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About Al Pacino in the 1970s
Al Pacino’s portrayal as a heroin addict in The Panic in Needle Park (1971) brought Al Pacino to the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola. Consequently, Coppola cast him as Michael Corleone in the immensely successful Mafia film, The Godfather (1972). Even though other notable actors like Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, and the relatively unknown Robert De Niro were considered for the role, Coppola ultimately chose Pacino. This decision left studio executives disheartened, as they had preferred a more widely recognized actor.
Pacino’s performance in The Godfather earned him an Academy Award nomination and showcased his early acting style, which was described in Halliwell’s Film Guide as “intense” and “tightly clenched.” Pacino protested the Academy Award ceremony, feeling slighted by his nomination for Best Supporting Actor, given that he had more screen time than his co-star and Best Actor winner, Marlon Brando, who also boycotted the awards, albeit for different reasons.
In 1973, Pacino co-starred with Gene Hackman in Scarecrow and won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. That same year, his portrayal of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who exposed corruption within the police force, earned him another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
In 1974, Pacino reprised his role as Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II, which became the first sequel to win the Best Picture Oscar. This time, Pacino received his third Oscar nomination, this one in the leading actor category. Newsweek hailed his performance in The Godfather Part II as “arguably cinema’s greatest portrayal of the hardening of a heart.”
Continuing his success, Pacino starred in the 1975 release of Dog Day Afternoon, based on the true story of bank robber John Wojtowicz. Directed by Sidney Lumet, who had previously worked with Pacino on Serpico, the film earned Pacino another Best Actor nomination.
In 1977, Pacino took on the role of a race-car driver in Bobby Deerfield, directed by Sydney Pollack. He received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for his portrayal of the title character. His subsequent film was the courtroom drama …And Justice for All, where Pacino demonstrated his versatility as an actor and earned his fourth Best Actor Oscar nomination. However, that year, he lost to Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer, a role that Pacino had declined.
Throughout the 1970s, Pacino received four Oscar nominations for Best Actor for his outstanding performances in Serpico, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon, and …And Justice for All.
