As one of today's best-known character actors, Joe Pantoliano boasts over 100 film, television, and stage credits. Joey Pants—as he is affectionately known—has been revered and honored for his unique and entertaining portrayals—including killer pimp Guido in Risky Business, bumbling criminal Francis Fratelli in The Goonies, double-crossing bail bondsman Eddie Moscone in Midnight Run, cynical US Marshall Cosmo Renfro in The Fugitive, turncoat Cypher in The Matrix, and shady sidekick Teddy in Memento.

In 2001, at the behest of producer David Chase, Pantoliano joined the cast of the landmark HBO series The Sopranos. While portraying psychopathic mobster Ralphie Cifaretto on the hit show, the actor published Who's Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-Up Guy, a bittersweet memoir about his New Jersey childhood and his mother’s mental illness that was a New York Times best seller.
Pantoliano produced and starred in Canvas, a feature film that portrays a family’s struggle with mental illness, which won Best Feature Film and landed Pantoliano the Outstanding Actor Award in 2006. He also serves as co-president of the Creative Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan social and political advocacy organization of the entertainment industry.

Inspired by his role in Canvas, Pantoliano created No Kidding, Me Too!, a nonprofit dedicated to removing the stigma associated with mental illness. Continuing to spread his message, Pantoliano made his directorial debut with an informative and moving documentary titled No Kidding, Me Too!, seeking to promote mental health and awareness. It became an integral piece of the Stomp the Stigma tour which included a 12-day stay in Iraq, visiting troops and addressing mental illness.

His second book, Asylum: Hollywood Tales from My Great Depression: Brain Dis-Ease, Recovery, and Being My Mother's Son, was published in May 2012. A humorous and candid account of his own journey through clinical depression, Asylum chronicles Pantoliano’s quest for fame and the downhill spiral into depression and addiction that followed his success. By charting his own diagnosis and recovery, he hopes to educate others and remove the stigma from mental illness.