Biography
Noted for his commitment to his roles,
Robert De Niro gained 50 pounds and learned
how to box for his portrayal of Jake Lamotta
in Raging Bull, ground his teeth for Cape
Fear, and learned to play the saxophone for
Scorsese's film New York, New York
Although not articulate, Robert De Niro is
generally considered a skilled observer of
physical tics and details, and an intense
perfectionist.
Robert De Niro made his first film
appearance in 1968 in Greetings ( directed
by Brian De Palma ). After that he played
some major and minor roles in not too
popular films, until he gained popularity
with his role in Bang the Drum Slowly. He
began to work with Martin Scorsese in the
same year when the two collaborated on Mean
Streets. Other Scorsese films which De Niro
has participated in are Taxi Driver, Raging
Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, and
Cape Fear. In these films De Niro has
primarily played charming, but emotionally
unstable, characters who tend to have
sociopathic tendencies.
Robert De Niro won the Academy Awards for
Best Actor for his roles in Raging Bull and
Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather,
Part II.
DeNiro is one of two people who have won an
Academy Award for portraying the same
person: He won for playing young Vito
Corleone in The Godfather, Part II, whereas
Marlon Brando won for the (elder) portrayal
in The Godfather.
Film List
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