in the Steinlager Pure commercials in New Zealand in 2007. Unlike many American male actors, Keitel has appeared nude in several films, including full frontal nudity in Bad Lieutenant and The Piano.

In January 2008, Keitel played Jerry Springer in the New York City premiere of Jerry Springer: The Opera at Carnegie Hall. In 2008, Keitel was cast in the role of Detective Gene Hunt in ABC's short-lived US remake of the successful British time-travel police drama series Life on Mars.

In June 2009, he made a cameo appearance in the Jay-Z video for "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)", a nod to his Brooklyn origins. In 2013, he appeared in a music video for "Pretty Hurts" by Beyoncé Knowles.

In 2013 he starred in the independent film A Farewell to Fools.

In 2014 he reprised his role of Winston Wolfe from Pulp Fiction as part of a £40 million television advertising campaign for Direct Line, an insurance company in the United Kingdom.

Personal life

Keitel was formerly in a long-term relationship with actress Lorraine Bracco. He married actress Daphna Kastner in 2001. Keitel is the father of three children: daughter Stella (born 1985) from his relationship with Bracco; son Hudson (born 2001) from his relationship with Lisa Karmazin; and son Roman (born 2004) from his marriage to Kastner. He is a godfather of close friend Michael Madsen's son Max.

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1967 Who's That Knocking at My Door J.R.
1967 Reflections in a Golden Eye Soldier Uncredited
1970 Brewster McCloud Photographer Uncredited
1973 Mean Streets Charlie
1974 A Memory of Two Mondays (TV) Jerry
1974 Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore Ben
1975 That's the Way of the World Coleman Buckmaster
1976 Taxi Driver 'Sport' Matthew Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
1976 Buffalo Bill and the Indians Ed Goodman
1976 Mother, Jugs & Speed Tony "Speed" Malatesta
1978 Blue Collar Jerry Bartowski
1978 The Duellists Feraud
1978 Fingers Jimmy Fingers
1979 Eagle's Wing Henry
1980 Death Watch Roddy
1980 Bad Timing Inspector Netusil
1980 Saturn 3 Benson Voice dubbed by Roy Dotrice
1982 That Night in Varennes Thomas Paine
1982 The Border Cat
1983 Exposed Rivas
1983 Copkiller Lt. Fred O'Connor
1984 Falling in Love Ed Lasky
1984 Nemo Mr. Legend
1985 El caballero del dragon (The Knight of the Dragon) Clever Spanish film
1986 Blindside Penfield Gruber
1986 Camorra (A Story of Streets, Women and Crime) Frankie
1986 The Inquiry Pontius Pilate
1986 Off Beat Mickey
1986 Wise Guys Bobby DiLea
1986 The Men's Club Solly Berliner
1987 The Pick-up Artist Alonzo Scolara
1988 Down Where The Buffalo Go Carl BBC TV Movie
1988 The Last Temptation of Christ Judas Iscariot Nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
1988 Grandi cacciatori Thomas
1988 Dear Gorbachev Nikolaj Bucharin
1989 The January Man Police Commissioner Frank Starkey
1989 Imagining America
1990 The Two Jakes Julius 'Jake' Berman
1990 Two Evil Eyes Roderick Usher Segment: "The Black Cat"
1991 Thelma & Louise Hal National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor
1991 Mortal Thoughts Det. John Woods National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor
1991 Bugsy Mickey Cohen Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
1992 Bad Lieutenant The Lieutenant Fantasporto's International Fantasy Film Award for Best Actor
Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
1992 Reservoir Dogs Mr. White - Larry Dimmick Also co-producer
Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actor
1992 Sister Act Vince LaRocca
1993 Rising Sun Lt. Tom Graham
1993 Dangerous Game Eddie Israel Venice Film Festival - Golden Ciak for Best Actor
1993 Point of No Return Victor the Cleaner
1993 The Piano George Baines Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1993 Young Americans John Harris
1994 Imaginary Crimes Ray Weiler
1994 Pulp Fiction Winston "The Wolf" Wolfe
1994 Monkey Trouble Azro
1995 Get Shorty Himself Uncredited
1995 Smoke Augustus 'Auggie' Wren Berlin International Film Festival's Special Jury Prize
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor
1995 Ulysses' Gaze A
1995 Blue in the Face Auggie Wren Also executive producer
1995 Clockers Det. Rocco Klein
1996 From Dusk till Dawn Jacob Fuller Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1996 Head Above Water George
1997 FairyTale: A True Story Harry Houdini
1997 Cop Land Ray Donlan
1997 City of Industry Roy Egan
1998 Finding Graceland Elvis
1998 Gunslinger's Revenge (Il mio West) Johnny Lowen
1998 Shadrach Vernon
1998 Lulu on the Bridge Izzy Maurer
1998 Sweets of Roses Hubie Voice
1999 Three Seasons James Hager Also executive producer
1999 Holy Smoke! PJ Waters
1999 Presence of Mind The Master
2000 Prince of Central Park The Guardian
2000 U-571 CPO Henry Klough Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor - Action
2000 Little Nicky Satan
2001 Nailed Tony Romano
2001 The Grey Zone SS-Oberscharführer Eric Muhsfeldt Also executive producer
2001 Taking Sides Major Steve Arnold
2001 Viper Leone
2002 Red Dragon Jack Crawford
2002 Ginostra Matt Benson
2003 Crime Spree Frankie Zammeti
2003 Dreaming of Julia Che Also producer
2003 The Galindez File Edward Robards
2004 National Treasure Agent Peter Sadusky
2004 The Bridge of San Luis Rey Uncle Pio
2004 Puerto Vallarta Squeeze Walter McGrane
2005 Be Cool Nick Carr
2005 A Crime Roger Culkin
2005 Shadows in the Sun Weldon Parish
2006 The Path to 9/11 John O'Neill
2006 Arthur and the Minimoys Miro Voice
2006 The Stone Merchant (it) The Merchant Ludovico Vicedomini
2007 One Last Dance Terrtano
2007 My Sexiest Year Zowie
2007 National Treasure: Book of Secrets Agent Peter Sadusky
2008 The Ministers Detective Joseph Bruno
2008-2009 Life on Mars (TV) Lieutenant Gene Hunt Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film
2009 Inglourious Basterds Allied Commanding Officer Voice
Uncredited
2009 Chaos
2009 Wrong Turn at Tahoe Nino
2010 Little Fockers Randy Weir
2010 A Beginner's Guide to Endings Duke White
2010 The Last Godfather Don Carini
2012 Moonrise Kingdom Commander Pierce
2012 Gandhi of the Month Edward Baker Previously titled Against Itself
2013 A Farewell to Fools Father Johanis
2013 The Power Inside O'Mansky
2014 The Grand Budapest Hotel Ludvig
2014 The Congress Al
2014 By the Gun Salvatore Vitaglia
2014 Two Men in Town Bill Agati
2014 Rio, I Love You Himself (as O Ator) Segment: "O Milagre"
2015 Youth Mick Boyle
2015 The Ridiculous 6 Smiley Harris Owner of "The Golden Nugget"

[ Source: Wikipedia ]


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