John Turturro

John Turturro (born February 28, 1957) is an American actor noted for his performances in To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), The Color of Money (1986), Five Corners (1987), Do the Right Thing (1989), Men of Respect (1991) and Monday Night Mayhem (1999). He has appeared in over sixty movies, and is well known for his ability to change both his demeanour and physique.

Turturro was born in Brooklyn, New York to an Italian-American Roman Catholic family. He completed his MFA at the Yale School of Drama. He worked as an extra in Raging Bull (1980).

John Turturro created the title role of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at the Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in 1983. He repeated it the following year off-Broadway and won an Obie Award.

Spike Lee liked Turturro's performance in Five Corners so much that he chose to cast him in Do the Right Thing, in which he played the explosive racist Pino. This movie initiated a long-standing collaboration between the famous director and John Turturro.

A versatile actor comfortable with both comedy and drama, Turturro also had an extended collaboration with the Coen Brothers, appearing in their films The Big Lebowski, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, and most recently, O Brother, Where Art Thou?. He also appeared as a severely disturbed psychiatric patient of Jack Nicholson's in Anger Management. Turturro is also an occasional guest star on Monk as Adrian's eccentric brother, Ambrose Monk.

Turturro was the producer, director and actor of the film Illuminata (1999), which also starred his wife Katherine Borowitz.

Actress Aida Turturro is John Turturro's cousin.

He has two children, Amedeo Turturro and Diego Turturro born in July 1990 and December 2000, respectively. Turturro is Catholic and his wife is Jewish.

Trivia

Despite his many acclaimed performances, Turturro has never been nominated for an Academy Award.

Turturro's last name is from the Italian tortora meaning "turtle-dove" (a name used in Italy in the past), a fact slyly alluded to in the Monk episode "Mr. Monk Goes Home Again" when Ambrose Monk (Turturro) tells Adrian's assistant Natalie (Traylor Howard) that their father named him Ambrose after his beloved pet turtle.

Selected filmography

Transformers, 2007, as Simmons
Quelques jours en septembre, 2006, as William Pound
The Good Shepherd
Secret Window, 2004, as John Shooter
She Hate Me, 2004, as Don Angelo Bonasera
Anger Management, 2003, as Chuck
Fear X, 2003, as Harry
Mr. Deeds, 2002, as Emilio
Collateral Damage, 2002, as Armstrong
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, 2001, as Walker
The Luzhin Defence, 2001, as Alexander Luzhin
The Man Who Cried, 2000, as Dante Dominio
O Brother, Where Art Thou?, 2000, as Pete
Cradle Will Rock, 1999, as Aldo Silvano
Summer of Sam, 1999, as the voice of Harvey
Monday Night Mayhem, 1999, as Howard Cosell
The Big Lebowski, 1998, as Jesus Quintana
He Got Game, 1998, as Billy Sunday
Rounders, 1998, as Joey Knish
Girl 6, 1996, as Murray
Clockers, 1995, as Det. Larry Mazilla
Quiz Show, 1994, as Herb Stempel
Fearless, 1993, as Bill Pearlman
Brain Donors, 1992, as Roland T. Flakfizer
Mac, 1992, as Niccolo Vitelli; also directed and co-written by Turturro
Barton Fink, 1991 as Barton Fink
Jungle Fever, 1991, as Paulie Carbone
Men of Respect, 1991, as Mike Battaglia
Miller's Crossing, 1990, as Bernie Bernbaum
Mo' Better Blues, 1990, as Moe Flatbush
State Of Grace, 1990, as Nick
Do the Right Thing, 1989, as Pino
The Sicilian, 1987, as Pisciotta
Five Corners, 1987, as Heinz Sabantino
The Color of Money, 1986, as Julian
To Live and Die in L.A., 1985, as Carl Cody
Desperately Seeking Susan, 1985, as Ray
Raging Bull, 1980, uncredited extra

Television appearances

Monk, 2004-2005, as Ambrose Monk

External link

John Turturro Shrine

1957 births | American film actors

Gourt Home::Gourt :: John Turturro

Trivia

Selected filmography

Television appearances

External link