Robert De Niro is considered one of the greatest actors of his generation, known for his method acting techniques. He received his first Oscar for his role in The Godfather II and won the Best Actor Award for Raging Bull. De Niro is notoriously protective of his private life and rarely gives interviews. He has also proven himself adept in box office comedies.
In the endless “best actor” and “best movie star” lists that come up every year, Robert De Niro is always in the top three. He is considered one of the greatest actors of his generation. His film earnings reached the $20 million (USD) mark in 2002 with Analyze That. Known for his method acting techniques, Robert DeNiro is probably the most impressive actor working in films today.
Robert De Niro was born in New York City in 1943 to two artists. At age 17, he told friends that he would become a film actor. DeNiro dropped out of school in his senior year and joined Stella Adler’s drama school, where he studied an acting technique known as The Method. One of his first films was Mean Streets. Directed by Martin Scorsese and also starring Harvey Keitel, it was to be the start of a lifelong actor/director partnership.
DeNiro’s childhood idols included Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift and Robert Mitchum. She preferred the darker, more complex work of these men to that of Hollywood’s older stars. Her characters are often violent or alienated from society, sometimes known as anti-heroes.
DeNiro received his first Oscar for his role in The Godfather II. Marlon Brando played the same character in the first film The Godfather. DeNiro and Brando are the only actors to have won an Academy Award for playing the same character.
Robert DeNiro received Academy Award nominations for Taxi Driver, Cape Fear and The Dear Hunter. In 1980, he won the Best Actor Award for Raging Bull. For his portrayal of boxing heavyweight Jake Lamotta, DeNiro gained over 60 pounds (27 kg) and held the record for most weight gained for a film at the time. LaMotta’s performance of him was ranked No. 10 on Premiere magazine’s 100 Greatest Performances of All Time in 2006.
DeNiro is notoriously protective of his private life and rarely gives interviews. In a 1990s interview with Esquire magazine, the interviewer was given a list of items that shouldn’t be mentioned. These included religion, family, politics and his interest in fine wines. In a British television interview, DeNiro almost came to blows with an interviewer who crossed these lines. DeNiro said he made the decision very early on to be seen as Robert DeNiro as an actor, not a character.
In recent years, the name Robert De Niro has also been associated with comedy. He has proven himself very adept in box office comedies like Analyze This and Meet the Parents. The name Robert De Niro may always be synonymous with dark, violent and psychotic characters, but he will also be undeniably recognized as one of the most influential actors of all time.
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