Joseph Peter "Joe" Pantoliano is an American actor and voice actor, known for his distinctive raspy Jersey-esque voice. He is best known for playing Ralph Cifaretto in the HBO crime drama series The Sopranos, Norby in the 1994 Fox family comedy film Baby's Day Out, and Captain Howard in the Bad Boys franchise. He is also well-known for voicing Martini the penguin in the 1999 3D computer-animated Christmas comedy film Olive, the Other Reindeer, Peek in the 2001 spy-comedy film Cats & Dogs and its 2010 sequel, Goose the pelican in the 2005 sports comedy film Racing Stripes, and Sparky in the short-lived Beethoven animated series.
For Disney, he portrayed Ronnie in The Wonderful World of Disney episode "Rock 'n' Roll Mom". He also voiced Great King Pan in the Hercules episode "Hercules and the King For a Day". Additionally, he played Gabe Ugliano in the 2010 Fox film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
Pantoliano was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, the son of Italian-American parents Mary (née Centrella) and Dominic "Monk" Pantoliano. His mother was a bookmaker and seamstress, while his father was a hearse driver and factory foreman. His family moved to Cliffside Park, New Jersey, where he attended Cliffside Park High School. He attended the HB Studio and studied extensively under actors Herbert Berghof and John Lehne.
Pantoliano has published two memoirs and is active in the field of mental health, having documented his mother's issues and his own. He founded the nonprofit No Kidding! Me 2!!, which is dedicated to removing the stigma from mental illness.