ACTOR · BORN 1957
John Turturro
- Born
- 28 February 1957
18 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
All facts (18)
- #001
John Turturro speaks fluent Italian, as demonstrated by his role in the film Annem (2015).
- #002
He has appeared in more films directed by Spike Lee than any other actor. They first worked together on Do the Right Thing (1989), and from Miracle at St. Anna (2008) onward they collaborated on nine of Lee's films.
- #003
His mother, Katherine Florence Incerella, was born in Brooklyn, New York (born March 24, 1921; died October 12, 2005) and was a professional singer.
- #004
A Brooklyn native and a big fan of Big Trouble in Little China (1986), John Turturro is the second of three brothers. He is the older brother of Nicholas Turturro and the cousin of Aida Turturro and Ralph Turturro. He is the father of Arianna Turturro and Diego Z. Turturro. The Turturro family was born in Giovinazzo, Bari, Italy.
- #005
As of 2014, he had appeared in three films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: Raging Bull (1980), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Quiz Show (1994).
- #006
He is Italian-American. His mother was born to Italian immigrant parents, and his father emigrated from Italy at the age of six.
- #007
He graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY)-New Paltz and the Yale School of Drama.
- #008
He has appeared in four films selected by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Raging Bull (1980), Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Do the Right Thing (1989) and The Big Lebowski (1998).
- #009
He holds dual citizenship of the United States and Italy.
- #010
He has his own production company, called Humperdink Productions.
- #011
On the series Finding Your Roots (2012), it was discovered that his maternal grandfather, Giovanni Incerella, an Italian immigrant from Naples, remarried in the United States in 1937 to a Black woman named Deborah M. L. Eld, John's step-grandmother.
- #012
He appeared in six films with Joe Paparone, his former acting professor at SUNY New Paltz. In Mac (1992) he plays his late father.
- #013
He has worked with 10 directors who won the Academy Award for Best Director: Martin Scorsese, William Friedkin, Woody Allen, Ron Howard, Michael Cimino, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Robert Redford, Barry Levinson and Guillermo del Toro.
- #014
Although he is not of Jewish descent, Turturro has played many Jewish characters throughout his career, including in Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), Quiz Show (1994), The Truce (1997) and The Plot Against America (2020).
- #015
He based the character Bernie Bernbaum in Miller's Crossing (1990) on the real-life personality of director Barry Sonnenfeld (Get Shorty (1995), Men in Black (1997)), who was the film's cinematographer.
- #016
He does an accurate impression of Burt Lancaster.
- #017
He appears in the music video for The Communards' "I Never Can Say Goodbye."
- #018
He appeared in Yasmina Reza's play Life (x) 3 at the Circle in the Square Theatre (NYC).
Continue through the archive
The Big Lebowskias Jesus Quintana
Do the Right Thingas Pino- The Only Living Pickpocket in New Yorkas Harry
- To Live and Die in L.A.as Carl Cody
- State of Graceas Nick
- You Don't Mess with the Zohanas Phantom
- The Room Next Dooras Damian
- Desperately Seeking Susanas Ray
- Mr. Deedsas Emilio Lopez
- He Got Gameas Coach Billy Sunday
Sources & editorial notes
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