Wanna Be a Wiseguy? Joe Pesci Is Selling His Jersey Shore Mansion for $6.5 Million
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Joe Pesci is parting ways with his $6.5 million mansion in Lavallette, New Jersey. The 77-year-old actor, who became famous for playing mafioso tough guys in Martin Scorsese films, decided to sell the home right before his 2019 film, "The Irishman," debuted on Netflix in November.
Perhaps his 7,219-square-foot home no longer amuses him? Maybe with his newest paycheck he’ll upgrade this $6.5 million house for an even better one?
We’re not sure, but we do have the photos of Pesci’s house for you to peruse.
The Location
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The house is located in West Point Island, a small and coveted peninsula near Ortley Beach, about 75 miles south of New York City.
The Outside
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Naturally, Pesci's house is gated. But who would be stupid enough to try and rob his home? That's worse than telling Tommy to go get his shine box.
The Entrance
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Inside the light blue door, the first thing you'll notice is the curving staircase.
The house was built in 1990, and Pesci purchased it in 1994, about three years after he won the 1991 Academy Award for best supporting actor and delivered one of the shortest speeches in the history of the Oscars.
The Entrance, Continued
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As you'll see, the eight-bedroom, eight-full-bathroom house hasn't been cleared out yet.
Pesci's decor is still here, which includes this bronze statue of a stork.
The Living Room
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In the living room, a set of barrel chairs surround a marble-topped coffee table.
In the background are various photos of Pesci, including one of him with Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta from "Raging Bull," where Pesci played LaMotta’s brother.
"Raging Bull" was Pesci’s breakthrough role. He was 37 years old.
The Living Room, Continued
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Twin pianos echo Pesci’s longtime love of music.
He has released two full albums: "Little Joe Sure Can Sing!", a covers album which he released under the name Joe Ritchie in 1968, and "Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You," an album that blended covers, jazz, comedy and hip-hop, which spawned the rap song "Wise Guy."
The Living Room, Continued
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Posters on this wall include one for Michael Jackson’s "Moonwalker," a 1988 experimental musical in which Pesci is blown up by a spaceship.
The Dining Room
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The dining room, with panoramic views of the shore, seems like a good place for a wiseguy meeting.
The Dining Room, Continued
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That built-in light fixture has several recessed lighting pods and what appears to be a large, central light source.
The Kitchen
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The home has two kitchens. This is the main one. It’s open with lots of counter space.
The Kitchen, Continued
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While not ostentatious, the kitchen certainly has some luxuries. Like those two nearly seamless refrigerators. Perhaps one is a full freezer?
The Kitchen, Continued
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The black-and-white decor is simple but elegant, if a bit dated.
The Breakfast Nook
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Right off the kitchen is this breakfast nook with a guardian snow goose statue.
The Breakfast Nook, Continued
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Windows bathe the breakfast nook in shoreline light.
A Barber's Chair
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One of Pesci’s items is this barber chair, but it’s unclear where it’s from, and we can’t make out that black-and-white photo.
Pesci does have some ties to barbershops. His mother was a barber, and Pesci started out as a barber at Mike’s Barber Shop in Pesci’s hometown of Belleville, New Jersey.
In the early 1970s, he opened his own barbershop in Nutley, New Jersey.
The Media Room
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This room is fantastic. Posters of almost every Pesci movie line the walls, from "Gone Fishin'" to "Goodfellas" to "Casino."
But the star of this living room is the "Lethal Weapon 3" pinball machine, which nobody can get too old for.
What’s most surprising is the modest entertainment system and 42-inch television. It does not seem to befit a star whose films have pulled in over $1.3 billion in North America alone.
The Bar
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Off the living room is a small bar with more Pesci posters on the wall.
The 1976 movie "Death Collector" was Pesci’s first starring role, and it’s what launched his career — De Niro saw the film and convinced Scorsese to cast him in "Raging Bull."
The film is also known as "Family Enforcer," which is what that "The Enforcer" poster must be referencing.
The ... Carousel Horse
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There’s a carousel horse in this nook. Not much else to say about that.
The Interior Balcony
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The home has two stories, and somewhere in here is an elevator. But if you take the stairs up, you’ll find this cozy interior balcony seating area.
The Master Bedroom
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For whatever reason, the bed is front and center in the middle of the master bedroom.
The room itself is sparse, with only a small bookshelf and a few books, a golfing trophy and a few pictures on the wall.
The Master Bedroom, Continued
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The shore-facing wall is lined with nearly a dozen windows, which makes for a calming sitting area.
There’s also access to a private balcony.
The Master Bathroom
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The master bathroom is spacious but simple.
The Balcony
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The private balcony offers some sweeping views of Barnegat Bay.
Far in the distance is Shelter Cove.
The Office
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The master bedroom connects to a private office. Pesci has outfitted these walls with dozens of plaques, awards and pictures of his various accomplishments.
The Office, Continued
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Many of the plaques and photos are of Pesci playing golf, and charity golf tournaments are possibly the only place to catch Pesci for a brief interview.
A recent interview was with Joe Henry of New Jersey 101.5 in October 2019. He explicitly stated that he did not want to talk about "The Irishman."
When asked what his favorite thing about New Jersey was, he said, "I was born here." They should put that on the license plates.
The Bedrooms
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There is ample space in the home’s six guest bedrooms. Like the entire mansion, each of them is conservatively decorated.
The Bedrooms, Continued
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Pesci’s return to film is rather unusual. The actor retired in 1999, but has occasionally come back to film.
He first returned for a cameo in De Niro’s "The Good Shepard" in 2006.
In 2010, he returned to co-star alongside Helen Mirren in "Love Ranch," a triangle love story set in a 1970s brothel.
The Bedrooms, Continued
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It’s possible that "The Irishman" will be Pesci’s last role, given that the actor is so reluctant to act.
Despite reuniting with Scorsese, De Niro and Al Pacino, Pesci is said to have been asked about 50 times before he signed onto the project, according to Deadline.
The Bedrooms, Continued
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This bedroom has a semicircle closet positioned right near the doorway. Or at least we think it’s a closet.
Maybe it’s where Pesci hides the table vice. (You can look up that scene from "Casino" yourself. We’re not linking to it.)
The Bedrooms, Continued
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That plant’s tendrils have their own plant stand.
The Second Kitchen
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The downstairs second kitchen is more robustly equipped for cooking than the upstairs kitchen. This one is outfitted with large stainless steel appliances and a huge sink. It might be the place where Pesci once gained 30 pounds for a role as mafioso Angelo Ruggiero in a film titled "Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father."
That role never happened. Pesci sued Fiore Films in 2011, claiming that the production company intentionally cut his role and gave him a smaller role, and thus a smaller paycheck, just so the company could say they had Pesci on board.
It’s a good thing he never made that movie. The film that finally got made was "Gotti," starring John Travolta. It has a zero percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Party Area
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But feeding Joe Pesci isn’t the only thing this kitchen is for. It’s a cookery made for cooking for large amounts of guests.
Here, there’s a large game room/party area with enough room for a few dozen people.
The Deck
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The party area leads to the back deck with a pool and heated spa.
The Deck, Continued
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The pool and spa have some nice views.
The Boat Dock
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Pesci’s house comes with its own boat dock, although his boat is not pictured.
The Boat Dock, Continued
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Pesci was nominated for the best supporting actor at the 2020 Academy Awards for his role in "The Irishman." Pesci didn't win, nor did he attend the event.
The Exterior
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At the awards ceremony, actor Ray Ramano, who had a small part in "The Irishman," made a joke involving Pesci that had to be censored. According to Cinema Blend, this is what was said:
"All joking aside, I do want to say I saw how talented hair and makeup people are. On 'The Irishman,' they would transform us every day. I would just sit there and be amazed. And then Pesci would come in and say, 'Get the f--- out of my chair.'"
The Exterior, Continued
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Approximately 17.1 million people viewed "The Irishman" during its first-week debut on Netflix, making it one of the streaming service's biggest hits.
Or at least 17.1 million people watched the first two minutes, which counts as a view for the company.
The Exterior, Continued
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Even if it sells for below asking, it's not that big of a deal. Pesci is estimated to worth $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
The Exterior, Continued
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The driveway has plenty of room for cars.
West Point Island Living
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At $6.5 million, Pesci's house is the most expensive listing by far (currently the next most expensive listing is $1.9 million).
The average price in Lavallette over the past year was $570,134, according to Zillow.
West Point Island is one of the town's most coveted areas.
It's Very Private
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In this aerial shot from the water, you can see why these homes command such higher prices than the rest of town.
The Mortgage: $28,000
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At 7,200 square feet, the house is one of the largest on the block. The price comes to about $900 per square foot.
Would-be buyers will have to pony up about $28,000 a month for a 4 percent, 30-year fixed mortgage to live like Pesci does in Jersey.
His Last Movie?
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Since Pesci had to be coaxed into co-starring "The Irishman," it seems like the man has retired from acting.
Thankfully, we got to see the main crew from the best mob movies ever made one last time.
The Cast Reunited
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Actors Joe Pesci, left, and Al Pacino attend the world premiere of "The Irishman" at Alice Tully Hall during the opening night of the 57th New York Film Festival on Sept. 27, 2019, in New York.
The Cast Reunited
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Robert De Niro, left, and Joe Pesci accepted the guy movie hall of fame award for "Casino" at the Guys Choice Awards at Sony Pictures Studios in 2016 in Culver City, California.
The Cast Reunited
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Joe Pesci, left, actor Al Pacino, director Martin Scorsese, actor Harvey Keitel and actor Robert De Niro pose together at the world premiere of "The Irishman" in New York in September 2019.
The Cast Reunited
Actor Sebastian Maniscalco, left, actress Kathrine Narducci, actor Joe Pesci, actor Al Pacino, director Martin Scorsese, actor Robert De Niro and actor Harvey Keitel pose together at the world premiere of "The Irishman" in New York.His Big Win
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He may have lost out to Brad Pitt for the best supporting actor award in 2020, but Pesci beat him to it 29 years earlier.