Before They Were Stars: Al Pacino (with a Southern accent!) in “N.Y.P.D.”

You probably never thought that the first-ever onscreen appearance of the great Al Pacino would involve him speaking in a bad Southern accent, but here’s the video evidence. After forging a successful career on stage in the late 1960s, Pacino’s first acting job in front of a camera came at the age of 28 when he guest starred on an episode of the TV crime drama, N.Y.P.D.. In the opening scene, Pacino’s character is shot and wounded and it’s later revealed that he’s a bigot who’s also a member of the Klu Klux Klan! It’s worth noting that Pacino’s girlfriend in this scene is played his real-life girlfriend at the time, Jill Clayburgh, who is also making her official debut in front of a camera and would go on to have a pretty successful acting career of her own.