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Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and film producer, known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with director Martin Scorsese, starring in six of his films: Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967), Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and The Irishman (2019).
Keitel received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Mickey Cohen in Bugsy (1991). He won the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in The Piano (1993). Keitel’s other notable films include Blue Collar (1978), Thelma & Louise (1991), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Bad Lieutenant (1992), Imaginary Crimes (1994), Pulp Fiction (1994), From Dusk till Dawn (1996), Cop Land (1997), Holy Smoke! (1998), National Treasure (2004), (2007) and Youth (2015).
Additionally, Keitel has starred in three films directed by Wes Anderson: Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Isle of Dogs (2018). From 1995 to 2017, he was a co-president of the Actors Studio, alongside Al Pacino and Ellen Burstyn.
Keitel grew up in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn, with his elder sister, Renee, and elder brother, Jerry. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School, and enlisted in the U.S. Marines at the age of 17. After his discharge, he worked as a court stenographer for 10–12 years before beginning his acting career.
In 1977 and 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 Toback wrote for Robert De Niro to play). In 1979, he was 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 as a passive onlooker". After viewing the first week's footage, Coppola replaced Keitel with a casting session favorite, Martin Sheen.
Keitel continued to do work on both stage and screen in the 1980s, often in the stereotypical role of a mobster. Keitel played a corrupt police officer in the 1983 thriller Copkiller (co-starring musician John Lydon), before taking a supporting role in the romantic drama Falling in Love (1984), starring Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. Between 1985 and 1988, he was one of the busiest character actors around, appearing in 16 films and telefilms, including Brian De Palma's mobster comedy Wise Guys (1986), starring Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo, and as Judas Iscariot in Martin Scorsese's controversial The Last Temptation of Christ (1988).
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 Jane Campion film The Piano in 1993, and played Winston "The Wolf" Wolf in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, an apparent reprise of his Victor the Cleaner character from 1993's Point of No Return. 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 . In 1999, Keitel was replaced by Sydney Pollack on the set of Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, as he quit after doing 68 takes for a scene of his character walking through the door, 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 2001 Keitel played opposite roles: as a U.S. Army denazification investigator in the film Taking Sides and as SS-Oberscharführer Erich Muhsfeldt in the film The Grey Zone. 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.
Between 2014 and early 2020, he reprised his role of Winston Wolf from Pulp Fiction as part of a £40 million television advertising campaign for British insurance company Direct Line. In 2021, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Newport Beach Film Festival. In 2022, Keitel starred in Steven Brand's noir thriller Joe Baby alongside Dichen Lachman, Willa Fitzgerald and Ron Perlman. Keitel has recently collaborated with Wes Anderson acting in minor roles in his films Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Isle of Dogs (2018). He reunited with Martin Scorsese after 30 years appearing as Philadelphia crime family crime boss Angelo Bruno in his gangster movie The Irishman (2019) alongside Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. He reprised his role FBI Agent Peter Sadusky in the recent Disney+ series (2022).
Keitel married Canadian actress Daphna Kastner in 2001. They have a son, Roman." Harvey Keitel, wife and son Roman in Soho". People. March 14, 2007.
Keitel is an honorary citizen of Romania.
2008–present
In January 2008, Keitel played Jerry Springer in the New York City premiere of 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. In 2013, he starred in the independent film A Farewell to Fools.
Personal life
Keitel was in a long-term relationship with American actress Lorraine Bracco from 1982 to 1993, but the relationship ended acrimoniously and triggered a prolonged custody battle over their daughter, Stella (born 1985). He also has a son, Hudson, from his relationship with Lisa Karmazin.
Filmography
Film
Who's That Knocking at My Door J.R. Brewster McCloud The Photographer Uncredited Mother, Jugs & Speed Tony "Speed" Malatesta Buffalo Bill and the Indians Ed Goodman Welcome to L.A. Ken Hood Fingers Jimmy "Fingers" Saturn 3 Captain Benson Voice dubbed by Roy Dotrice Bad Timing Inspector Netusil That Night in Varennes Thomas Paine Exposed Rivas Nemo Mr. Legend The Knight of the Dragon Clever Wise Guys Bobby DiLea The Men's Club Solly Berliner Blindside Penfield Gruber The Pick-up Artist Alonzo Scolara Dear Gorbachev Nikolai Bukharin The Two Jakes Julius "Jake" Berman Grandi cacciatori Thomas Thelma & Louise Detective Hal Slocumb Bugsy Mickey Cohen Bad Lieutenant The Lieutenant Sister Act Vince LaRocca The Piano George Baines Rising Sun Lieutenant Tom Graham Dangerous Game Eddie Israel The Young Americans DEA Agent John Harris Pulp Fiction Winston "The Wolf" Wolf Somebody to Love Harry Harrelson Imaginary Crimes Ray Weiler Blue in the Face Augustus "Auggie" Wren Also executive producer Ulysses' Gaze A. Clockers Detective Rocco Klein Get Shorty Himself Uncredited cameo Head Above Water George Cop Land Ray Donlan Harry Houdini Lulu on the Bridge Izzy Maurer Finding Graceland Elvis Sweets of Roses Hubie Voice Gunslinger's Revenge (Il mio West) Johnny Lowen Holy Smoke! P.J. Waters Presence of Mind The Master Prince of Central Park The Guardian Little Nicky Satan Viper Leone Voiced dubbed by Giancarlo Giannini The Grey Zone Schutzstaffel-Oberscharführer Erich Muhsfeldt Also executive producer Taking Sides Major Steve Arnold Red Dragon FBI Agent Jack Crawford Beeper Zolo The Galíndez File Edward Robards Who Killed the Idea? Private Investigator Short film Dreaming of Julia "Che" Also producer Chasing the Elephant The Mystery Man Short film National Treasure FBI Agent Peter Sadusky The Bridge of San Luis Rey Uncle Pio Shadows in the Sun Weldon Parish A Crime Roger Culkin The Merchant Ludovico Vicedomini Arthur and the Minimoys Miro Voice FBI Agent Peter Sadusky The Ministers Detective Joe Bruno Wrong Turn at Tahoe Nino Little Fockers Randy Weir The Last Godfather Don Carini The Power Inside O'Mansky The Congress Al The Grand Budapest Hotel Ludwig Rio, I Love You Himself Segment: "O Milagre" By the Gun Salvatore Vitaglia Gandhi of the Month Edward Baker Outlaws The Director Short film The Ridiculous 6 "Smiley" Harris The Comedian Mac Schiltz Lies We Tell Demi Isle of Dogs Gondo Voice Esau Abraham See You Soon Billy The Painted Bird Priest The Irishman Angelo Bruno Lansky Meyer Lansky The Wrecker Post-production Hellfire Jeremiah Post-production +Key Denotes films that have not yet been released
Television
FBI Agent Peter Sadusky Episode: "I'm a Ghost"
Theatre
Circle in the Square, Broadway Goodman Theatre, Chicago Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway McGinn/Cazale Theatre, Off-Broadway Lincoln Center, New York Carnegie Hall, New York
Awards and nominations
External links
Categories: 20th-century American Male Actors, 21st-century American Jews, 21st-century American Male Actors, 1939 Births, Abraham Lincoln High School Alumni, American Ashkenazi Jews, American Male Film Actors, American People Of Polish-jewish Descent, American People Of Romanian-jewish Descent, David Di Donatello Winners, Film Producers From New York, Independent Spirit Award For Best Male Lead Winners, Jewish American Male Actors, Jewish American Military Personnel, Jews From New York, Lee Strasberg Theatre And Film Institute Alumni, Living People, Male Actors From Brooklyn, Method Actors, Military Personnel From New York, Military Personnel From New York City, People From Brighton Beach, People From Fire Island, New York, United States Marines
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