John Turturro

Actor John Turturro is a regular of the sibling director Joel and Ethan Coen’s acting “troupe.” John Turturro has appeared in a total four of the Coen Brother’s films. John Turturro’s first appearance in a Coen Brother’s film was in 1990 in the film Miller’s Crossing as Bernie Bernbaum. Bernie Bernhaum is an obviously Jewish bookie who betrays his peers for his own gain. John Turturro did not win any awards for this role. John Turturro’s next appearance in a Coen Brother’s film was a year later in the film Barton Fink as the lead character Barton Fink. Barton Fink is a New York City Playwright who is given an oppurtunity to write scripts for movies in Hollywood. Again, John Turturro plays a stereotypical Jewish man. His appearance can be compared to real-life writer Clifford Odets with is thick framed glasses and frizzy hair. The Coen Brothers admit to using Clifford Odets as an influence on their character Barton ^[1]. John Turturro won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actor for his role as Barton Fink^[2]. John Turturro’s next Coen Brother’s role came in 1998 in The Big Lebowski as Jesus Quintana. Jesus Quintana is one of the opponents that The Dude (Jeff Bridges) and his bowling team must face in their bowling league semi finals match. Jesus Quintana is of Latino descent, likes to trash talk, and is shown wearing an all purple bowling uniform and a hairnet. Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) calls Jesus Quintana a “pederast” and explains that he spent six months in a prison called Chino for exposing himself to an 8-year old. Jesus Quintana then confronts Walter Sobchak about his agressive attitude during a previous game and gives what is arguably one of the films best dialogue’s. John Turturro did not win any awards for his role in The Big Lebowski. John Turturro’s most recent role in a Coen Brother’s film was in 1999 in O Brother, Where Art Thou? as Pete. Pete along with Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) and Delmar O’Donnell (Tim Blake Nelson) are the film’s three main characters. Together they escape a chain gang and travel across the South in search of a treasure promised to them by Ulysses Everett McGill. Pete’s past is somewhat a mystery. He has a strong sense of loyalty towards his family as regardless of the fact that his cousin Washington B. Hogwallop (Frank Collison) attempts to turn the group over the police. Later in the film the group come upon a church group performing baptisms in a nearby creek. When Pete and Delmar O’Donnell here the preacher announce that a baptism will clear them of their past sins they hurriedly run into the creek and are saved. However, Ulysses Everett McGill thinks that this ritual is merely superstition and repeatedly make fun of Pete and Delmar O’Donnell for their beliefs. John Turturro was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for On-screen Team along with George Clooney and Time Blake Nelson^[3]