De Niro << duh NEER oh >>, Robert (1943-…), is an American motion-picture actor. He is known for playing characters who are emotionally unstable, intense, and psychologically driven. De Niro won an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his portrayal of gangster boss Vito Corleone in The Godfather, Part II (1974). He later won an Academy Award for best actor for his performance as boxer Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull (1980). De Niro also won a Golden Globe Award for his performance in Raging Bull. And in 2011, he won the Cecil B. DeMille Award, an honorary Golden Globe Award for outstanding contribution to the entertainment field.
De Niro was born on Aug. 17, 1943, in New York City, New York. At the age of about 16, he began to study under the distinguished acting teachers Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler. De Niro appeared in several plays in New York City before making his motion-picture debut in Greetings (1968).
Many of De Niro’s most famous performances have been in movies directed by the American filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Such films include Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), New York, New York (1977), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), GoodFellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), Casino (1995), The Irishman (2019), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).
De Niro’s other notable films of the late 1900’s include Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), 1900 (1976), The Deer Hunter (1978), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Brazil (1985), The Untouchables (1987), Midnight Run (1988), Awakenings (1990), Mad Dog and Glory (1993), Heat (1995), Wag the Dog (1997), and Analyze This (1999). His films of the 2000’s include Meet the Parents (2000); The Score (2001); Being Flynn and Silver Linings Playbook (both 2012); The Family, Grudge Match, and Last Vegas (all 2013); The Intern and Joy (both 2015); and The Comedian and Hands of Stone (both 2016).
In addition, De Niro directed and appeared in A Bronx Tale (1993) and The Good Shepherd (2006).
