Joe Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951, in Hoboken, New Jersey) is an American actor of Italian descent with over 150 credits in film, television, and theater. He won a Primetime Emmy in 2003 for playing the volatile mobster Ralph Cifaretto on HBO's The Sopranos, and is also widely recognized for roles in The Matrix (1999), Memento (2000), and The Goonies (1985). Beyond acting, he founded the nonprofit No Kidding, Me Too! in 2009 to fight the stigma around mental illness.
Pantoliano appeared in the western The Isolate Thief (July 2026), where he plays alongside Sean Bean and Mackenzie Foy.
Pantoliano was cast in the action comedy Violent Night 2 for Universal Pictures, which is set to be released in December 2026.
For his role as Eugene in the second season of The Last of Us (HBO), Pantoliano received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Pantoliano returned as Captain Howard in the fourth installment of the Bad Boys: Ride or Die franchise (2024).
Pantoliano visited Houston as a speaker as part of an awareness campaign for his nonprofit organization No Kidding, Me Too!, aimed at destigmatizing mental illness.
