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Harvey Keitel Accomplished Actor
Keitel is a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn to parents Miriam and Harry who ran a luncheonette. He joined the US Marine Corps at the young age of 16 and would go on to serve three years from 1956-59. In a 2003 interview in Boston, MA, Keitel claimed, "Anytime I felt anything difficult, I felt darkness - and I could survive in it. For me the Marine Corps was a spiritual journey. It's not about war. It’s only because the spirit has been so deeply manifested that Marines have been so successful.” He was a fire team leader in Lebanon in 1958 and earned a medal for his dedication. He was first trained at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, NY and studied under Lee Strasburg, creator of “Method Acting” and Broadway star and teacher Stella Adler. Keitel was involved in a few off-Broadway productions when he had his first big break by meeting Martin Scorcese. Scorcese was not as famous as he is now and was actually struggling for work at the time though he was preparing a student production of the film Who’s That Knocking on My Door? Scorcese brought Keitel on board for his first feature film in the role of J.R. and they’ve worked together on four movies since. Scorcese’s hit movies starring Harvey Keitel including Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. Keitel was responsible for helping Quentin Tarantino make his first hit, Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino had a very limited budget and great expectations. He was not able to pay the salaries of major actors like Michael Madsen and Steve Buscemi and would possibly have to use unknown actors for the film. Keitel took a look at his script and was inspired to help him with production costs and to play one of the main characters in the film. Quentin was grateful and enjoyed working with Harvey Keitel for years to come. Keitel has been in four Tarantino films including the recent Inglorious Basterds. He has also helped directors Ridley Scott, Paul Schrader, Tony Bui and James Toback find their claim to fame. Keitel certainly seems to have a way of maintaining great relationships with the directors he has worked with and can be found in repeat performances in their movies. Other directors that have befriended and worked with Keitel are Paul Auster and Jane Campion. Harvey Keitel has gained many fans and has been nominated for numerous acting awards. He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor in Bad Lieutenant (1992) and the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his work in The Piano (1993). He was also given the Stanislavsky Award at the Moscow International Film Festival for his exceptional work in film. Harvey Keitel is 70 years old and going strong. Keitel is also starring in ABC’s TV series Life on Mars as detective Gene Hunt. He is currently working on the third edition to Meet the Parents titled Little Fockers slated for release on July 30, 2010. Quotes from Harvey Keitel: “The way I see things, the way I see life, I see it as a struggle. And there's a great deal of reward I have gained coming to that understanding - that existence is a struggle.” “To create characters, one must build background. And one of the tools we use is improvisation.” “Well unfortunately I didn't work with Andre much. But rap is a strong presence in the culture and anyone is going to grateful for its appearance, grateful for any kind of music that has the kind of effect that rap has had on us all.” “You're working on being a father, so that is something that when you experience it you'll understand the profundity of wanting to protect something dear to you.”” By: Frank Bilotta Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Frank helps people learn about Dish Network Satellite TV, and how they can save money every month with popular Dish Network Packages. Frank and his team also help people determine if satellite internet is right for them. |
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