"It ain't easy raising kids," laughs Sal Pacino, father of film star Al Pacino and three daughters. Pacino lights up when he talks of Al, stating, "He's the hardest-working guy I know and a great actor," but this dad is just as proud of his girls' accomplishments.

His oldest daughter, Josette, teaches high school while working toward her master's degree with the goal of teaching college students. "Josette taught drama and you should see her act!" Pacino says. He proudly states that one of his twin daughters, Roberta, recently completed a documentary for the Museum of Natural History in Oklahoma and the other twin, Paula, has a beautiful singing voice and competed in beauty pageants but is now focusing on raising his grandkids. Pacino's youngest daughter, whom he adopted at age 17 when her mother (Pacino's former wife) died, enjoys working in the glitzy food, beverage and hotel industry in Palm Springs.

"Seeing my kids succeed and be happy is the best thing in life," Pacino says. He recommends helping kids find a career that makes them happy and then encouraging them to work hard. He thinks it's more difficult to raise kids now than when his children were little because of today's negative temptations, but his family philosophy of mutual respect will always remain timeless. "I respect my kids and they respect me and that counts for a lot," he says.

Pacino recalls a time when his granddaughter asked for help in buying a condo. "I lent her the money, and I love helping my kids and grandkids financially, but I have them write me a check as a promise to pay the money back when they can," he says. He laughs that some of the checks are gathering dust in a drawer, and that's fine with him, but the kids eventually reimburse him and this teaches them responsibility. "If they borrow from a bank it costs them," he says. "With me it's only costing me interest. Big deal."

It's not easy to get his whole family together, but Pacino loves to round up his kids, 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren for an Italian feast, especially when it includes a big, bubbling pot of Pacino's Low Calorie Italian Spaghetti. Dinner might include a karaoke session afterwards since Pacino loves to sing and dance with his family.

Yes, this charismatic 77-year-old is still dancing. In fact, he has never lacked energy. "I grew up in East Harlem, N.Y., and the people there had money, fast cars and pretty women but they were in the rackets," Pacino says. "I knew one thing: I didn't want to spend time in jail, but I liked the nice things so I decided to have them for my family even if it meant working five jobs."

He really did balance five jobs, and thanks to hard work, he has plenty of nice things today, but like Al (currently juggling several movies), this patriarch hasn't lost his enthusiasm for hard work. In 1981 Pacino "retired" after 30 years as a Metropolitan Life insurance agent and owner of beauty supply stores, but he immediately opened Pacino's Lounge, a hotel, restaurant and night club in Covina, Calif., where he sang and danced nightly for the next 15 years.

Currently he works with the Silver Foxes, an organization of men and women who are parents of some of the world's most recognizable celebrities, including Cindy Crawford's mom, Jenny, and Magic Johnson's mom, Christine. Last October Pacino flew to New York City for multiple television interviews to promote his video Silver Foxes Power Pilates 2.

When he's not working, Pacino loves spending time with his grandkids. Recently he and his granddaughter ducked out of a swanky birthday party to visit the Central Park Zoo in New York. And he adores Al and Beverly D'Angelo's baby twins. "Beverly called me when she found out she was having twins and joked 'this is all your fault!' because we have twins in our family," he says, laughing. Pacino was thrilled to welcome a second generation of twins. And he can't help glowing when mentioning his grandson, Chad. "Chad is only 11, but he has an IQ of 141 and is attending college," Pacino says. "He's got two videos in Blockbuster on how to teach kids to use the Internet. He's amazing!"

Pacino has been married to actress and make-up artist Katherin Kovin-Pacino for more than six years. He fondly refers to her as "the other part of my memory," a "beautiful woman" and "a good person." They love to go dancing together and savor Italian food, and when Katherin gets that spaghetti pot boiling the rest of the family comes running. Sal Pacino is up for several parts in movies (as an Italian don), and like a satisfied movie patriarch, he pushes back his plate after a hearty meal and surveys his growing brood with a contented smile.

Sal Pacino passed away January 12, 2005, at the age of 82 from a heart attack. This interview was conducted in 2001.