Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro, born in 1943, American motion-picture actor, considered one of the most brilliant of his generation. The son of two artists, De Niro was born in New York City and trained at two of the city's acting studios, the Stella Adler Conservatory and the American Workshop.

De Niro's initial film roles were in movies by American director Brian De Palma. De Niro first won acclaim in Hollywood for his role as a slow-witted, dying baseball player in Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), but his reputation has thrived on volatile roles such as his riveting portrayal of a dangerous hoodlum in Mean Streets (1973), the film that marked the beginning of his sustained collaboration with director Martin Scorsese.

De Niro earned an Academy Award for best supporting actor in The Godfather II (1974) and Oscar nominations for best actor for his roles in Taxi Driver (1976), The Deer Hunter (1978), and Cape Fear (1991). He won the 1974 Oscar for best supporting actor for an almost entirely Italian-speaking role as Vito Corleone in The Godfather, Part II. He won the Academy Award for best actor for portraying aging former boxer Jake La Motta in Raging Bull (1980).

De Niro's other films include New York, New York (1977), The King of Comedy (1983), Brazil (1985), The Untouchables (1987), Midnight Run (1988), GoodFellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), This Boy's Life (1993), Casino (1995), Wag the Dog (1997), Jackie Brown (1997), Analyze This (1999), Meet the Parents (2000), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004), Hide and Seek (2005), and What Just Happened? (2008).

De Niro directed and acted in A Bronx Tale (1993) and The Good Shepherd (2006) Both films were produced by Tribeca Film Center, a production company headed by De Niro.