Robert De Niro
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Last Updated: 6/16/25
Real Name: Robert Anthony De Niro
Born: August 17, 1943
Height: 5' 8"
Grade: A+
Actor/Movie Star: 90%-10%
Prime Years: 1973-74, 1976-78, 1980-82, 1984-91, 1994-2000, and 2008
Most Famous Films: The Godfather Part II (1974) and Taxi Driver (1976)
Most Infamous Film: Godsend (2004)
Masterpiece: The Godfather Part II (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), and Raging Bull (1980)
Outstanding: Mean Streets (1973), The King of Comedy (1982),
Falling in Love (1984), The Untouchables (1987), Cape Fear (1991),
Heat (1995), and Analyze This (1999)
Honorable: The Deer Hunter (1978), The Mission (1986), Midnight Run (1988),
Jacknife (1989),
Goodfellas (1990), Guilty by Suspicion (1991), The Fan (1996), Ronin (1998),
and Righteous Kill (2008)
Opinion: Brando, Nicholson, Hoffman, Pacino, and De Niro...all heavyweight names, and with a good reason.
They're outstanding actors, making each picture a must-see, regardless of the outcome. Everybody should
always be sure to check out Robert De Niro's early films such as Hi, Mom! and Bang the Drum Slowly
because his transformation from a simple-looking guy to completely different person over time through method
acting is extraordinary. All they have to do is watch Raging Bull for confirmation.
Starting with Mean Streets, Robert De Niro is forever associated with Martin Scorsese and New York gangster
pictures. But make no mistake: he can play any role and is actually a funny guy as evidenced in
Midnight Run and Analyze This. Unfortunately, to my shock, he stopped being Robert De Niro
and became Bob De Niro in 2001, leaving behind a great legacy. Almost every film he made going forward is
a huge disappointment, forcing me to stop bothering with his stuff altogether.
Confirmed:
Predominantly Italian and Irish with a mix of Dutch, English, French, and German, was born to painters who were
acquaintances with artists, poets, and writers such as Hans Hoffman, Robert Duncan, Anaïs Nin, Jackson Pollock,
Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Tennessee Williams, Maria Ley-Piscator, and the Guggenheims. As a proverbial
struggling, starving artist, absentee father was bisexual, having been divorced from his wife but depended on her
for financial assistance, and had an obsession with Greta Garbo and painted her portrait numerous times. Robert De
Niro didn't grow up in a stereotypical Italian-American household but in the bohemian section of Greenwich Village
with visits to Syracuse, New York. Nicknamed "Bobby," "Bob," or "Bobby Milk" because of his pale skin.
After a while, mother was forced to give up her life as a painter and began to focus on her son, raising him alone.
Eventually, she ran her own typing/printing business, and son worked for her as a typist. Was a poor student
academically, attending schools in New York City that happened to also enroll Al Pacino and James Caan, and
eventually dropped out. Found a new outlet of schooling by attending Dramatic Workshop that used to be part of
The New School for Social Research, the same place where Marlon Brando studied, and then stopped
attending altogether. Had almost zero theatrical experience prior to that.
Watched movies at the theatre regularly with his father and particularly liked those that either starred
Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and James Dean or were part of the British New Wave. Backpacked in Europe in search
of his relatives; after returning to America, renewed his vow to be a serious actor and studied under Stella Adler
at her own school while taking various classes taught by others.
Suffered from stage fright that caused him to abandon the stage before getting started, so he switched to
movies. As a result, met Brian De Palma at age 19 and was paid $50 total to be in the first
movie of his career: The Wedding Party. Afterwards, hustled for acting jobs and anything at all for years
by handing out hundreds of head shots and even dressed up as various characters. Did a traveling tour around the
South to appear in theatrical plays with an occasional part in movies that were barely released or seen by the
public; there's one from 1965 that remains missing to this day. Through Sally Kirkland, Shelley Winters became Robert
De Niro's champion by the late 60's, which led to the making of Bloody Mama.
Auditioned for a lot of parts in The Godfather but didn't win any and was then traded by Paramount to MGM for
the right to use Al Pacino as Michael Corleone; De Niro ended up doing The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight.
The producers refused to cover the cost of his airline fare to Italy, so he could get the accent down pat; hence,
he paid for it himself.
Met Martin Scorsese at a party by the end of 1971 despite knowing each other somewhat during their childhood days,
leading to their first collaboration to make Mean Streets. When it was privately screened for Francis Ford
Coppola, he immediately decided that Robert De Niro would play the younger version of Vito Corleone in
The Godfather Part II. As a result, learned how to speak Sicilian for the first time in his life while
emulating Brando's behavior, facial expressions, etc., and rewriting much of the script pertaining to his character
and the others who spoke the same language. Won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1975.
Because of Paul Schrader's screenplay Taxi Driver, Robert De Niro immediately decided to apply
for a cabbie license. During the filming, came up with the famous "You talkin' to me?" improv, which was inspired
by Bruce Springsteen during his nightclub acts, and got handed a book entitled Raging Bull: My Story,
deciding that a film could be made and turning it into a personal pet project of his. Got fired a week into the
making of Bogart Slept Here, a comedy picture written by Neil Simon, as the studio felt he was miscast,
and it was eventually retitled The Goodbye Girl that ended up winning Richard Dreyfuss the Oscar.
The screenplay for Raging Bull took eight years to complete, and Robert De Niro kept telling Martin Scorsese,
who was too drug-addled to the point of landing in the hospital due to his cocaine and pill abuse, to take it on.
Prepared himself to become Jake LaMotta while working on films such as Taxi Driver and The Deer Hunter,
spent thousands of hours with the man himself, and then packed 50 to 60 pounds on his body to complete the second
half of the picture. The process of the film resulted in discoveries of previously unknown Joe Pesci, Cathy
Moriarty, and Frank Vincent. Ended up winning the second Oscar for the greatest performance of his career.
Went after his longtime stalker by having dinner with him for research to prepare for his role in
The King of Comedy. Spent most of the second half of the 80's appearing in supporting roles or something easy
because of fatigue due to heavy commitment to the characters he played. It was the beginning of the shift in his
preparation for roles by toning down the intensity although he did go full-on again for Goodfellas and
Cape Fear. Got fat again with the first half of his hair plucked out for hours and hours to be transformed
into Al Capone for The Untouchables. After auditioning many up-and-coming actors, decided on Leonardo DiCaprio
for his first-ever movie This Boy's Life which led to being introduced to Martin Scorsese, hence the birth of
their collaboration in films such as Gangs of New York and The Departed. Became a director for the
first time after seeing a one-man play by Chazz Palminteri called A Bronx Tale and did another in 2006:
The Good Shepherd.
Is famously private, dispensing almost nothing about himself, a habit that's owed to both of his parents.
Can be an awkward interviewee. Has a mole on right cheek. Prefers black women, having married a couple of
them, and has cheated on his wives. Used escort services and was once arrested in France for it (happened during
the making of Ronin). Did cocaine. Was a big-time friend of John Belushi's, and he died due to De Niro's
acting technique of total character immersion by experimenting with heroin so he could shoot it up for real in
his next movie. Has a quick temper and treats his co-stars poorly if they don't pass muster. Is a perfectionist
with the tendency to overdo things and ask a million of questions to get his character 100%.
Gives a false impression that he's not an intellectual. Is an avid reader and collects thousands pieces of wardrobe
for his future characters. Does research for all of his parts, no matter how small or big they are, by reading
books, taking a trip to somewhere, visiting and interviewing people, recording their accents while reciting his
lines, observing their behaviors and how they dress, and copying anything they do. Prefers to rewrite his lines
with the goal of paring them down. The less said, the better.
Rumors: None.