Joe Pantoliano, born on September 12, 1951, in New Jersey, is an American actor known mostly for his portrayal of shady characters, criminals or corrupt individuals. Considered as one of the busiest character actors in Hollywood, his early roles include playing a wounded soldier in the television series M*A*S*H* before getting the role of the pimp Guido in 1983`s Risky Business, the criminal Francis Fratelli in 1985`s The Goonies, Snake in Running Scared (1986), record producer Bob Keane in La Bamba and bail bondsman Eddie Moscone in 1988`s Midnight Run. He portrayed Norby in Baby`s Day Out, Deputy U.S. Marshal Cosmo Renfro in both 1993`s The Fugitive and its sequel, 1998`s U.S. Marshals. Other roles include Caesar in Bound, Cypher in The Matrix, Teddy in Memento, and Ralph Cifaretto during seasons 3-4 of The Sopranos. He also starred in two episodes of Tales from the Crypt. In addition, he had smaller roles in the 2010s in television shows and films, such as 2016`s romantic comedy The Perfect Match, and the Netflix series Sense8. In 2020, he reprised his role of Captain Conrad Howard in the third installment of the Bad Boys series, Bad Boys For Life.

In 2003 Pantoliano replaced Stanley Tucci in the Broadway play, Frankie and Johnny, in the Clair de Lune. That same year he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for The Sopranos. When not acting, Pantoliano writes. He is the author of two memoirs: Who`s Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-Up Guy, and Asylum: Hollywood Tales From My Great Depression: Brain Dis-Ease, Recovery and Being My Mother`s Son.