In addition to that, Pantoliano also appeared in landmark films like "The Fugitive," "Memento," and "The Matrix," as well as playing the legendary Captain Howard in the "Bad Boys" franchise, who, even after being killed, was brought back for "Bad Boys: Ride or Die."
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Speaking to Vanity Fair about his surprise video to Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence), Pantoliano felt that it was the audience reaction that got him back for the fourth movie. "But, to the fans, God bless you because I think they got a lot of mail about killing me off." It was a reprisal he was more than willing to take, for a film that conquered the box-office upon release and left Pantoliano considering ways of bringing Howard back permanently. "I told them, 'Why couldn't you just put me in a hospital bed, pretending that they killed me? Put me undercover like they did in 'The Godfather.'" Honestly? It's not a bad idea.
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In "The Sopranos," there are enough amazing characters to form a queue outside Satriale's. It was in the third season, though, that Joe Pantoliano turned up as one of the show's best characters, Ralph Cifaretto. As the "Gladiator" quoting captain, Ralphie turned up and became a high-level nuisance for Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), courtesy of his dark sense of humor and generally chaotic nature.
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It was a performance that earned Pantoliano an Emmy, and rightfully so. Ralphie was a psychotic, twisted character reminiscent of Joe Pesci's Tommy from "Goodfellas" and just about any unhinged liability that ever appeared in a mob story. You also couldn't take your eyes off him. Speaking to Hot Press about the character, Pantoliano confessed he didn't expect just how much of a mark he'd leave in television history. "The power of that character and that show took me unawares," he explained. "I had no idea joining 'The Sopranos' that Ralphie would end up more or less defining me. That's the power of TV and being in people's living rooms every week. It can be a much more intimate and personal experience than film."
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Following this week's episode of "The Last of Us," that's a point that's certainly been proven.
