Al Pacino has opened up about why he 'walked away' from marriage in his new memoir.
The Godfather actor, 84, had a string of high-profile relationships throughout his illustrious career – including Diane Keaton, Jill Clayburgh, Penelope Ann Miller, Lyndall Hobbs and Lucila Sola – but famously never married.
Writing in his memoir Sonny Boy, Al revealed that he stood strongly against such a union because he never thought it would 'help anything'.
But he came close to proposing to his ex-girlfriend and Apollo 13 actress Kathleen Quinlan, now 69.
'My time with Kathleen was the closest I ever got to marriage,' he wrote. But I always stayed away from marriage.
Al Pacino has opened up about why he never got married
The Godfather actor, 84, had high-profile relationships – but famously never married
'I don't think I see how it helps anything. I wanted to avoid what I thought was inevitable at the time, the entrance to the pain train.
He added: 'I thank God that Kathleen is my friend to this day, I love her. But saying no to the woman I fell in love with was not that easy.
'She knew what she wanted and she got it, just with someone else. It hurt when she left and I carried the hurt with me for years.
Al dated Kathleen for about two years from 1979 to 1981.
After their relationship, she married artist Warren Long in 1987. Their marriage did not last and they divorced several years later.
She later married actor Bruce Abbott in 1994. They divorced in 2022.
Although never married, Al is the father of four children from three different relationships.
He shares daughter Julie Marie, 34, with acting coach John Tarrant, and has twins Anton and Olivia, 23, with National Lampoon's Vacation actress Beverly D'Angelo.
Al dated Kathleen Quinlan for about two years from 1979 to 1981 (pictured 1983).
The actor shares fraternal twins Anton and Olivia with National Lampoon's Vacation actress Beverly D'Angelo
Most recently in June 2023, Al welcomed son Roman at the age of 83 with 30-year-old producer and executive Noor Alballah.
In August, while out in Beverly Hills, Noor was asked if she would ever consider marrying Al, to which she replied: 'I don't know.'
She has previously indicated that she has no intention of walking down the aisle with the Oscar winner in November 2023, describing herself as 'not the marrying type'.
In a recent interview, Al said that becoming a parent later in life is no different than it was in his youth.
“It's always the same,” the octogenarian acting legend told PEOPLE. 'It's always like that. It's a minor miracle. That's all I can say.
'Having children is wonderful. For me, I loved it. It changed me, if you will, for the better.
'It changed my life. The idea that you are giving your attention to other human beings who are your children… there is love.
He is 'good friends and co-parents' with his son Noor Alballa's mother (pictured)
Al and Noor welcomed son Roman in June 2023, making Al one of the oldest fathers in history.
The Hollywood legend's memoir Sunny Boy was released on October 8
Despite this, Al remains 'good friends and co-parents' with Noor and their two-year romance ended just months after their son was born.
Since splitting from Noor, she has gone on 'multiple dates' with Real Time host Bill Maher, 68, who is 38 years her senior.
Penguin Press released Sonny Boy, Pacino's first memoir, on October 8.
Al was nicknamed 'Sonny' as a rebellious teenager in a high school drama in Manhattan, made famous in Alan Parker's 1980 film Fame.
His memoir also details his time on the set of Scarface and The Godfather, in which he played mobster Michael Corleone.
The film may have earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, but he was so anxious about the possibility of being fired that he secretly hoped an ankle injury on set would allow him to walk out of the film.
