As a filmmaker, Gallo directed, wrote, and starred in three independent films, Buffalo '66 (1998), The Brown Bunny (2003), and Promises Written in Water (2010). Buffalo '66 received critical acclaim; The Brown Bunny proved divisive and sparked several controversies; and Promises Written in Water received mostly negative reviews, though a minority of critics lauded it.
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.[7] Gallo was raised Catholic, and made his First Communion in 1969.[8]
Gallo's parents are Sicilian and worked as hairdressers, with his father having retired to be "a gambler."[9]
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."[10] Growing up, Gallo says that his 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."[7] Gallo's mother also forbade him from decorating his own room, which he shared with his siblings and grandfather,[11] and from owning a guitar, leading Gallo to secretly hide the latter underneath his bed. Gallo has attributed his self-described controlling and perfectionist nature as a filmmaker to his childhood experiences.[11]
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.[12]
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.[7][13] He took up various jobs, including ones working in a hi-fi guitar shop and as a restaurant dishwasher.[14]
Gallo went on to race motorbikes professionally, without training, in Formula II.[15] Gallo performed at a professional level in Grand Prix racing,[16] racing for Yamaha,[12] 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.[17] He also went on to become a successful painter.[10]
In 1998, Gallo released his directorial debut film, Buffalo '66. The film received positive critical reception and was nominated for an award for "Best First Feature" at the Independent Spirit Awards.[18] 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."[18]
During filming, 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.[19] 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."[20]
2000s
In 2001, Gallo again collaborated with Denis, and appeared in her film Trouble Every Day.[21]
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."[18] Film critic Roger Ebert stated that The Brown Bunny was the worst film in the history of Cannes.[22] 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.[22] Ebert then responded – adapting 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."[23] 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."[24]
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.[25] 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."[20]
Gallo was strongly considered for and almost cast as Uncle Rico in the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite, though the role ultimately went to Jon Gries.[26]
In 2010, Gallo won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 67th Venice International Film Festival for his non-speaking role in Essential Killing. Gallo 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.[28][29]
At the festival, Gallo's third feature film, Promises Written in Water, debuted. It was also screened once at 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.[30] 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."[31] As of 2024, Promises Written in Water is not available to watch, and has not been screened since 2010.
During the Venice festival, Gallo also released a short film, titled The Agent, which was nominated for Best Short Film. The Agent starred Sage Stallone, and has also only ever been screened twice, with Gallo having no plans to re-release it to the public.[20]
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.[32] Later that year, he appeared in Julie Delpy's2 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.[33] Delpy wrote the role with Gallo specifically in mind, who agreed to the part after reading the screenplay.[34]
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.[35] That year, Gallo also co-starred with Kōichi Satō and Yoo Ji-tae in Junji Sakamoto's film, Human Trust.[36]
In January 2024, it was revealed that Gallo is set to appear alongside actor James Franco in Jordan Gertner's upcoming film The Policeman, where Gallo will portray serial killer and rapist Joseph James DeAngelo. Gertner previously served as a producer for Buffalo '66 (1998).[37]The Policeman was shot in Portland,[38] and is now in post-production.[39]
After filming, reports emerged that Gallo was anonymously accused by two actresses, who do not star in the film, of making lewd comments during auditions. Their allegation promoted an investigation by the Screen Actors Guild, who monitored the film's production. Gertner and the film's production company, Pacific Media Productions, both issued a statement in defense of Gallo. Their statement said that an intimacy coordinator was utilized during filming and that "the production of the picture was carried out in a safe, protective and respectful environment"; while adding that the film's cast and crew are "proud of the movie we have made."[39]
In October, Franco stated that he was unsure of when The Policeman would release, noting that "there is fighting over the cut".[38]
Music and modeling career
Music
Gallo performing in 2005
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.[40] 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.[41]
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.[40] 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.[40][42]
On August 3, 2013, Vincent Gallo headlined the 3rd Annual San Frandelic Summer Fest in San Francisco.[43]
In January 2025, Gallo's new album, Butterfly, is set to be released; Gallo co-created the album with musician Harper Simon. Gallo claims that the album was originally recorded in 2021, but had its release cancelled by Because Music due to his political views. Gallo's self-owned label, Family Friend Records, later purchased the rights to the album and finalized its release.[45]
Modeling
In 1990, Gallo modeled for Calvin Klein.[13] In 2007, Gallo modeled for Stefano Pilati's menswear campaign,[46] and was also photographed for Supreme.[47] In 2009, Gallo appeared as a model in H&M Spring Collection alongside Eva Herzigova.[48] He later did a fashion campaign and photo shoot with G-Star Raw jeans in Fall 2011.[49] In 2017, Gallo modeled glasses for Persol in their Spring/Summer campaign.[50] From 2017 through 2018, Gallo also appeared as a model, photographed in black-and-white, in the Saint Laurent SS18 campaign.[46]
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.[51]
During his childhood, Gallo was close friends with author William S. Burroughs, and lived in Burroughs' house for six months.[57] Gallo also knew poet John Giorno, who lived with Burroughs at the time. Throughout their lives, Burroughs and Gallo exchanged postcards, letters, and mixtapes.[11]Ohio State University holds one of Gallo's letters to Burroughs among its archival collection.[58]
Gallo has garnered fame for making incendiary and provocative comments. When once asked by an interviewer if he was Jewish, Gallo replied, "No, I do not have the Jew gene."[5] On his website, Gallo offers himself as an escort to women for $50,000; and sells his sperm for $1,000,000.[66] His website has been labeled as satirical by media outlets such as The Daily Wire,[4] and has drawn the scorn of other outlets, such as The Guardian.[67] Gallo has stated in interviews that his website and provocative statements are satire, and has mocked critics who have interpreted them as serious.[68][69]
Politics
"A lot of people think of me as homophobic, a racist, a sexist, a nationalist, a Bush lover, a Nixon lover. The truth is, I'm reactive against protest, because I think protest comes from ego. The ugliest sound I ever heard in my life was coming from an anti-war protest. The most angry, bitter voices, I ever heard in my fucking life...You give more attention to inequality by protest." - Gallo, "The Context of Gallo" interview (2009)[70]
Gallo is a fan of U.S. President Richard Nixon, describing him as an "intellectual".[71] Gallo claims to have met Nixon when he was six years old, during the time when he lived with Burroughs.[5]
In 2004, Gallo appeared in the documentary, Rated R: Republicans in Hollywood, discussing the political discrimination he has faced in the film industry as a conservative.[73] He also spoke at the Women's National Republican Club, where he expressed his support for President George W. Bush, saying that "you know the United States has a great President...when the French hate him!"[72] Later that year, Gallo also met Barbara Bush and Lauren Bush, attending a fashion show alongside them.[74]
In 2018, Gallo expressed his support for President Donald Trump, writing that he is "extremely proud [Trump] is the American President."[20][75] 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";[52] and donated $250 to the campaign of Republican Representative Juan Ciscomani.[76]
In August 2024, Gallo met Trump and endorsed him in the 2024 presidential election;[77][78] while calling Trump "the greatest president the USA has ever produced."[64]
Although a member,[88] 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".[89]
Gallo's directional work has received more polarized reception from critics. Buffalo '66 (1998) received generally positive reviews from critics, and was praised by Ebert,[99]Elvis Mitchell,[100] and Andrew Johnston.[101] Conversely, The Brown Bunny (2004) received mixed reviews. Ebert described the initial 119-minute festival cut of the film as the worst film in the history of Cannes, though later praised the 93-minute cut of the film, awarding it 3/4 stars.[93] Moria McDonald of The Seattle Times gave the film a negative review, calling it a "self-indulgent and seemingly endless road movie".[102]Manohla Dargis gave the film a mixed review, describing it as "Neither an atrocity nor a revelation".[103]Promises Written in Water (2010) received mostly negative reviews, including from Leslie Felperin of Variety,[104] Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter,[105] and Xan Brooks of The Guardian.[106] It received a mixed review from Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club,[107] and a positive one from Truls Lie of Modern Times Review.[108]
In 2010, Empire listed Buffalo '66 (1998) as the 36th-greatest independent film ever made, calling it a "mini masterpiece".[109] French cinema magazine Les Cahiers du Cinéma voted The Brown Bunny (2004) one of the ten best films of the year;[110] while The Daily Telegraph listed it as one of the 100 "defining" films of the decade.[111]Film Comment also included it among the best unreleased films of 2003, ranking it 14th.[112]
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 (2009), and said that he found Gallo "was very intelligent and a pleasure to work with."[120] Filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski praised Gallo's performances and described him as a method actor, but stated that he was difficult to direct and prone to anger.[121] Filmmaker Josh Safdie has also said that Gallo is "a genius. One of the smartest people I’ve ever met and known – funniest too";[115] while filmmaker Caveh Zahedi has written that Gallo is "one of the most talented directors of his generation".[85] Additionally, actor Kevin Corrigan has described Gallo as "really funny",[122] while actresses Chloë Sevigny,[113]Julie Delpy,[123] and Courteney Cox[124] have all spoken positively about their experiences working alongside Gallo. Actor Alden Ehrenreich has also praised Gallo as "fascinating".[125] Conversely, actress Christina Ricci described her experience with Gallo as "working with a crazy lunatic man", and vowed to never work with him again.[19]
Entertainment Weekly has described Gallo as "rapturous, hilarious, and notoriously acerbic",[126] 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."[120]The Guardian has called him a "narcissistic, fantastic director"[127] 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."[5]The Austin Chronicle has written that Gallo is "Equally detested and adored".[59] In 2011, GQ included Gallo on their list of The 25 Most Stylish Directors of All Time.[128]
Among the general public, Gallo possesses a cult following, mostly relating to his films Buffalo '66 (1998) and The Brown Bunny (2004).[5][4] Gallo's cult following remains especially popular in Japan, having begun shortly after Buffalo '66 was released in the country in 1999.[6] 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;[129] 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 2003 Japanese video game Silent Hill 3, the character Vincent Smith had his name and visual appearance inspired by Gallo.[131] Additionally, a photograph from Buffalo '66 appears as an easter egg in the game.
In the 2011 Japanese video game Catherine, the game's protagonist, Vincent Brooks, is loosely based on Gallo as he appeared in Buffalo '66.[132]
In the 2013 Japanese video game Killer Is Dead, Gallo is referenced.
^Spencer, Liese (October 1, 1998). "Handpicked to be a wise guy". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
^Alson, Stuart. "Vincent Gallo". Independent Film Quarterly. I think the liberal mainstreamers in the press may be trying hard to eliminate antagonism and they may not have a sense of humor. In any case they seem to react harshly to things I say that they feel are offensive racially, religiously or regarding sexual preference. What is so odd to me is that if we are all equal and truly connected which I believe, then my remarks make no sense other than as humor. Yet my comments enrage so many who pantomime sensitivity in this regard.
^Fagan, Mark (November 30, 2007). "Every Last World: Vincent Gallo - The Complete Transcript". The Austin Chronicle. It's so embarrassing to me that I've created, let's say, a vocabulary or a character that sort of mocks and mimics that stuff, because the only thing I find entertaining about it is in humor. ... So I play this role. I use these slurs or these outlandish concepts, which are so obviously meant to be funny or absurdist, at least absurdist. No hate group has ever reached out to me.
