ACTOR · BORN 1943
Robert De Niro
- Born
- 17 August 1943, Greenwich Village, New York City, New York, USA
- Known for
- Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Joker (2019), The Godfather Part II (1974), Taxi Driver (1976)
61 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Robert De Niro (born 17 August 1943) is an actor best known for Once Upon a Time in America, Joker and The Godfather Part II.
Robert De Niro over the years
61 Interesting Facts About Robert De Niro
Interesting Facts (7)
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Cites actor Alec Baldwin's Robert De Niro impressions as his favorites.
Robert De Niro: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Joella Marano, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #005
His boyhood idols among actors included Montgomery Clift, Robert Mitchum and Marlon Brando. He preferred the darker, more character-driven work of these men to the older stars of Hollywood, for whom their public persona as a star was more important than their immersion into the character.
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This was tricky to make him look huge as Frankenstein's monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) , considering that Kenneth Branagh, who played Dr. Frankenstein, is of similar height. Many of the tricks used to make humans, wizards and elves dwarf the hobbits later on for the Lord of the Rings trilogy were also employed to make Robert De Niro appear much bigger than his co-stars, including using very large men as body doubles for shots where only the hands and feet are seen.
Production Story (10)
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He turned down the role of Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). He was considered for the role of Josh Baskin in Penny Marshall's Big (1988). He was offered the role of Sal the pizza shop owner in Do the Right Thing (1989), which he turned down.
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Passed up the opportunity to play Frank Costello in The Departed (2006) to work on his second directorial feature The Good Shepherd (2006).
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He was the one who first made Martin Scorsese aware of Leonardo DiCaprio. He had worked with DiCaprio on This Boy's Life (1993) and had been very impressed by his talent and spoke about him to his friend and frequent collaborator. Martin Scorsese and DiCaprio would later work together on many films.
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He was considered for the role of Howard Payne in Speed (1994), which went to Dennis Hopper instead.
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Behind the Scenes (8)
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It was tricky to make him look huge as Frankenstein's monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), considering that Kenneth Branagh, who played Dr. Frankenstein, is of similar height. Many of the tricks used to make humans, wizards and elves dwarf the hobbits later on for the Lord of the Rings trilogy were also employed to make Robert De Niro appear much bigger than his co-stars, including using very large men as body doubles for shots where only the hands and feet are seen.
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At the 31st AFI Life Achievement Awards, Jodie Foster credited Robert De Niro with introducing her to the true craft of acting. During production of Taxi Driver (1976), he would insist that they meet for coffee and rehearse their scenes together at a local diner. After a while, Jodie became bored of the routine until Robert De Niro began improvising lines during their rehearsals. Jodie soon learned to follow his improv as he weaved back and forth to the original script, in essence teaching her how to effectively build a character.
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Characters & Cast (3)
Easter Eggs & References (4)
Deeper Meaning (1)
Career & Awards (12)
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He started the whole "awards show ribbon" tradition by wearing a green ribbon on his lapel at the 1981 Academy Awards. The ribbon was in remembrance of several African-American children who were victims of a serial killer in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1980-1981. The ribbon was given to him by a fan in the bleachers as he arrived; the victims' families had been wearing them for months.
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Both of his Oscar-winning performances involved Marlon Brando. His first Oscar, for Best Supporting Actor, had him playing the younger version of Marlon Brando's character Vito Corleone. His second, for Best Actor in Raging Bull (1980), he recited Marlon Brando's famous lines from On the Waterfront (1954).
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He started the whole "awards show ribbon" tradition by wearing a green ribbon on his lapel at the 1981 Academy Awards. The ribbon was in rememberance of several African-American children who were victims of a serial killer in Atlanta, Georgia in 1980-1981. The ribbon was given to him by a fan in the bleachers as he arrived; the victims' families had been wearing them for months.
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Life & Family (16)
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His boyhood idols among actors included Montgomery Clift, Robert Mitchum and Marlon Brando. He preferred the darker, more character-driven work of these men to the older stars of Hollywood, for whom their public persona as a star was more important than their immersion into the character.
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He co-owns the Rubicon restaurant in San Francisco with Bay Area residents Francis Ford Coppola and Robin Williams. Much of his father Robert De Niro Sr.'s artwork adorns the walls of the business. He also owns a restaurant in West Hollywood, Ago, and co-owns several restaurants in New York, including Nobu (with stakeholders Nobu Matsuhisa and Meir Teper) and Layla. Since 1994, Robert De Niro, Matsuhisa and Teper have expanded to own over 40 restaurants and 18 hotels in North and South America, Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia.
- #054
He was good friends with comedian John Belushi, who died of an overdose on March 5, 1982. In fact, Robert De Niro and Robin Williams were the last stars to see Belushi alive, albeit on separate visits to Bungalow #3 of L.A.'s Chateau Marmont hotel that fateful day. Robert De Niro visited Belushi at 3:00 am on the morning of his death, but, according to eyewitnesses, left minutes later after seeing that Belushi was sick. Less than an hour earlier, Belushi had been visited by Robin Williams, who also left straight away.
- #055
Rarely does interviews and is known as one of the most ultra-private celebrities. He was the subject of a late 1990s interview (and cover photo) for Esquire magazine. Most of the article focused on how guarded he is with his personal life, what few details are known about him, what rumors are speculated while only a minority of the article dealt with the actual interview itself. The writer noted that while the interview was ultimately agreed upon, he was given a substantial list of off-limit subjects not to ask Robert De Niro about. They included: politics, religion, his family, his reported interest in fine wines, and so on.
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When they met shortly before making Mean Streets (1973), Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel became fast friends. Robert De Niro was from Greenwich Village in Manhattan and was taught by Stella Adler, while Keitel was from the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn and was mainly mentored by Lee Strasberg. But the two guarded actors bonded and remain close to this day.
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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