John Turturro has been an integral part of Hollywood as an actor and a filmmaker. The Primetime Emmy Award winner received his big break in the 1987 crime drama film Five Corners. The veteran actor has proved that no role is small enough if you have a big enough talent. He might not have signed a lot of films as the lead but is always remembered for delivering the best in class characters. As you have seen him in many famous movies and with many famous actors & actresses. In Transformers, you have seen him with the Ultimate Megan Fox. His way of delivering complex characters in a simplified way has always made him stand out of the crowd.
Today’s generation will most certainly remember the actor as the crime lord Carmine Falcone from The Batman. But his true cinematic masterpieces are where you will find the most interesting gems of Hollywood.
He seamlessly adapts to a vast variety of genres from comedy to drama, which the audience has equally appreciated. With all these years worth of experience and expertise, John Turturro was entitled to the jury of the New York International Children’s Film Festival.
John Turturro Personal Life
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Turturro is of Italian descent with roots in Sicily. His mother was brought up in an orphanage and his father immigrated from Italy to the US at the age of six and worked as a carpenter. Turturro went to the State University of New York and graduated in theatre arts and later went to the Yale School of Drama for his master’s in Fine Arts.
John Turturro got married to actress Katherine Borowitz in 1985 and the couple has two children together. They met each other at Yale University in the early 1980s. Turturro has confessed that he fell for Katherine instantly and that it was love at first sight. Katherine switched to social work in 2016 and likes to stay low-key.
Let’s take a look at the best John Turturro movies and TV shows from his grand career graph:
Barton Fink
Barton Fink is one of the early movies of John Turturro’s career. Released in 1991, the period, psychological crime comedy premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for three Academy Awards. Turturro featured as the lead character, Barton Fink, and won the Best Actor award.
The movie is about the titular character, Barton Fink, who is a renowned Broadway playwriter. Fink is more than excited when he gets an invitation to work in Hollywood. But what awaits him is not the dark side of the glam and glitter world.
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Watch the trailer for Barton Fink:
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O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The comedy-drama film was released in 2000 and stars George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson in the lead. The movie is set during the 1930s in rural Mississippi and follows the chronicles of three escaped convicts, Everet, Pete Hogwallop, and Delmar O’Donnell.
After successfully escaping the prison the trio sets out on an adventurous journey to look for a hidden treasure as per Pete’s claims. As they set out their journey they come across a blind man who predicts that the treasure they are looking for is not the actual treasure. What follows is a fun-filled but emotional ride for the group as they learn the value of friendship and family.
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Watch the trailer for O Brother, Where Art Thou:
Quiz Show
The movie was released in 1994 starring John Turturro as Herbie Stempel, Ralph Fiennes as Charles Van Doren, and Rob Morrow as Goodwin. The movie is based on America’s infamous quiz show scandals of the 1950s.
The movie revolves around the quiz show Twenty-One Quiz. John Turturro plays the character of Herb Stempel, the whistleblower on the fraudulent nature of the quiz shows back in the 1950s. The movie highlighted how the seemingly ‘reality’ shows are actually fake and manipulate the audience for views. But is this case as simple as it sounds?
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Watch the trailer for Quiz Show:
The Night of
The crime drama miniseries The Night of was released in 2016 and is based on the hit British series, Criminal Justice. The series saw Joh Turturo as a lawyer, John Stone. The series also stars Riz Ahmed as Nasir Khan who is accused of murdering a mysterious woman.
The miniseries aired on HBO and was well received by the audience. The plot revolves around the complicated case of an American-Pakistani student, Nasir, who has no memory of the night when the mysterious woman was murdered and John Stone takes up his case to prove his client’s innocence and his worth as a lawyer.
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Watch the trailer for The Night of:
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The Sicilian
The movie was released in 1987 and is set in the early 1950s, just after World War 2. The movie is about Salvatore Giuliano who along with his followers tries to liberate Sicily from Italian rule. Giuliano is known as the messiah of the poor as he robs the rich and corrupt and gives it to the poor peasants.
John Turturro plays the character of Aspanu Pisciotta, the close advisor of Mafia Don Masino Croce. When Giuliano’s ego grows due to his popularity, Don assigns Pisciotta to kill Giuliano.
IMDb Rating: 5.4/10
Watch the trailer for The Sicilian:
Miller’s Crossing
Miller’s Crossing marked the first collaboration between the Coen Brothers and Turturro which was later marked as one of the most successful combinations in Hollywood. The neo-noir gangster movie was released in 1990 and was selected to open the New York film festival that year. Though the movie did not perform well back then, years later in 2005, Miller’s Crossing made it to the Time’s Top 100 greatest films.
Turturro’s acting stood out in the movie and was appreciated by fans and critics equally. He played the character of Bernie Bernbaum, a bookie, who has created problems between two mob bosses. The scene in the woods where Bernie can be seen hysterically beginning his life became an instant hit.
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Watch the trailer for Miller’s Crossing:
The Batman
One of the latest movies in the John Turturro movies and tv shows, The Batman, was released in 2022 and became a box office success. The movie was nominated for the 95th Academy Awards in three different categories. The movie stars, Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, The Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Selina, Jeffery Wright as Lt. James Gordon, and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone.
Falcone is the Gotham City mob boss and is not your regular superhero villain. Despite not having any supernatural powers he is considered dangerous for his clever mind and influence. It was later revealed that the actor contributed to improvising the character in multiple ways.
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Watch the trailer for The Batman:
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The Big Lebowski
If you are a true blue cinema enthusiast, The Big Lebowski needs no introduction. The 1998 crime comedy movie is a cult classic. The movie stars Jeff Bridges as ‘the dude’, John Goodman as Walter Sobchak, and John Turturro as Jesus Quintana.
The movie is about how everyone gets confused between two people who share the same name but totally opposite lifestyles. ‘The dude’ can be seen constantly being victimized as thugs take him for the rich Lebowski. What follows is a fun-filled parody storyline that is sure to tickle your bones.
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Watch the trailer for The Big Lebowski:
The Plot Against America
The HBO’s miniseries The Plot Against America, is based on Philip Roth’s novel of the same name. The series aired on HBO in 2020 and starred Morgan Spector, Winona Ryder, John Turturro, Zoe Kazan, and Caleb Malis among others.
The plot creates an alternate history where in the 1940 American election, Franklin D. Roosevelt is defeated and Charles Lindbergh takes charge. The plot is narrated from the point of view of a middle-class Jewish family in New Jersey.
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Watch the trailer for The Plot Against America:
Do The Right Thing
Do The Right Thing is one of the early-day projects of John Turturro movies and tv shows list where he got to share the screen space with some brilliant actors like Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, and Giancarlo Esposito.
John Turturro’s character, Pino, is the antagonist in the story. Pino is a racist and the son of an Italian restaurant owner. Even with the limited screen time, Turturro’s acting stood out and managed to drag the attention of the audience and critics toward him.
IMDb Rating: 8/10
Watch the trailer for Do The Right Thing:
Conclusion
It’s impossible to summarise the best John Turturro movies and TV shows, given the vast range of impressive work by the actor. With more than 60 films under his belt, actors like Turturro are a gift to the industry as well as cinema enthusiasts. From working with the biggest names in Hollywood to becoming the big name in Hollywood, Turturro has shown what a talented actor is capable of.
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Soumya Nair is an entertainment industry enthusiast who loves to write and bring in all the gossip and news to everyone interested. She always make sure to keep a keen eye on everything that goes behind the glam and glitter of the industry.
