Stella Adler Conservatory in New York American Workshop New York University (received Honorary Doctorate in 1996) Studied acting with Lut
Occupation :
Actor, producer, director
Nationality :
American
Claim to fame :
as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976)
Robert De Niro Detailed Biography -
Robert De Niro was born in New York on August 17th, 1943. His mother was a painter and his father was a painter, sculptor and poet. At the age of ten he played his first stage role, appearing in the Wizard of Oz as the Cowardly Lion, a perfect role for the shy boy. His early teens were mostly spent hanging around with a small-time gang, but acting eventually returned. His first paying gig as an actor was in a touring performance of Chekhov's The Bear. He worked steadily in dinner theaters and Off-Broadway, studying with Method acting teachers Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg.
His first three film releases were with director Brian De Palma, who led him through The Wedding Party, Greetings and Hi, Mom!. The Wedding Party, which was actually shot in 1963, took six years to make it to the screen. In 1973 he caught the attention of critics and other filmmakers when he appeared as Bruce Pearson, a dying baseball player in Bang the Drum Slowly. The role earned him a New York Film Critics award for Best Actor. 1973 was also the year that he first worked with Martin Scorsese, working in the film Mean Streets. The pair would do some of their best work together, and over the years they have made Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, New York, New York, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Cape Fear and Casino. In 1974, De Niro caught the attention of audiences as well as he apppeared as a young Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Part II. He won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar® for that performance. Travis Bickle is arguably De Niro's most famous role, and it earned him the first of five Best Actor nominations from the Academy Awards®.
De Niro ended the 70's with his 1978 role in The Deer Hunter. He started the 80's with his performance of Jake La Motta in Raging Bull. His dedication to his craft was exemplified by his gaining of 60 pounds to play the role. Other roles in the 80's included Rupert Pupkin in The King of Comedy with Jerry Lewis, Once Upon a Time in America, Brazil, The Mission, The Untouchables and Midnight Run.
The next decade started with Martin Scorsese again as he appeared with Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta in Goodfellas. He worked with Martin again in 1991 when they remade Cape Fear. De Niro also started the Tribeca Film Center in the 90's, a company intent on promoting film-making in New York. The need for cash to fund this venture led many critics to believe that was his sole purpose in working in duds like We're No Angels, The Fan and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
That wasn't always the trend in the 90's however and in 1995 he had well-recieved turns in both Heat (which paired him onscreen with fellow acting god Al Pacino) and another role for Scorcese in Casino. He worked with Dustin Hoffman in Wag the Dog (1997) and skewered his mob roles opposite Billy Crystal in the comedy hit Analyze This in 1999. His last performance in 1999, Flawless, also earned him good notices. The 90's also saw him take a stab at directing and in 1993 he directed and starred in A Bronx Tale. 2000 was a busy year for De Niro. The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle made a loud flopping sound at the box office, but he had two chances to redeem himself with performances in Men of Honor with Cuba Gooding Jr. and the comedy Meet the Parents with Ben Stiller. In 2001, De Niro worked opposite Ed Burns in 15 Minutes and with Marlon Brando and Edward Norton on The Score. Robert worked with Eddie Murphy in 2002's Showtime. That same year, he appeared in City by the Sea and revisted his neurotic gangster, Paul Vitti, in the sequel Analyze That. His appearance in 2004's Godsend was mostly trashed by the critics.
