Sonny Boy: A Memoir

by Al Pacino

384 pages, Paperback

Published May 5, 2026

About the author

Alfredo James Pacino is an Academy Award-, Golden Globe-, Tony-, BAFTA-, Emmy- and SAG award-winning American film and stage actor and director, widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of all time.

He is well-known for his roles as Michael Corleone in the The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon, Frank Serpico in Serpico, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman, and Roy Cohn in Angels in America. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1992 for his role in Scent of a Woman after being nominated 7 times beforehand for various roles.

Reviews

[Stacey Handler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pacino has always been one of my favourite actors. I listened to this in audiobook, which I would recommend. This was Pacino telling his story in his own words. He's 86 now, his voice is cracking and some of the words, especially names, get lost in his accent and the timbre of age, but it adds so much to hear his voice. He does rather scrape over the guts of his life, the mess and horror that all lives have. He has very little bad to say about anyone of note, so I wouldn't say it was the most honest of memoir. He presents himself as a good kind man who essentially only wants to talk about the good and avoid the bad. You do get a true insight into his acting and his stagecraft, and behind the scenes of the movie industry, which I really enjoyed.

[James T. Goble · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an inspiring read! I was so taken aback by the influence Shakespeare, classical music, poetry, and art has had on Al Pacino’s life… his biography is nothing short of a revelation of a life well lived and lived to the full.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked: Memoir chronicling the ups and downs of a famous actor’s long career in theater and movies.

What I disliked: Glossed over his adult personal life, without mentioning much beyond being a reformed heavy drinker and lacking savvy with money.

[Rev. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pacino is a beautiful story teller.
His words took me to exactly where he was going.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the first half. The second half seemed rushed and was very vague and non descriptive about huge events.