Harvey Keitel Picture 2

Biography

Sporting a Brooklyn accent and bulldog features, Harvey Keitel first gained recognition with a series of gritty roles in the early films of Martin Scorsese, and he was for a long time cast as one lowlife thug after another. His career experienced a renaissance in the 1990s, when roles in such films as Thelma & Louise, Bad Lieutenant, and The Piano demonstrated his versatility and his willingness to let it all hang out (literally) in the service of an authentic characterization.

A product of Brooklyn, where he was born on May 13, 1939, Keitel grew up as something of a delinquent. At the age of 16, his truancy was put to an end when he was sent to Lebanon with the Marine Corps. Upon his return, he sold shoes and nurtured an interest in acting. He studied the craft with Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler and began appearing in off-off-Broadway productions. When he was 26, fate struck in the form of a casting ad placed by Scorsese, at that time a fledgling student director at New York University; Keitel's response to the ad began a collaboration that would last for years and produce some of the more memorable moments in film history. Keitel and Scorsese made their onscreen feature debuts with Who's That Knocking at My Door? (1968), in which the former played the latter's alter ego. Five years later, they collaborated on Mean Streets; that and their subsequent collaborations of the '70s, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and Taxi Driver (1976), were some of the decade's most memorable films. Unfortunately, despite these achievements, Keitel's career suffered a great blow when he lost the lead in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now to Martin Sheen. He spent much of the '80s appearing in obscure and/or forgettable films, save for Scorsese's controversial The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and by the time he was cast in Thelma & Louise in 1991, he was in a career slump.

1991 and 1992 marked a turning point in Keitel's career: his role in Thelma and Louise as a sympathetic detective -- much like his role in that same year's Mortal Thoughts -- helped him break through the stereotypes surrounding him, and his Oscar nomination for his portrayal of gangster Mickey Cohen in Bugsy (1991) put him back in the forefront. Keitel's work in 1992's Bad Lieutenant, Reservoir Dogs, and Sister Act further established him as an actor of previously unappreciated versatility, and in 1993 he proved this versatility when he starred in Jane Campion's exotic art drama The Piano, in which he famously appeared in the nude as Holly Hunter's lover.

Keitel continued to demonstrate his ability to play both hard-boiled gangsters and rough-edged nice guys throughout the rest of the decade, turning in one solid performance after another in such films as Pulp Fiction (1994), Clockers (1995), and Copland (1997). One of his most memorable characterizations, cigar shop owner Auggie Wren, came from his collaboration with Paul Auster on Smoke and Blue in the Face (both 1995); he also worked with Auster on his 1998 romantic drama Lulu on the Bridge. In 1999, Keitel could be seen in variety of films, notably Tony Bui's Three Seasons, in which he played an American soldier searching for his lost daughter in Vietnam, and Jane Campion's Holy Smoke, in which he played a man sent to deprogram Kate Winslet of the teachings she received while part of a religious cult. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Puerto Vallarta Squeeze (2003) .... Walter McGrane
Beeper (2002)
Crime Spree (2002) .... Frankie Zammeti
Red Dragon (2002) .... Jack Crawford
... aka Roter Drache (2002) (Germany)
Nowhere (2002)
Orange British Academy Film Awards, The (2002) (TV) .... Himself
Adam Sandler Goes to Hell (2001) (V) .... Himself
Dreaming of Julia (2001) .... Che
Je viens après la pluie (2001)
Vipera (2001)
... aka Viper (2001) (International: English title)
Grey Zone, The (2001) .... Muhsfeldt
Taking Sides (2001) .... Major Steve Arnold
... aka Taking Sides - Der Fall Furtwängler (2002) (Germany)
... aka Taking sides - Le cas Furtwängler (2002) (France)
Nailed (2001) .... Tony Romano
Little Nicky (2000) .... Satan
Prince of Central Park (2000) .... The Guardian
U-571 (2000) .... Chief Petty Officer Henry Klough
... aka U-571 (2000) (France)
Fail Safe (2000) (TV) .... Brig. General Warren 'Blackie' Black
Interesting State, An (1999)
Presence of Mind (1999) .... The Master
... aka Celo, El (2000) (Spain)
Holy Smoke (1999) .... PJ Waters
... aka Holy Smoke! (2000) (USA: video box title)
Three Seasons (1999) .... James Hager
Mio West, Il (1998) .... Johnny Lowen
... aka My West (1998)
Finding Graceland (1998) .... Elvis
Lulu on the Bridge (1998) .... Izzy Maurer
Shadrach (1998) .... Vernon Dabney
FairyTale: A True Story (1997) .... Harry Houdini
... aka Fairy Tale (1997)
... aka Illumination (1997)
Full Tilt Boogie (1997) .... Himself
Cop Land (1997) .... Ray Donlan
City of Industry (1997) .... Roy Egan
Head Above Water (1996) .... George
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) .... Jacob Fuller
Get Shorty (1995) (uncredited) .... Himself
Blue in the Face (1995) .... Auggie Wren
Clockers (1995) .... Detective Rocco Klein NYPD Homicide
Vlemma tou Odyssea, To (1995) .... A
... aka Gaze of Odysseus, The (1995)
... aka Look of Ulysses, The (1995)
... aka Regard d'Ulysse, Le (1995)
... aka Sguardo di Ulisse, Lo (1995) (Italy)
... aka Ulysses' Gaze (1997) (USA: literal English title)
Smoke (1995) .... Augustus 'Auggie' Wren
... aka Smoke - Raucher unter sich (1995) (Germany)
Who Do You Think You're Fooling? (1994) .... Mr. White/Fu
Imaginary Crimes (1994) .... Ray Weiler
Pulp Fiction (1994) .... Winston Wolf
Somebody to Love (1994) .... Harry Harrelson
Monkey Trouble (1994) .... Shorty Kohn
... aka Pet (1994)
Young Americans, The (1993) .... John Harris
Dangerous Game (1993) .... Eddie Israel
Rising Sun (1993) .... Tom Graham
Piano, The (1993) .... George Baines
... aka Leçon de piano, La (1993) (France)
Point of No Return (1993) .... Victor the Cleaner
... aka Assassin, The (1993/I) (Australia) (Belgium: English title) (UK) (USA: video title)
Bad Lieutenant (1992) .... The Lieutenant
Reservoir Dogs (1992) .... Mr. White/Lawrence 'Larry' Dimmick
Sister Act (1992) .... Vince LaRocca
Bugsy (1991) .... Mickey Cohen
Miracle on 44th Street: A Portrait of the Actors Studio (1991) (TV) .... Himself
Thelma & Louise (1991) .... Hal Slocumb
Mortal Thoughts (1991) .... Detective John Woods
Batalla de los Tres Reyes, La (1990) .... Sandobal
... aka Battle of the Three Kings, The (1990) (International: literal title English title)
... aka Bytva tryokh korolej (1990) (Soviet Union: Russian title)
... aka Drums of Fire (1990) (International: informal title English title)
Two Jakes, The (1990) .... Julius 'Jake' Berman
Due occhi diabolici (1990) .... Roderick Usher (segment "The Black Cat")
... aka Two Evil Eyes (1991) (USA)
January Man (1989) .... Frank Starkey
Caro Gorbaciov (1988)
... aka Cordial Gorbatschev (1988)
Last Temptation of Christ, The (1988) .... Judas
Down Where the Buffalo Go (1988)
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (1988) (TV) (voice) .... 2 Lt. Donald Jacques
... aka Dear America (1988) (TV)
Hello Actors Studio (1987) (TV) .... Himself
Inchiesta, L' (1987) .... Ponzio Pilato
... aka Inquiry, The (1987) (USA)
... aka Investigation, The (1987)
Pick-up Artist, The (1987) .... Alonzo
Blindside (1986) .... Penfield Gruber
Sposa americana, La (1986)
... aka American Bride, The (1986) (USA)
Men's Club, The (1986) .... Solly Berliner
Wise Guys (1986) .... Bobby DiLea
Off Beat (1986) .... Mickey
Complicato intrigo di donne, vicoli e delitti, Un (1986) .... Frankie
... aka Camorra (A Story of Streets, Women and Crime) (1986) (International: complete title English title)
... aka Camorra: The Naples Connection (1986)
... aka Complex Plot About Women, Alleys and Crimes, A (1986) (International: literal title English title)
Baciami strega (1985) (TV)
Caballero del dragón, El (1985) .... Klever
... aka Knight of the Dragon, The (1985)
... aka Star Knight (1993) (USA: video title)
Nemo (1984) .... Mr. Legend
... aka Dream One (1984)
Falling in Love (1984) .... Ed Lasky
Bella Otero, La (1983) (TV)
Une pierre dans la bouche (1983) .... The fugitive
... aka Stone in the Mouth, A (1983) (USA)
Exposed (1983) .... Rivas
Copkiller (1983) .... Lieutenant Fred O'Connor
... aka Cop Killers (1983)
... aka Copkiller - l'assassino dei poliziotti (1983) (Italy)
... aka Corrupt (1983) (USA: reissue title)
... aka Corrupt Lieutenant (1983)
... aka Order of Death (1983) (USA)
Nuit de Varennes, La (1982) .... Thomas Paine
... aka Mondo nuovo, Il (1982) (Italy)
... aka That Night in Varennes (1982)
Border, The (1982) .... Cat
Bad Timing (1980) .... Inspector Netusil
... aka Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession (1980) (USA)
Saturn 3 (1980) .... Benson
Mort en direct, La (1980) .... Roddy
... aka Death Watch - Der gekaufte Tod (1980) (West Germany)
... aka Death in Full View (1980)
... aka Deathwatch (1980) (USA)
... aka Gekaufte Tod, Der (1980) (West Germany)
Eagle's Wing (1979) .... Henry
Fingers (1978) .... Jimmy Fingers
Blue Collar (1978) .... Jerry Bartowski
Duellists, The (1977) .... Feraud
Welcome to L.A. (1976) .... Ken Hood
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976) .... Ed Goodman
... aka Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976)
Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976) .... Tony Malatesta
Taxi Driver (1976) .... 'Sport' Matthew
Shining Star (1975) .... Coleman Buckmaster
... aka That's the Way of the World (1975)
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) .... Ben
Virginia Hill Story, The (1974) (TV) .... Bugsy Siegel
Memory of Two Mondays, A (1974) (TV) .... Jerry
Pueblo (1973) (TV) (uncredited) .... Seaman
Mean Streets (1973) .... Charles 'Charlie' Cappa
Street Scenes (1970) .... Himself
... aka Street Scenes 1970 (1970) (USA)
Who's That Knocking at My Door? (1968) .... J.R.
... aka Bring on the Dancing Girls (1968) (USA: first version title)
... aka I Call First (1968) (USA: second version title)
... aka J.R. (1970) (reissue title)
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) (uncredited) .... Soldier
"Dark Shadows" (1966) TV Series .... Blue Whale Patron