Robert De Niro: One Great Actor

by Marjorie Dorfman | More from this Blogger

20 Jun 2006 06:17 AM

Born on August 17, 1943, in Greenwich Village, New York, Robert de Niro is the child of two artists; Robert De Niro, Sr, an abstract expressionist, and Virginia Admiral, a painter. His Irish mother, despite her strict Catholic upbringing, was a practicing Jew for most of Robert's childhood. His father came out of the closet as a homosexual after Robert was born, and eventually divorced his mother. As a child, Robert was an avid reader of playwrights, and he discovered his love of acting at the age of ten when he portrayed the Cowardly Lion in a local production of "The Wizard of Oz." His boyhood idols included Marlon Brando, Robert Mitchum and Montgomery Clift. Although he often takes stereotypical Italian roles in his films, he is actually Irish, French, German and Italian by ancestry. As a young boy, he was quite close to his Italian paternal grandfather who lived in Syracuse, New York.

At the age of seventeen, after leaving a local movie house with a friend, he stated that he was going to become a film actor. While he was not believed at the time, it certainly appeared as if he meant it when he dropped out of his senior year in high school and joined the Stella Adler Conservatory and the American Workshop. Considered one of the finest actors of all time, De Niro first gained recognition for his role in "Beat The Drum Softly" (1973). His reputation as a volatile actor began in that same year with "Mean Streets," which was the first of many films he would make with veteran director, Martin Scorsese.

In 1974, he received a "Best Supporting Actor" Academy Award for his role in Godfather II. He received nominations for some of the films that followed as well, notably "Taxi Driver" (1976), "The Deer Hunter" (1978) and "Cape Fear" (1991). He also won a "Best Actor Award" for his portrayal of Jake La Motta in "Raging Bull. He made his directorial debut in 1993 with "A Bronx Tale."

Robert DeNiro has been married twice and is the father of three children (one adopted from his first wife's previous marriage). He has had more than his share of suffering, having undergone surgery for prostate cancer in December of 2003. The cancer is now in remission and DeNiro continues to shine in the only way a star borne of true talent can. Here's to you, Robert. May you thrill your fans with your fine work for many years to come!

Related Articles:

"Montgomery Clift: A Great Star, A Sad Life" http://popular-culture.families.com/blog/montgomery-clift-a-great-star-a-sad-life

"Martin Scorsee: Director of Distinction" http://popular-culture.families.com/blog/martin-scorsese-director-of-distinction

Learn more about Marjorie Dorfman

Marjorie Dorfman is a freelance writer and former teacher originally from Brooklyn, New York.

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