Al Pacino: Sonny Boy. A Memoir

Discover the incredible and revelatory autobiography from one of the most iconic actors in the history of film.

He landed his first leading role, in The Panic in Needle Park, in 1971, and by 1975, he had starred in four movies - The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon - that were not just successes, but landmarks in the history of film.

In reality, Pacino was in his mid-thirties by then, and had already lived several lives.
Growing up in New York City’s South Bronx and raised by a loving but mentally unwell mother, Pacino worked odd jobs to support himself. But, in good times and bad, in poverty and in wealth and in poverty again, through pain and joy, acting was his lifeline, its community his tribe.

Exploring his iconic roles, essential collaborations, and important relationships, as well as the ever-present struggle between creativity and commerce, Sonny Boy is the revelatory account of an incredible life.

This is the memoir of a man who has nothing left to fear and nothing left to hide.

Review

‘The book is a beautiful trip … (from) one of the world’s greatest, most influential actors for more than 50 years. He’s audacious. He’s outrageous. He’s Al Pacino’ ― The New York Times

‘A 5 ft 7in Hollywood giant … Al Pacino’s readably eccentric memoir really preserves his Bronx-reared turn of phrase… The Godfather star recalls his tough childhood, turbulent romances and how he burnt through a $50 million fortune’ ― The Times

'Startlingly cinematic ... A fine memoir. From fish out of water to Hollywood star, the method actor traces his path to success, spending as much time on the films that flopped as the greatest hits' ― Guardian

'Surprising, introspective ... His youth was grim, his money troubles serious, his fame unlikely. Al Pacino's friends all died in poverty. How did he survive?' ― Telegraph

'A beautiful…brilliant book' ― Dermot O’Leary

"Soulful…Pacino explores his life with eccentric charm…Shot through with self-deprecating honesty to with the well-worn Pacino swagger…You can almost hear him saying all of this in recognizably Pacino-like tones…Pacino has done such a high volume of great work that reading ‘Sonny Boy; often feels like hanging out within a history of American movies over the last 50 years.'" ― LA Times

'Conversational, breezily readable, reflective…Dives deep into Pacino’s career highlights and low points' ― Washington Post

'Funny and candid' ― Evening Standard

'This disarmingly frank memoir by one of our greatest actors has the remarkable effect of making a larger-than-life figure feel more human than ever' ― Empire Magazine

‘Godfather fans will love this … Pacino is refreshingly honest' ― inews

About the Author

Actor and director Al Pacino is a unique and enduring figure in the world of American stage and film. He grew up in New York City’s South Bronx, attended the School of Performing Art, and studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio with Charles Laughton and the Actors Studio with mentor Lee Strasberg.

He has been nominated for the Academy Award nine times, for movies including The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, The Godfather Part II, and The Irishman, and won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1992 for Scent of a Woman. He has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award nineteen times, and won four, and has been nominated for three Tonys and won two.

Pacino has been awarded the Kennedy Center Honor, the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award, the National Merit of Arts from President Obama, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures.