Harvey Keitel

Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, earning particular acclaim from his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, having starred in six of his films: Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967), Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and The Irishman (2019). He also appeared in three films directed by Wes Anderson: Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Isle of Dogs (2018). Keitel was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Mickey Cohen in Bugsy (1991), and won the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Piano (1993). Other films include Blue Collar (1978), Wise Guys (1986), Thelma & Louise (1991), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Bad Lieutenant (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), From Dusk till Dawn (1996), Holy Smoke! (1998), Cop Land (1997), and Youth (2015). Keitel played FBI Agent Peter Sadusky in the National Treasure franchise, beginning with National Treasure (2004) and continuing with its sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2006), and the Disney+ series National Treasure: Edge of History (2022). Between 1995 and 2017, he was co-president of the Actors Studio alongside Al Pacino and Ellen Burstyn. Early life Keitel was born in New York City, on May 13, 1939, the youngest child of Jewish immigrants. His mother Miriam (née Klein; 1911–1987) was from Romania and his father, Harry Keitel, was from Poland. His parents owned and ran a luncheonette, and his father also worked as a hat maker. He grew up in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn, with his elder sister, Renee, and elder brother, Jerry. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School. He enlisted in the Marines at the age of 17. After his discharge, he worked as a court stenographer for 10–12 years before beginning his acting career.