Tony Tarantino

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Tony Tarantino
Tony Tarantino 2009.jpg
Tony Tarantino in 2009.
Born (1940-07-04) July 4, 1940 (age 81)
New York City, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor
ChildrenQuentin Tarantino

Tony Tarantino (born July 4, 1940) is an American actor and producer. He is the father of filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.[1][2]

Life and career[]

Tarantino was born in New York City, the son of Elizabeth Jean and Dominic James Tarantino.[3] In a 2017 interview, Tony Tarantino spoke of an incident in 1960 when he was 20 years old and talent agent Henry Willson offered him acting opportunities and a lavish lifestyle in exchange for gay sex.[2] Shocked, Tony Tarantino says he punched Willson in the face, knocking Willson to the ground. After Willson got up he told Tony Tarantino he'd never work in Hollywood or New York again as an actor. Tarantino stated he was thereafter quickly fired from his role on the TV western series Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre.[2] Tarantino changed his name to Tony Maro and booked several acting jobs with Paramount as an extra, but says he was thrown off the lot within two hours once his true identity was discovered.[2]

Tarantino is the father of film director Quentin Tarantino. During a 2010 interview, the younger Tarantino said: "Well, I never knew my father [...] That's the thing. I never knew him [...] He wanted to be an actor [...] Now he's an actor only because he has my last name. But he was never part of my life. I didn't know him. I've never met him."[4]

Tony Tarantino has produced such films as Prism[5] and Underbelly Blues.[6]

Political positions[]

In October 2015, Quentin Tarantino received backlash from police unions after speaking at an anti-police brutality rally in New York, saying: "I have to call the murderers the murderers." Tony Tarantino responded, saying he had relatives in the police and that what Quentin had said was "dead wrong".[5][7]

Filmography[]

As producer[]

Year Title
2012 Mediterranean Blue
2011 Underbelly Blues

As director[]

Year Title
2003 Blood Money

As actor[]

Year Title
2012 Mediterranean Blue
2011 Underbelly Blues
2008 Harvest Moon
2003 Blood Money
1999 It's the Rage
Family Tree
Holy Hollywood

References[]

  1. ^ "Tony Tarantino". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2013. Archived from the original on March 7, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Sblendorio, Peter (November 11, 2017). "Quentin Tarantino's dad Tony claims Hollywood agent tried to sign him in exchange for sex". New York Daily News.
  3. ^ "Tarantino Productions". www.tarantinoproductions.com.
  4. ^ Secher, Benjamin (February 8, 2010). "Quentin Tarantino interview: 'All my movies are achingly personal'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Pulver, Andrew (January 27, 2016). "Tarantino's father to donate to police: 'Quentin's ignorance really upset me'". The Guardian.
  6. ^ Lanier, Hunter (April 1, 2018). "Underbelly Blues". Film Threat.
  7. ^ Steinbuch, Yaron (October 30, 2015). "Even Quentin Tarantino's dad thinks he's a jerk for anti-cop comments". New York Post.

External links[]

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