At the time of the theatrical release of *The Insider* (November 5, 1999), **Al Pacino** was the most famous actor in the film. While the movie served as a massive breakout for Russell Crowe—who would become a household name months later with *Gladiator*—Pacino was already a long-established Hollywood legend and a massive box-office draw.
### **Why Al Pacino was the most famous:**
By 1999, Al Pacino was widely regarded as one of the greatest living actors. He had already secured **eight Academy Award nominations** and had won the **Oscar for Best Actor** for *Scent of a Woman* (1992). Unlike Russell Crowe, who was still viewed as a rising talent from Australia, or Christopher Plummer, who was respected but often worked in character roles, Pacino’s name was the primary marketing hook for the film.
### **Notable Films Before 1999:**
To understand his fame at the time, his filmography includes some of the most iconic roles in cinema history:
* **The Godfather (1972) & The Godfather Part II (1974):** Pacino played **Michael Corleone**, a role that defined his career. His transition from a reluctant war hero to a cold, ruthless mafia don is often cited as one of the greatest performances in film history.
* **Serpico (1973):** He played **Frank Serpico**, a real-life whistleblower in the NYPD. This role established his reputation for playing intense, principled men fighting against corrupt systems—a theme he would revisit in *The Insider*.
* **Dog Day Afternoon (1975):** Pacino played **Sonny Wortzik**, an amateur bank robber attempting to fund his partner's gender-affirming surgery. His "Attica! Attica!" chant remains one of the most famous ad-libs in movie history.
* **Scarface (1983):** In a stark departure from his more grounded roles, he played the Cuban drug kingpin **Tony Montana**. The film became a massive cult classic and a foundational piece of pop culture.
* **Scent of a Woman (1992):** He played the blind, abrasive retired Lieutenant Colonel **Frank Slade**. This performance finally won him the Academy Award for Best Actor, famous for his "Hoo-ah!" catchphrase.
* **Heat (1995):** This film was a landmark event because it was the first time Pacino and **Robert De Niro** shared the screen together. Pacino played **Lt. Vincent Hanna**, a dedicated, high-strung detective chasing De Niro’s professional thief.
* **Donnie Brasco (1997):** Shortly before *The Insider*, Pacino received critical acclaim for playing **"Lefty" Ruggiero**, an aging, low-level mob hitman who takes an undercover FBI agent (Johnny Depp) under his wing.
### **Context of the Other Leads:**
* **Russell Crowe (Jeffrey Wigand):** Although he gave a transformative performance in *The Insider* that earned him his first Oscar nomination, he was still best known to audiences at the time for his supporting role as the "muscle" cop Bud White in ***L.A. Confidential* (1997)** and the hockey drama ***Mystery, Alaska* (1999)**.
* **Christopher Plummer (Mike Wallace):** A legendary stage and screen veteran, Plummer was most famous for playing **Captain von Trapp** in ***The Sound of Music* (1965)**. While a titan in the industry, he did not possess the "A-list movie star" status that Pacino held in the late 1990s.