Vincent Gallo

Vincent Gallo (born April 11, 1961) is an American actor, director, writer, producer, musician, and model. He has won several accolades, including a Volpi Cup for Best Actor, and has been nominated for numerous more, including the Palme d'Or, the Golden Lion, and the Bronze Horse.
Following a childhood working for the local mafia, Gallo began his professional career as a Formula II motorcycle racer. He went on to become a successful painter and musician, working with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Lukas Haas. Gallo later transitioned into the film and television industry, receiving small roles in works including The Equalizer (1985) and Goodfellas (1990). Gallo soon starred in films including Arizona Dream (1993), The House of the Spirits (1993), Palookaville (1995), The Funeral (1996), Stranded (2001), Tetro (2009), Metropia (2009), Essential Killing (2010), and The Legend of Kaspar Hauser (2012). As a filmmaker, he directed, wrote, and starred in three independent films: Buffalo '66 (1998), The Brown Bunny (2003), and Promises Written in Water (2010). Gallo has also directed and starred in numerous short films, including The Agent (2010), and several music videos, such as Going Inside and Cosmopolitan Bloodloss.
In the early 2000s, Gallo also released several solo recordings on Warp Records, including the album When. As a model, he has been photographed for several fashion houses and brands including Calvin Klein, H&M, Supreme, and Yves Saint Laurent.
Gallo's films possess a cult following, especially in Japan. His work has proven largely polarizing among film critics, but has been highly praised by many filmmakers and actors.
Early life
Vincent Gallo was born on April 11, 1961, in Buffalo, New York to Vincent Gallo Sr. and Janet Gallo. He is the second of three children, having an older brother, Charles, and a younger sister, Janine. Gallo was raised Catholic, and underwent his First Communion in 1969.
Gallo's parents are Sicilian and worked as hairdressers, with his father having retired to be "a gambler."
Gallo has described his parents as dishonest people, saying "If it was my birthday, I knew my mother took me to the K-Mart and she stole my toy. She'd put it in the shopping cart and we'd walk out. I was raised with that." Growing up, Gallo's father was abusive and beat him on several occasions, including one instance where Gallo's father broke his nose. He has said that while growing up, his father was "this kind of dark, raging figurehead...That's not who he is today, but when I was a child there wasn't a day...when he didn't hit me, punish me, yell at me or tell me something I did wrong." Gallo's mother also forbade him from decorating his own room, which he shared with his siblings and grandfather, and from owning a guitar, leading Gallo to secretly hide the latter underneath his bed. Gallo has attributed his childhood experiences to his self-described controlling and perfectionist nature as a filmmaker.
At the age of 12, Gallo worked for the local mafia in Buffalo, helping them to perform small crimes, such as carjacking and shoplifting. Gallo worked for the mafia for approximately one year, and desired to continue down a life of crime and become a powerful gangster. However, he was eventually convinced by a mafia member, who felt that Gallo was wasting his potential, to abandon it in favor of a legitimate career.
After graduating from Sweet Home High School in 1978, Gallo left his home in Buffalo and ran away to New York City at the age of 16. He took up various jobs, including ones working in a hi-fi guitar shop and as a restaurant dishwasher.
Gallo went on to race motorbikes professionally, without training, in Formula II. Gallo performed at a professional level in Grand Prix racing, racing for Yamaha, but never won a national championship. In the 1980's, he raced 125cc and 250cc WERA bikes; and later performed his own racing scenes in his 2004 film The Brown Bunny. In the film, Gallo rides a gold Honda NSR250, which he personally designed. He also went on to become a successful painter.
Film career
During Gallo's artistic period in the 1980s, when he worked as a musician and painter in New York City, he also began experimenting with film. He made the short film "If You Feel Froggy, Jump" and appeared in the 1981 film Downtown 81 with painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. In 1984, Gallo acted in The Way It Is (1985) by Eric Mitchell, which included actors Steve Buscemi and Rockets Redglare. After starring in the obscure 1989 film Doc's Kingdom, he began acting in small parts in more well-known films such as Goodfellas, The House of the Spirits, and The Perez Family. French director Claire Denis hired Gallo to act in several films such as the short film Keep It for Yourself, the made-for-TV U.S. Go Home, and its follow-up feature Nénette et Boni (1996)." Gallo was considered and almost cast as Uncle Rico in the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite, though the role ultimately went to Jon Gries.
In 2010, Gallo won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 67th Venice International Film Festival for his role in Essential Killing, although he did not have a line in the film. He did not attend the ceremony to accept his award in person, leaving the duty to the film's director Jerzy Skolimowski, who tried to get the actor to reveal himself, leading the audience in a chant of his name. Gallo was not in attendance.
In 2012, Gallo starred in Davide Manuli's The Legend of Kaspar Hauser, a modern-western interpretation of the German legend of Kaspar Hauser which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Gallo plays the two largest roles in the film, the English-speaking Sheriff and the Italian-speaking assassin. Later that year, he appeared in Julie Delpy's 2 Days in New York, in a cameo role as himself. In the film, Gallo appears as a Mephistopheles-like version of himself, who purchases the protagonist's (Delpy) soul, after she puts it up for auction. Delpy wrote the role with Gallo specifically in mind, who agreed to the part after reading the screenplay.
He co-starred with Kōichi Satō and Yoo Ji-tae in Junji Sakamoto's 2013 film, Human Trust.
In 2022, Gallo appeared in Shut In, his first acting role since 2013.
Buffalo '66 (1998)
In 1998, Gallo had his directorial debut film, Buffalo '66, which was nominated for an award for "Best First Feature" at the Independent Spirit Awards. Gallo made this drama for $1.5 million, serving as writer, director, lead actor, and composer/performer of the soundtrack. The release of Buffalo '66 "gained him a solid fan base."
Gallo had difficulties working with actress Christina Ricci, who starred in the film alongside him. According to Ricci, Gallo was a "crazy lunatic man" and did not get alongside her on the set. Ricci also said that Gallo mocked her weight several years after the film released, and that she has no interest in ever seeing his other films.
Gallo disputes Ricci's account, and in 2018, wrote "I still smile when I see a picture of her and when she insults me in the press it reminds me that we are connected in some way, and for that I am grateful. Christina Ricci was my friend during the filming of Buffalo 66 and working with her made sense and felt natural....I insulted her jokingly one day to a friend and a sneaky gossip writer overheard me. Christina and I have not spoken since."
The Brown Bunny (2003)
In 2003, Gallo starred in and directed the film The Brown Bunny, which chronicles a motorcycle racer's cross-country road trip and co-starred Chloë Sevigny. The film, which contained a scene of Sevigny performing unsimulated oral sex upon Gallo, received an overwhelmingly negative critical response to its Cannes premiere and became a media scandal, in part due to Gallo's use of a still image from a sex scene on a promotional billboard. In part, the critical response discussed whether Sevigny had been pressured into performing a sex act by Gallo. Andrea LeVasseur of Allmovie said that The Brown Bunny "premiered to much derision at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival." Film critic Roger Ebert stated that The Brown Bunny was the worst film in the history of Cannes. Gallo retorted by calling Ebert a "fat pig with the physique of a slave trader" and put a hex on Ebert, wishing him colon cancer. Ebert then responded – paraphrasing a statement made by Winston Churchill – that, "although I am fat, one day I will be thin, but Mr. Gallo will still have been the director of The Brown Bunny." In 2003, several media sources later reported that Gallo apologized to Ebert, but Gallo disputed this, saying "I never apologized for anything in my life...The only thing I am sorry about is putting a curse on Roger Ebert's colon. If a fat pig like Roger Ebert doesn't like my movie then I'm sorry for him."
In 2004, Gallo and Ebert appeared to have reconciled, and Ebert ended up giving a thumbs up to a re-edited version of The Brown Bunny. However, in a 2018 article, written after Ebert's death, Gallo accused Ebert's review of the re-edited version as being "far fetched and an outright lie."
Promises Written in Water (2010)
In 2010, Gallo's Promises Written in Water was shown at the 67th Venice International Film Festival and the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. The film received polarized and mostly negative reviews from critics, though several positive reviews cited it as one of the year's greatest films. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion.
Gallo has stated that he has no plans to ever distribute the film and allow it to be seen again, as "I do not want my new works to be generated in a market or audience of any kind." He also added that allowing the film only ever being shown at two screenings was part of a deal he made with Delfine Bafort, who starred in the film. Gallo explained in a 2011 interview that the film would be "allowed to rest in peace, and stored without being exposed to the dark energies from the public."
As of 2023, the film is not available to watch, and has not been screened since 2010.
Other film projects
In 2013, Gallo's website listed that he had directed, written, produced, and acted in his fourth feature film, April. It states that the film is 88 minutes long, stars Gallo as the lead character Seth Goldstone, and co-stars pornographic actor Jamie Gillis. The film has never been released, leading to speculation about the nature of the project.
Gallo has also created numerous short films, including The Agent, which was nominated for Best Short Film at the 67th Venice International Film Festival. The Agent starred Sage Stallone, and has only ever been screened twice, with Gallo having no plans to re-release the short film to the public (similar to his third film, Promises Written in Water).
Music and modeling career
Music
Gallo played electric bass and sang in the mid-1970s in several adolescent garage bands such as Blue Mood; a progressive rock cover band named Zephyr (not to be confused with the late 1960s band of the same name, or the 1980s Johnny Goudie-fronted band of the same name) which did one performance at Lincoln Park, Tonawanda, New York in 1978; The Good (with Bernie Kugel and Larry Galanowitz); The Detours; and the Plastics. At the age of 16, Gallo moved to New York City and was a later member of the band Gray, with visual artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Gray played at clubs such as Max's Kansas City, CBGB's, Hurrahs, and the Mudd Club. A few of Gray's recordings appear on the soundtrack for the film Downtown 81.
In 1984, Gallo (using the name "Prince Vince") also appeared as a dancer on an unsold TV pilot for a hip-hop dance show called Graffiti Rock.
Gallo played in a band called Bohack, which recorded an album entitled It Took Several Wives. When Bohack disbanded, Gallo turned his attention to acting, directing, and composing in films. He wrote songs for the soundtrack of the 1998 film Buffalo 66. He played in a rock band with Lukas Haas called Bunny, and Gallo put out his own album which he wrote, performed and produced under Warp Records, titled When.
On August 3, 2013, Vincent Gallo headlined the 3rd Annual San Frandelic Summer Fest in San Francisco.
Gallo directed music videos for the songs "Going Inside" by John Frusciante, and "Anemone" by L'Arc-en-Ciel. He also starred in the music videos for "Bitter" by Lit, "Cosmopolitan Bloodloss" by Glassjaw, and "Grounded" by My Vitriol.
Modeling
In 1990, Gallo modeled for Calvin Klein. In 2007, Gallo modeled for Stefano Pilati's menswear campaign, and was also photographed for Supreme. In 2009, Gallo appeared as a model in H&M Spring Collection alongside Eva Herzigova. He later did a fashion campaign and photo shoot with G-Star Raw jeans in Fall 2011. In 2017, Gallo modeled glasses for Persol in their Spring/Summer campaign. From 2017 through 2018, Gallo also appeared as a model, photographed in black-and-white, in the Saint Laurent SS18 campaign.
Additionally, Gallo has stated that he once walked in a fashion show for designer Anna Sui, but left her disappointed by his performance, and was never hired by Sui again.
Personal life
Gallo lives in Arizona, owning a $3.25 million mansion in Tucson. Gallo is a teetotaler.
In 1984, Gallo was married to a woman for just 10 weeks, before their relationship ended. He has also dated socialite Paris Hilton. Gallo was close friends with musician Johnny Ramone, prior to Ramone's death in 2004. He is also friends with musician John Frusciante.
Politics
Gallo is a Republican and a conservative. He holds anti-abortion, anti-drug, and anti-pornography views.
In 2004, Gallo appeared in the documentary, Rated R: Republicans in Hollywood, and also spoke at the Women's National Republican Club. There, Gallo expressed his support for President George W. Bush, saying that "you know the United States has a great President...when the French hate him!" That year, Gallo also met Barbara Bush and Lauren Bush, attending a fashion show alongside them.
In 2018, Gallo expressed his support for President Donald Trump, writing that he is "extremely proud [Trump] is the American President." In 2022, he also praised then-Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema as an "open minded and thoughtful" politician, who "adds productive ideological diversity and balance to our beautiful country"; and donated to the campaign of Republican Representative Juan Ciscomani.
Views on film
In 1998, Gallo listed Pier Paolo Pasolini as his favorite director, and Mauro Bolognini's Il bell'Antonio (1960) as his favorite film. In 2009, Gallo instead listed Francis Ford Coppola's The Rain People as his favorite film.
In 1999, Gallo explained that "Very ordinary, corny movies are ones that I seem to like the most...There are about 160 movies that I watch over and over. I watch films with Warren Beatty the most." Gallo has spoken positively of many films including Lilith (1964), Mickey One (1965), The Ravine (1969), The Only Game in Town (1970), The Panic in Needle Park (1971), The Gambler (1974), The Death of Richie (1977), and The Beyond (1981).
Although a member, Gallo has expressed disdain for the Screen Actors Guild, calling them "a self-serving union that has never had the best intentions of its membership in mind".
Public reception
Gallo's directorial work has been praised by many filmmakers and actors including Jean-Luc Godard, John Waters, Josh Safdie, Claire Denis, Werner Herzog, David Lowery, and Sean Penn. Actor Robert Pattinson has also cited Gallo's performance in Arizona Dream as an early influence on his career.
Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola stated that he was warned against working with Gallo, with many in the film industry describing Gallo as "a nightmare." Nonetheless, Coppola chose to cast Gallo in Tetro, and said that he found Gallo "was very intelligent and a pleasure to work with." Filmmaker Josh Safdie has also said that Gallo is "a genius. One of the smartest people I’ve ever met and known – funniest too"; while filmmaker Caveh Zahedi has written that Gallo is "one of the most talented directors of his generation". Additionally, actor Kevin Corrigan has described Gallo as "really funny", while actresses Chloë Sevigny and Courteney Cox have both spoken positively about their experiences working alongside Gallo. Actor Alden Ehrenreich has also praised Gallo as "fascinating". Conversely, actress Christina Ricci described her experience with Gallo as "working with a crazy lunatic man", and vowed to never work with him again.
Entertainment Weekly has described Gallo as "rapturous, hilarious, and notoriously acerbic", while The Independent has written that "Gallo may have an ego the size of a hot-air balloon, but even an hour in his company is wildly entertaining." The Guardian has called him a "narcissistic, fantastic director" and said that Gallo "has a reputation as not only one of the most paranoid, controlling men in movies, but also one of the funniest." The Austin Chronicle has written that Gallo is "Equally detested and adored". In 2011, GQ included Gallo on their list of The 25 Most Stylish Directors of All Time.
Among the general public, Gallo possesses a cult following, mostly relating to his films Buffalo '66 and The Brown Bunny. Gallo's cult following remains especially popular in Japan, having begun shortly after Buffalo '66 was released in the country in 1999. The Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Japan featured a survey of Gallo's art, titled the Vincent Gallo Retrospective 1977-2002, holding roughly 120 paintings, drawings and photographs by Gallo; prior to its closure in 2021.
In other media
Gallo's popularity in Japan led to him appearing or being referenced in several Japanese video games, manga comics, and anime films.
In the 2000-2013 Japanese manga series, Gantz, one vampire character is visually modeled after Gallo.
In the 2001 Japanese anime film Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Gallo visually served as the primary inspiration for the film's antagonist, Vincent Volaju.
In the 2011 Japanese video game Catherine, the game's protagonist, Vincent Brooks, is loosely based on Gallo as he appeared in Buffalo '66.
In the 2013 Japanese video game Killer Is Dead, Gallo is referenced.
Filmography
Feature films
Acting performances
Television
Short films
Music videos
Discography
Albums
It Took Several Wives (1982, Family Friend Records) as Bohack
The Way It Is Soundtrack (1984, Rojo Records)
Buffalo '66 Soundtrack (1998, Will Records)
When (2001, Warp Records)
Recordings of Music for Film (2002, Warp Records)
EPs
So Sad (2001, Warp Records)
Singles
Honey Bunny'' (2001, Warp Records)
Awards and nominations
References
External links
1961 births
Living people
American alternative rock musicians
American male film actors
Film directors from New York (state)
Male models from New York (state)
Male actors from Buffalo, New York
Volpi Cup for Best Actor winners
Warp (record label) artists
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American people of Italian descent