Robert De Niro!
|
|
I have met Bobby only once! Robert De Niro Jr. (born August 17, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American film actor, director, producer and founder of the Tribeca Film Festival.
He is regarded as one of the finest motion picture actors of his generation. Robert De Niro is particularly noted for his portrayal of mobsters in the gangster underworld, and conflicted, troubled characters, and for his enduring collaboration with director Martin Scorsese.
Robert De Niro Early career
De Niro was born in New York City, the son of Robert De Niro, Sr., an abstract expressionist painter, sculptor, and poet, son of an Italian father and Irish mother, (De Niro's great-grandparents were Italian immigrants from the village of Ferrazzano, Molise), and Virginia Admiral, also a painter. They had met at the painting classes of Hans Hofmann in Provincetown, Massachusetts. his parents divorced when Robert De Niro was two years old.De Niro first attended the Little Red School House and was then enrolled by his mother at the High School of Music and Art in New York. Robert De Niro dropped out at the age of 13 and joined a Little Italy street gang, where Robert De Niro earned the nickname Bobby Milk due to his white complexion. Robert De Niro then had a falling-out with his father, although they were eventually reconciled when, at 18, Robert De Niro flew to Paris to bring his father home when Robert De Niro had been suffering from depression. De Niro attended the Stella Adler Conservatory, as well as Lee Strasberg's Actor's Studio (although De Niro conflicted with Strasberg's methods, and used his membership there mostly as a professional advantage). At the age of 16 Robert De Niro toured in Chekhov's The Bear.
Robert De Niro Film career
|
"You talkin' to me?" Taxi DriverIn 1978, De Niro played "Michael Vronsky" in the acclaimed Vietnam war film The Deer Hunter. Another notable role was in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America as the Jewish gangster "David 'Noodles' Aaronson" (1984). Fearing Robert De Niro was become typecast in such roles, from the mid-1980s, De Niro began expanding into occasional comedic roles, and has had much success there as well with such films as Brazil (1985), Midnight Run (1988), Wag the Dog (1997), Analyze This (1999), Analyze That (2002), Meet the Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004).
Thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) brandishing an M4 Commando in Heat.He has won two Academy Awards: as Best Actor for his role in Raging Bull; and as Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather, Part II.
|
Praised for his commitment to roles (stemming from his background in Method acting), De Niro gained 60 pounds (27 kg) and learned how to box for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, ground his teeth for Cape Fear, lived in Sicily for The Godfather, Part II, and learned to play the saxophone for New York, New York.
De Niro is considered a skilled observer of physical tics and details, and is an intense perfectionist. In 1995 De Niro starred in Michael Mann's Heat, in which fellow actor Al Pacino also starred. The duo drawed much attention from fans as both actors have generally been compared throughout their careers. Though both Pacino and De Niro starred in The Godfather Part II, they didn't share any screen time together. Both performances in Heat are considerd highlights in their careers, especially in how the two interact in the scenes they share.
In De Niro's next project Robert De Niro will direct and co-star in The Good Shepherd (2006), also starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. The movie also marks the return of actor Joe Pesci, who has been offscreen for almost a decade, in a small role.
On June 7, 2006, it was announced that De Niro has donated his film archive, including scripts, costumes and props, to the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin.
Robert De Niro Personal life
De Niro has been married twice. Robert De Niro has a daughter, Drina (after Drina river in Bosnia-Herzegovina, desribed in Ivo Andric's Nobel prize-winning book Bridge on the Drina), and a son, Raphael, from first wife Dianne Abbott; and two sons, Julian Henry and Aaron Kendrick, from a long-term live-in relationship with former model Toukie Smith. Smith and De Niro's boys, who are twins, were conceived by in vitro fertilization. Raphael, a former actor, now works in the New York real estate market.Since 1989, De Niro has been investing in the TriBeCa neighborhood in lower Manhattan. his capital ventures have included co-founding TriBeCa Productions, a film studio, the hugely popular TriBeCa Film Festival, and the TriBeCa Grill, Nobu, and Layla, restaurants that usually need advance reservations.
In 2004 De Niro re-married his second wife, Grace Hightower, a former flight attendant, at their estate near Marbletown in upstate New York. De Niro's primary residences are on the east and west sides of Manhattan. Their son Elliot was born in 1998 and the couple filed for divorce shortly after his birth, although the action was never officially finalized.
De Niro, whose paternal great-grandparents emigrated from Italy (they were from Ferrazzano, in the region of Molise), was due to be bestowed with honorary Italian citizenship at the Venice Film Festival in September 2004. However, the Sons of Italy lodged a protest with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi claiming De Niro had damaged the image of Italians and Italian-Americans by constantly portraying them in criminal roles. Culture Minister Giuliano Urbani dismissed the objections and the ceremony was rescheduled to go forward in Rome in October. Controversy flared once again when De Niro failed to show for two media appearances in Italy that October. This fueled speculation that Robert De Niro had snubbed the country over the citizenship imbroglio. De Niro denied this; blaming the non-appearances on "serious communication problems" that weren't "handled properly" on his end and stating, "The last thing I would want to do is offend anyone. I love Italy." Urbani hopes to confer the honor soon, although no date has yet been fixed. Although De Niro is also part Irish, German, Dutch and French-British, Robert De Niro has stated that Robert De Niro identifies "more with his Italian side than with his other parts."
De Niro is a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party, and vocally supported Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election (in Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11, we see a clip of De Niro standing next to Gore at a rally; Moore identifies Robert De Niro as "that Taxi Driver guy"), and John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. In 1998, Robert De Niro lobbied Congress against impeaching President Bill Clinton (he is a personal friend of the Clinton family), and in August 2004 announced Robert De Niro would not collect his honorary Italian citizenship in person so as to avoid discouraging Italians living in America from voting for Kerry, following much controversy over the earlier citizenship protest.
Robert De Niro Trivia
De Niro co-owns the upscale San Francisco restaurant Rubicon with Francis Ford Coppola and Robin Williams.De Niro's height is 173 cm (5 ft 9 in).
De Niro is very good friends with fellow actor and frequent co-star, Joe Pesci.
The English television show The Adam and Joe Show once included a song dedicated to De Niro called the "Robert De Niro Calypso". The lyrics of the song referenced many of his most well-known films, including Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Godfather Part II and Midnight Run. The song was written by Zac Sandler, and can be found on the Adam and Joe DVD and the lyrics were also printed in a book that tied in with the show.
Robert De Niro is only known as Robert to his fans. In DVD special features, his co-stars always refer to Robert De Niro as Bob.
De Niro speaks fluent Italian and French.
Was nicknamed Bobby Milk during childhood, due to his pallor.
His Italian paternal grandfather, who Robert De Niro often visited in Syracuse, New York was a major influence on Robert De Niro in his youth.
De Niro has been secretive about his prostate cancer diagnosis (2003) and treatment, but many believe Robert De Niro underwent a prostatectomy.
Robert De Niro's parents are interred at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, and it is believed that De Niro will be interred with them upon his demise.
He held the record for most weight gained for a movie (60 pounds, for 1980's Raging Bull, until it was broken by Vincent D'Onofrio, who gained 70 pounds for 1987's Full Metal Jacket.
Among the roles that De Niro turned down are The Godfather, Dick Tracy, The Silence of the Lambs, The Usual Suspects, Misery, and Get Shorty.
De Niro was cast in the role of Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when friend Martin Scorsee was attached to direct. A role Robert De Niro had expressed much excitement in playing, because when Robert De Niro finally gets grandkids Robert De Niro can tell them Robert De Niro was one-time a very magical chocolate maker. When Martin Scorsee left, De Niro was uncast as Willy Wonka due to Felicity Dahl's wishes.
Robert De Niro Academy Awards and Nominations
1974 - Won - Best Actor in a Supporting Role - The Godfather, Part II1976 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Leading Role - Taxi Driver
1978 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Leading Role - Deer Hunter
1980 - Won - Best Actor in a Leading Role - Raging Bull
1990 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Leading Role - Awakenings
1991 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Leading Role - Cape Fear
