Joe Pantoliano

Joe Pantoliano began his film career with roles in Road Movie and For Pete's Sake (1974), followed by The Idolmaker (1980) and Monsignor (1982). In 1983, he appeared in The Final Terror, Risky Business and Eddie and the Cruisers. He played Francis Fratelli in The Goonies (1985) and appeared in The Mean Season (1985), Running Scared (1986), Scenes from the Goldmine, La Bamba, The Squeeze, Amazon Women on the Moon and Empire of the Sun (1987). His subsequent film credits included The In Crowd and Midnight Run (1988).

Pantoliano's television career began with McNamara's Band (1977), followed by appearances in Free Country (1978) and From Here to Eternity (1979). He appeared in the television film Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980) and episodes of M*A*S*H, Hart to Hart, Chicago Story, Hardcastle and McCormick, Mister Roberts, Hill Street Blues, Trapper John, M.D. and Simon & Simon (1981–1984). His other television credits during the 1980s included Robert Kennedy & His Times (1985), Amazing Stories and L.A. Law (1986), Destination America and Beverly Hills Buntz (1987), Rock 'n' Roll Mom (1988), Nightbreaker, The Hitchhiker and Tales from the Crypt (1989).

In 1990, Pantoliano appeared in the television film El Diablo and began playing Dominic Fanelli in The Fanelli Boys, a role he continued through 1991. His other television credits included One Special Victory (1991), Through the Eyes of a Killer and Highlander: The Series (1992), and Dangerous Heart (1994). His film work during the early 1990s included Ardouous Moon, Downtown, Blue Heat, Short Time and Backstreet Dreams (1990); Zandalee (1991); Used People (1992); and Three of Hearts, The Fugitive, Calendar Girl and Me and the Kid (1993). He played Deputy U.S. Marshal Cosmo Renfro in The Fugitive and reprised the role in U.S. Marshals (1998).

Pantoliano's other film credits included Robot in the Family, Teresa's Tattoo and Baby's Day Out (1994); Bad Boys, Congo, The Last Word, Steal Big Steal Little and The Immortals (1995); The Flight of the Dove and Bound (1996); and Top of the World, Aliens Attack, Tinseltown and Natural Enemy (1997). He appeared in Hoods and Taxman (1998), followed by Forces of Nature, The Matrix, Black and White, The Life Before This and New Blood (1999). In The Matrix (1999), he portrayed Cypher, also known as Mr. Reagan. His 2000 film credits included Ready to Rumble, Memento and A Better Way to Die. He played John "Teddy" Gammell in Memento (2000).

Pantoliano appeared in Cats & Dogs (2001), voicing Peek, followed by A Call for Help and The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002). In 2003, he portrayed investigative journalist Ben Urich in Daredevil and reprised his role as Captain Conrad Howard in Bad Boys II. His other film credits included Silver Man (2003), Second Best and Perfect Opposites (2004), The Easter Egg Adventure (2004), Racing Stripes and The Amateurs (2005), and Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, Wedding Daze, Canvas and Unknown (2006). He also appeared in the short film The Check Up (2005) and the unreleased film Spring Break '83 (2007).

In 2001, Pantoliano began playing Ralph Cifaretto in the HBO drama series The Sopranos, appearing in 21 episodes through 2004. His performance earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. His other television credits during this period included Beethoven (1994), NYPD Blue (1995), Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice, Life with Louie and Arliss (1996), EZ Streets (1996–1997), Hercules (1998), The Lionhearts (1998), Godzilla: The Series (1998–2000), Sugar Hill, The Outer Limits and Olive, the Other Reindeer (1999), Roswell (2001), The Nick Cannon Show (2002), Gary the Rat (2003), The Handler (2003–2004) and Dr. Vegas (2004).

In 2003, Pantoliano replaced Stanley Tucci in the Broadway production of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. His subsequent television credits included Deceit, Waterfront and The Simpsons (2006). He appeared in The Job, Deadly Impact and Falling Up (2009), followed by The Legend of Secret Pass, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010). He also appeared in the documentary New York Street Games (2010). His film credits continued with Loosies and Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life (2011), in which he played Oswald Oswald III, and The Identical (2014).

Pantoliano appeared in How to Make It in America (2011), the television pilot More Time with Family (2014) and Deadbeat (2015). From 2015 to 2017, he played Michael Gorski in the Netflix series Sense8. His other television work included SpongeBob SquarePants (2017), Lake Placid: Legacy (2018), MacGyver (2020–2021), Tacoma FD (2020–2023), The Santa Stakeout (2021), Chucky (2022) and The Patrick Star Show (2023).

His later film credits included The Perfect Match (2016), Just Getting Started (2017), Happy Anniversary, Feast of the Seven Fishes and The Brawler (2018), From the Vine (2019), Bad Boys for Life (2020), Hide and Seek (2021) and Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024). He reprised his role as Captain Conrad Howard in Bad Boys for Life and Bad Boys: Ride or Die. In 2024, he appeared as Mad-Dog in Dexter: Original Sin. In 2025, he played Eugene Lynden in the episode "The Price" of The Last of Us and appeared as Uncle Tommy in the television film Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story. In 2026, his credits included Power Book III: Raising Kanan, in which he played Pino Barnardi, and the miniseries Wonder Man. He was also set to appear in Violent Night 2, scheduled for release in 2026.

Pantoliano is also a writer, director and author. In 2009, he directed, wrote and starred in the documentary No Kidding! Me 2!!. He authored the 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.