Al Pacino Opens Up About His Mother Who Died From Overdose When He Was 22

Lauren Novak October 20, 8:00 am

American actor Al Pacino, UK, 25th March 1974. He starred in the film 'The Godfather Part II' that year — Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

84-year-old Al Pacino is a huge Hollywood star, known for films such as The Godfather and Scarface. He is also known for his tumultuous relationships and four children, the youngest of the brood being only about a year old. Pacino recently opened up about his personal life and career in a new memoir titled Sonny Boy, named after his late mother’s nickname for him when he was a child.

Pacino has rarely spoken about his mother, Rose Gerard Pacino, who passed away from an overdose in 1962 at the age of 43. At the time, Pacino was only 22 years old and had yet to break into Hollywood and become a famous star. Before her death, the two had a challenging relationship, stemming from the fact that she didn’t want him to become an actor.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 10: Al Pacino poses in the press room during the 96th Annual Academy Awards at Ovation Hollywood on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Pacino wrote in his memoir, “‘If I am lucky enough, if I get to heaven perhaps I’ll reunite with my mother there. All I want is the chance to walk up to her, look in her eyes and simply say, ‘Hey ma, see what happened to me?'”

Pacino got his big break about a decade after her death in Panic in Needle Park in 1971. The film got the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola who then cast him in The Godfather a year later. Although he shot to stardom, it still wasn’t easy, as he said in the book he was still broke during that time. It wasn’t until about a decade later when he was cast in Scarface that he started to become wealthy.

image from the 1974 film "The Godfather Part II." It depicts Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, seated in an easy chair with his arms on each rest, his right leg crossed over his left. He is wearing a dark suit and buttoned up vest, underneath which can be seen the top of a white dress shirt and dark tie. His hair is slicked back, and his eyes are drifting a bit toward his left, and his face has a look as if he is concerned contemplation.

Everett Collection

Now, Pacino admitted that if he “wanted to live like a normal person” he could survive on the residuals from Scarface alone. If you’re interested in reading more about Pacino’s life and career in his own words, you can get his memoir on Amazon.