Vincent Gallo Overview

Vincent Gallo is an American film actor, director, producer, screenwriter, singer-songwriter, and painter. Although he has had minor roles in mainstream films such as Goodfellas, he is most associated with independent movies. Buffalo '66, which he wrote, directed, and starred in,... [more]

Vincent Gallo is an American film actor, director, producer, screenwriter, singer-songwriter, and painter. Although he has had minor roles in mainstream films such as Goodfellas, he is most associated with independent movies. Buffalo '66, which he wrote, directed, and starred in, is considered his most notable film. In the 1980s, Gallo worked as a figurative painter in New York City, performed in a rap duo, and played in a band called Bohack. In the late 1990s, Gallo played in a rock band called Bunny, and in the early 2000s, he released several recordings. Both of Vincent Gallo's parents emigrated from Sicily. After his father kicked him out of the house at the age of 16, Gallo began living in New York City and from there traveled around most of Europe. As a teenager, Gallo was frequently arrested for petty crimes and for indecent exposure, and has reminisced in print about his compulsive teenage masturbatory habits. While living in New York, Gallo was a go-go dancer at various gay clubs and has also admitted to prostituting himself to gay clientele. " I did do sexual things for money. With men, I've never performed or had fellatio performed, but I did do jerk-off things. I would go in a peep booth and watch straight porn and get paid 5 or 10 dollars to have somebody watch me masturbate." Since 2004, Gallo is known to be suffering from prostatitis. Gallo has modeled, most notably for Calvin Klein, and been photographed by Richard Avedon. He first began painting, then racing motorcycles, and finally became an actor. He has directed two films, Buffalo '66 and The Brown Bunny. Buffalo '66, which he wrote, directed, and starred in, is considered his most notable work. Gallo is known for his outspoken views and claims, once stating: "I stopped painting in 1990 at the peak of my success just to deny people my beautiful paintings; and I did it out of spite." Gallo has recently appeared as a model in H&M Spring 2009 Collection with Eva Herzigova [show less]