Vincent Gallo

Vincent Gallo (born April 11, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and musician.

He has won several accolades, including a Volpi Cup for Best Actor, and has been nominated for numerous more, including the Palme d'Or, the Golden Lion, and the Bronze Horse.

Following a childhood working for the local mafia, Gallo began his professional career as a Formula II motorcycle racer.

He went on to become a successful painter and musician, working with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Lukas Haas.

Vincent Gallo was born on April 11, 1961, in Buffalo, New York to Vincent Gallo Sr. and Janet Gallo.

He is the second of three children, having an older brother, Charles, and a younger sister, Janine.

Gallo was raised Catholic, and underwent his First Communion in 1969.

Gallo's parents are Sicilian and worked as hairdressers, with his father having retired to be "a gambler."

Gallo has described his parents as dishonest people, saying "If it was my birthday, I knew my mother took me to the K-Mart and she stole my toy. She'd put it in the shopping cart and we'd walk out. I was raised with that."

Growing up, Gallo's father was abusive and beat him on several occasions, including one instance where Gallo's father broke his nose.

He has said that while growing up, his father was "this kind of dark, raging figurehead...That's not who he is today, but when I was a child there wasn't a day...when he didn't hit me, punish me, yell at me or tell me something I did wrong."

Gallo's mother also forbade him from decorating his own room, which he shared with his siblings and grandfather, and from owning a guitar, leading Gallo to secretly hide the latter underneath his bed.

Gallo has attributed his self-described controlling and perfectionist nature as a filmmaker to his childhood experiences.

At the age of 12, Gallo worked for the local mafia in Buffalo, helping them to perform small crimes, such as carjacking and shoplifting.

Gallo worked for the mafia for approximately one year, and desired to continue down a life of crime and become a powerful gangster.

However, he was eventually convinced by a mafia member, who felt that Gallo was wasting his potential, to abandon it in favor of a legitimate career.

After graduating from Sweet Home High School in 1978, Gallo left his home in Buffalo and ran away to New York City at the age of 16.

He took up various jobs, including ones working in a hi-fi guitar shop and as a restaurant dishwasher.

Gallo went on to race motorbikes professionally, without training, in Formula II.

Gallo performed at a professional level in Grand Prix racing, racing for Yamaha, but never won a national championship.

In the 1980's, he raced 125cc and 250cc WERA bikes; and later performed his own racing scenes in his 2004 film The Brown Bunny.

In the film, Gallo rides a gold Honda NSR250, which he personally designed.

He also went on to become a successful painter.

During Gallo's artistic period in the 1980s, when he worked as a musician and painter in New York City, he also began experimenting with film.

Gallo created the short film "If You Feel Froggy, Jump" and appeared in the 1981 film Downtown 81 with painter Jean-Michel Basquiat.

In 1984, Gallo acted in The Way It Is (1985) by Eric Mitchell, which included actors Steve Buscemi and Rockets Redglare.

Gallo later transitioned into the film and television industry, receiving small roles in works including The Equalizer (1985) and Goodfellas (1990).

After starring in the obscure 1989 film Doc's Kingdom, he began acting in small parts in more well-known films such as Goodfellas, The House of the Spirits, and The Perez Family.

Gallo soon starred in films including Arizona Dream (1993), The House of the Spirits (1993), Palookaville (1995), The Funeral (1996), Stranded (2001), Tetro (2009), Metropia (2009), Essential Killing (2010), and The Legend of Kaspar Hauser (2012).

French director Claire Denis hired Gallo to act in several films such as the short film Keep It for Yourself, the made-for-TV U.S. Go Home, and its follow-up feature Nénette et Boni (1996)."

As a filmmaker, he directed, wrote, and starred in three independent films: Buffalo '66 (1998), The Brown Bunny (2003), and Promises Written in Water (2010).

In 1998, Gallo released his directorial debut film, Buffalo '66.

The film received positive critical reception and was nominated for an award for "Best First Feature" at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Gallo made this drama for $1.5 million, serving as writer, director, lead actor, and composer/performer of the soundtrack.

In the early 2000s, Gallo also released several solo recordings on Warp Records, including the album When.

As a model, he has been photographed for several fashion houses and brands including Calvin Klein, H&M, Supreme, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Gallo's films have gained a cult following, especially in Japan.

Film critics have frequently praised Gallo's acting performances, but remain divided on his directorial work.

Conversely, many filmmakers and actors have acclaimed both Gallo's directorial work and performances.

Gallo has also directed and starred in numerous short films, including The Agent (2010), and several music videos, such as Going Inside and Cosmopolitan Bloodloss.