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Robert De Niro Jr. (born August 17, 1943) is a
two-time Academy Award-winning American film actor, director, producer and
founder of the Tribeca Film Festival.
He is critically acclaimed as one of the finest
motion picture actors and among the most famous actors of all time. Some regard
him as the successor to Marlon Brando.[citation needed] He is particularly noted
for his portrayal of mobsters in the gangster underworld, and conflicted,
troubled characters, and for his enduring collaboration with director Martin
Scorsese.
****
Birth name: Robert De Niro Jr
Date of birth: August 17, 1943
Birth location: New York City, New York
Height: 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Academy Awards: Won: Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actor (1974) for The Godfather Part II
Academy Award for Best Actor (1981) for Raging Bull
Nominated: Academy Award for Best Actor (1977) for
Taxi Driver
Academy Award for Best Actor (1979) for The Deer
Hunter
Academy Award for Best Actor (1991) for Awakenings
Academy Award for Best Actor (1992 for Cape Fear
****
Early life
De Niro was born in New York City, the son of
Robert De Niro, Sr., an abstract expressionist painter, sculptor and poet (De
Niro's great-grandparents were Italian immigrants from the village of
Ferrazzano, Molise, [1]), and Virginia Admiral, also a painter. They had met at
the painting classes of Hans Hofmann in Provincetown, Massachusetts. His parents
divorced when he was two years old.
De Niro first attended the Little Red School House
and was then enrolled by his mother at the High School of Music and Art in New
York. He dropped out at the age of 13 and joined a Little Italy street gang,
where he earned the nickname Bobby Milk due to his white complexion. He then had
a falling-out with his father, although they were eventually reconciled when, at
18, he flew to Paris to bring his father home when he had been suffering from
depression. De Niro attended the Stella Adler Conservatory, as well as Lee
Strasberg's Actor's Studio (although De Niro conflicted with Strasberg's
methods, and used his membership there mostly as a professional advantage). At
the age of 16 he toured in Chekhov's The Bear.
Film career
At age 20, in 1963, came De Niro's first important
collaboration with Brian De Palma, when he appeared in The Wedding Party; it was
not released until 1969, however. He spent much of the 1960s working in theater
workshops and off-Broadway productions. He was an extra in the French film Three
Rooms in Manhattan (1965), and was reunited with De Palma in Greetings (1968)
and Hi, Mom (1970). He gained popular attention with his role as a dying Major
League baseball player in Bang the Drum Slowly (1973). The same year he began
his fruitful collaboration with Scorsese when he played his memorable role as
the smalltime Mafia hood "Johnny Boy" alongside Harvey Keitel's "Charlie" in
Mean Streets. This led to a very successful relationship between the pair in
films such as Taxi Driver (1976), New York, New York (1977), Raging Bull (1980),
The King of Comedy (1983), Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991) and Casino
(1995). In these films, De Niro has primarily played charming sociopaths. Taxi
Driver is particularly important to De Niro's career; his iconic performance as
Travis Bickle shot him to stardom and forever linked De Niro's name with
Bickle's famous "You talkin' to me?" monologue, which De Niro himself
improvised.
In 1976 De Niro appeared, along with Gerard
Depardieu, in Bernardo Bertolucci's epic biographical exploration of life during
WWII Novecento (1900), seen through the eyes of two Italian childhood friends at
the opposite sides of society's hierarchy.
In 1978, De Niro played "Michael Vronsky" in the
acclaimed Vietnam War film The Deer Hunter. Another notable role was in Sergio
Leone's Once Upon a Time in America as the Jewish gangster "David 'Noodles'
Aaronson" (1984). Fearing he had become typecast in such roles, from the
mid-1980s, De Niro began expanding into occasional comedic roles, and has had
much success there as well with such films as Brazil (1985), Midnight Run
(1988), Wag the Dog (1997), Analyze This (1999), Analyze That (2002), Meet the
Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004).
He has won two Academy Awards: as Best Actor for
his role in Raging Bull; and as Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II.
De Niro and Marlon Brando are the only actors who
won Academy Awards for portraying the same character: Brando won for playing the
elderly Don Vito Corleone (although he declined the award) in The Godfather
while De Niro later won the award for playing the young Vito in The Godfather
Part II. Brando and De Niro did not work together on screen until The Score
(2001). De Niro actually auditioned for the role of Sonny in the first Godfather
but the role was given to James Caan. When The Godfather Part II was in
preproduction, the director, Francis Ford Coppola, remembered De Niro's
audition, and knew he was going to play young Vito Corleone. De Niro's
performance is one of only four to win an Academy Award for working in a foreign
language, as he primarily spoke Italian, with very few phrases in English ("I
didn't come here to fight with you" and "I'm going to make him an offer he can't
refuse").
Praised for his commitment to roles (stemming from
his background in Method acting), De Niro gained 60 pounds (27 kg) and learned
how to box for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, ground his teeth
for Cape Fear, lived in Sicily for The Godfather Part II, and learned to play
the saxophone for New York, New York. He also put on weight and shaved his
hairline to play Al Capone in The Untouchables.
De Niro is considered a skilled observer of
physical and trivial details, from the way a cigarette is held by a mobster in
Goodfellas to the kind of shirt-jacket the character needed to wear in Raging
Bull. In 1995 De Niro starred in Michael Mann's Heat, along with fellow actor Al
Pacino. The duo drew much attention from fans as both have generally been
compared throughout their careers. Though both Pacino and De Niro starred in The
Godfather Part II, they shared no screen time. Both performances in Heat are
considered career highlights, especially in their shared scenes.
In De Niro's next project he will direct and
co-star in The Good Shepherd (2006), also starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie.
The movie also marks the return of actor Joe Pesci, who has been offscreen for
almost a decade, in a small role.
On June 7, 2006, it was announced that De Niro has
donated his film archive, including scripts, costumes and props, to the Harry
Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin.
Personal life
De Niro has been married twice. He has a
stepdaughter, Drena (after Drina river on the border between Bosnia And Serbia,
described in Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić's book Bridge on the Drina), and a son,
Raphael, from first wife Dianne Abbott; and two sons, Julian Henry and Aaron
Kendrick, from a long-term live-in relationship with former model Toukie Smith.
Smith and De Niro's boys, who are twins, were conceived by in vitro
fertilization. Raphael, a former actor, now works in the New York real estate
market.
Since 1989, De Niro has been investing in the
TriBeCa neighborhood in lower Manhattan. His capital ventures have included
co-founding TriBeCa Productions, a film studio, the hugely popular TriBeCa Film
Festival, and the TriBeCa Grill, Nobu, and Layla, restaurants that usually need
advance reservations.
In 2004 De Niro re-married his second wife, Grace
Hightower, a former flight attendant, at their estate near Marbletown in upstate
New York. De Niro's primary residences are on the east and west sides of
Manhattan. Their son Elliot was born in 1998 and the couple filed for divorce
shortly after his birth, although the action was never officially finalized.
De Niro, whose paternal great-grandparents
emigrated from Italy (they were from Ferrazzano, in the region of Molise), was
due to be bestowed with honorary Italian citizenship at the Venice Film Festival
in September 2004. However, the Sons of Italy lodged a protest with Italian
Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, claiming that De Niro had damaged the image
of Italians and Italian-Americans by constantly portraying them in criminal
roles. Culture Minister Giuliano Urbani dismissed the objections and the
ceremony was rescheduled to go forward in Rome in October. Controversy flared
once again when De Niro failed to show for two media appearances in Italy that
October. This fuelled speculation that he had snubbed the country over the
citizenship imbroglio. De Niro denied this, blaming the non-appearances on
"serious communication problems" that weren't "handled properly" on his end and
stating, "The last thing I would want to do is offend anyone. I love Italy."
Urbani hopes to confer the honor soon, although no date has yet been fixed.
Although De Niro is also part Irish, German, Dutch and French-British, he has
stated that he identifies "more with [his] Italian side than with [his] other
parts."
De Niro is a staunch supporter of the Democratic
Party, and vocally supported Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election (in
Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11, we see a clip of De Niro standing next to
Gore at a rally; Moore identifies him as "that Taxi Driver guy"), and John Kerry
in the 2004 presidential election. In 1998, he lobbied Congress against
impeaching President Bill Clinton (he is a personal friend of the Clinton
family), and in August 2004 announced he would not collect his honorary Italian
citizenship in person so as to avoid discouraging Italians living in America
from voting for Kerry, following much controversy over the earlier citizenship
protest.
Trivia
In his early days as an actor, De Niro acted in an
off-Broadway play with actress Candy Darling.
De Niro co-owns the upscale San Francisco
restaurant Rubicon with Francis Ford Coppola and Robin Williams.
De Niro's height is 175 cm (5 ft 9 in).
De Niro is very good friends with fellow actors and
frequent co-stars, Joe Pesci and Frank Vincent.
De Niro was one of the last people to see John
Belushi before his death.
According to current Saturday Night Live director
Beth McCarthy Miller, De Niro is the worst host she's worked with.
Robert De Niro is only known as Robert to his fans.
In DVD special features, his co-stars always refer to him as Bob or Bobby.
De Niro is fluent in Italian and French.
His Italian paternal grandfather, whom he often
visited in Syracuse, New York, was a major influence on him in his youth.
Once killed a dog with a hammer after losing a bet
with friend Martin Scorsese[citation needed].
De Niro has been secretive about his prostate
cancer diagnosis (2003) and treatment, but many believe[citation needed] he
underwent a prostatectomy.
De Niro's parents are interred at Kensico Cemetery
in Valhalla, New York, and it is believed that De Niro will be interred with
them upon his death.
He held the record for most weight gained for a
movie (60 pounds) for Raging Bull (1980), until it was broken by Vincent
D'Onofrio gaining 70 pounds for Full Metal Jacket (1987). That record was
subsequently broken by Christian Bale who gained 100 pounds for Batman Begins
(2005).
Among the films in which De Niro has declined roles
are Dick Tracy, The Silence of the Lambs, The Usual Suspects, Misery, and Get
Shorty.
De Niro was cast in the role of Willy Wonka in
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when friend Martin Scorsese was attached to
direct. A role he had expressed much excitement in playing, because when he
finally gets grandkids he can tell them he was one-time a very magical chocolate
maker. When Scorsese left, De Niro's part was recast due to Felicity Dahl's
wishes.
The British girl group Bananarama released a single
entitled "Robert De Niro's Waiting" in 1983, which peaked at No. 3 in the UK
Singles Chart. The actor subsequently expressed his interest and eventually met
with the group.
Was spotted, quite easily, in disguise by
television cameras in the mid-1990s at Yankee Stadium attending baseball games
with Beverly D'Angelo wearing a fake beard and glasses under a Yankees cap.
Academy Awards and Nominations
1974 - Won - Best Actor in a Supporting Role - The
Godfather, Part II
1976 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Leading Role -
Taxi Driver
1978 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Leading Role -
Deer Hunter
1980 - Won - Best Actor in a Leading Role - Raging
Bull
1990 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Leading Role -
Awakenings
1991 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Leading Role -
Cape Fear
Preceded by:
John Houseman
for The Paper Chase Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actor
1974
for The Godfather Part II Succeeded by:
George Burns
for The Sunshine Boys
Preceded by:
Dustin Hoffman
for Kramer vs. Kramer Academy Award for Best Actor
1980
for Raging Bull Succeeded by:
Henry Fonda
for On Golden Pond
Filmography
Date Film Role Notes
2007 What Just Happened? Announced
The Winter of Frankie Machine Frankie Machine
Announced
Stardust Captain Shakespeare Filming
2006 The Good Shepherd Bill Sullivan
Post-Production
November 23, 2005 Rent (film) Producer
January 27, 2005 Hide and Seek David Callaway
December 22, 2004 The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Archbishop of Peru
Godsend Richard Wells
September 10, 2004 Shark Tale Don Lino Voice
December 16, 2004 Meet the Fockers Jack Byrnes
September 6, 2002 City by the Sea Vincent LaMarca
December 6, 2002 Analyze That Paul Vitti
March 11, 2002 Showtime Det. Mitch Preston
July 9, 2001 The Score Nick Wells
March 1, 2001 15 Minutes Detective Eddie Flemming
September 14, 2000 Men of Honor Chief Leslie W.
'Billy' Sunday
October 6, 2000 Meet the Parents Jack Byrnes
June 24, 2000 The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle
Fearless Leader
March 5, 1999 Analyze This Paul Vitti
November 24, 1999 Flawless Walt Koontz
January 30, 1998 Great Expectations Arthur Lustig
September 12, 1998 Ronin Sam
August 15, 1997 Cop Land Lt. Moe Tilden
December 25, 1997 Wag the Dog Conrad Brean
December 25, 1997 Jackie Brown Louis Gara
August 16, 1996 The Fan Gil Renard
October 18, 1996 Sleepers Father Bobby
December 18, 1996 Marvin's Room Dr. Wally
1995 A Hundred and One Nights
December 15, 1995 Heat Neil McCauley
November 22, 1995 Casino Sam 'Ace' Rothstein
November 4, 1994 Mary Shelly's Frankenstein The
Creature
March 5, 1993 Mad Dog and Glory Wayne 'Mad Dog'
Dobie
April 9, 1993 This Boy's Life Dwight Hansen
January 1, 1993 A Bronx Tale Lorenzo Anello
April 29, 1992 Mistress Evan M. Wright
October 16, 1992 Night and the City Harry Fabian
March 15, 1991 Guilty by Suspicion David Merrill
May 24, 1991 Backdraft Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale
November 13, 1991 Cape Fear Max Cady
September 12, 1990 Goodfellas Jimmy Conway
December 20, 1990 Awakenings Leonard Lowe
February 9, 1990 Stanley and Iris Stanley Everett
Cox
March 10, 1989 Jacknife Joseph 'Jacknife' Megessey
December 15, 1989 We're No Angels Ned
July 20, 1988 Midnight Run Jack Walsh
March 6, 1987 Angel Heart Louis Cypher
June 3, 1987 The Untouchables Al Capone
September 29, 1986 The Mission Rodrigo Mendoza
February 20, 1985 Brazil Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle
February 17, 1984 Once Upon a Time in America David
'Noodles' Aaronson
November 21, 1984 Falling in Love Frank Raftis
February 18, 1983 The King of Comedy Rupert Pupkin
October 2, 1981 True Confessions Des Spellacy
November 14, 1980 Raging Bull Jake La Motta
December 8, 1978 The Deer Hunter Michael Vronsky
June 21, 1977 New York, New York Jimmy Doyle
November 15, 1976 The Last Tycoon Monroe Stahr
August 15, 1976 1900 Alfredo Berlinghieri
February 8, 1976 Taxi Driver Travis Bickle
December 12, 1974 The Godfather: Part II Vito
Corleone
August 26, 1973 Bang the Drum Slowly Bruce Pearson
October 2, 1973 Mean Streets John 'Johnny Boy'
Civello
December 22, 1971 The Gang That Couldn't Shoot
Straight Mario Trantino
December 1, 1971 Born to Win Danny
Jennifer on My Mind Mardigian
April 27, 1970 Hi, Mom! Jon Rubin
March 24, 1970 Bloody Mama Lloyd Barker
1969 The Wedding Party (film) Cecil
Sam's Song Sam Nicoletti
December 15, 1968 Greetings Jon Rubin
1965 Three Rooms in Manhattan Client at the diner
Uncredited
Salary
Year Film Salary
2002 Analyze That $20,000,000
Showtime $17,500,000
2001 The Score $15,000,000
2000 Meet the Parents $13,500,000
1999 Analyze This $8,000,000
1998 Ronin $14,000,000
1976 The Last Tycoon $200,000 + percentage of gross
Taxi Driver $35,000
1969 The Wedding Party (film) $50
****
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