Alfred James Pacino was born in Manhattan, New York, in 1940. His parents, Salvatore and Rose, divorced two years later. Al and his mother moved in with Rose's parents. His overprotective grandparents safeguarded Al. They didn't let him out of the house alone until he was past his seventh birthday.
His mother took him to local theaters for entertainment. The next day he acted out the plots for his grandparents. He performed in school plays. Often he read passages from the Bible during school assemblies.
At fourteen, he transferred to the New York High School of the Performing Arts. By seventeen his marks in everything except English were suffering terribly. He dropped out of school.
After several years of working odd jobs he started acting classes. He appeared in basement-stage plays. He managed to save enough money to enroll in the Herbert Berghof Studio. Eventually, Pacino performed in several notable plays and got magnificent reviews from critics. Finally, he made his first appearance on Broadway. The result was spectacular. He got a Tony Award for his part in "Does the Tiger Wear A Necket
