60 Fun Facts About Robert De Niro

What was the profession of both of Robert De Niro's parents?

Virginia Admiral and Robert De Niro Sr. met at Hans Hofmann's painting classes in Provincetown; a 2014 HBO documentary remembered his father's art.

What childhood nickname did De Niro earn for his pale complexion?

He ran with street kids in Little Italy, to his father's disapproval; some remain lifelong friends.

De Niro's stage debut at age 10 was as which character in The Wizard of Oz?

He later dropped out of high school at 16, having found performing a way to relieve his shyness.

Which teacher exposed De Niro to the Stanislavski system at her own conservatory?

He also studied at HB Studio and Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio, and idolised Brando, Clift and James Dean.

Greetings (1968), De Niro's first major role, was the first of several early films with which director?

It satirised draft dodging; Hi, Mom! (1970) was its sequel, and De Palma later directed him as Al Capone.

In Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), De Niro played a baseball player suffering from what?

Novelist Mark Harris said he learned only as much baseball as the role needed and doubted he 'ever cared to touch a baseball again'.

What was the name of De Niro's small-time hood in Mean Streets (1973)?

Pauline Kael wrote that 'this kid doesn't just act – he takes off into the vapors'.

For The Godfather Part II, De Niro delivered most of his lines in what?

He became the first man to win an Oscar for a performance in Italian, and Coppola collected the award as he did not attend.

De Niro and Marlon Brando were the first pair of actors to win Oscars for playing which same character?

Coppola remembered De Niro from his audition for the first film, which he quit to make The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight.

How much weight did De Niro lose to play Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver?

He also studied Midwestern accents at an army base, took firearms training and watched real cabbies; 'You talkin' to me?' was improvised.

Where does 'You talkin' to me?' rank on the AFI's list of 100 greatest movie quotes?

The Washington Post called Taxi Driver his 'landmark performance'.

In Bertolucci's 1900 (1976), De Niro's landowner Alfredo grows up alongside a peasant played by whom?

The epic follows the two men through the fascist-communist conflicts of the first half of the century.

Which director of The Last Tycoon (1976) noted that De Niro rehearsed on Sundays and 'calculates everything'?

He lost 42 pounds to play the Fitzgerald-inspired studio boss.

Which instrument did De Niro learn from Georgie Auld for New York, New York (1977)?

He played Jimmy, who falls for Liza Minnelli's singer, and earned a Golden Globe nomination.

The Deer Hunter (1978) is set in Vietnam and in Clairton, a working-class town in which state?

De Niro's steelworker earned him a Best Actor nomination alongside Walken, Streep, Savage and Cazale.

How much weight did De Niro gain to play the ageing Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull?

He also had to learn to box; the role won him the Best Actor Oscar.

De Niro was strongly considered for which role in The Shining, which went to Kubrick's first choice?

He also turned down Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ, telling Scorsese he would do it as a favour if needed.

What was the name of De Niro's struggling stand-up comedian in The King of Comedy (1982)?

De Niro brought the script to Scorsese; the film grossed only $2.5 million on a $19 million budget.

How long was the theatrical cut of Once Upon a Time in America that got a 15-minute ovation at Cannes?

The US release was hacked down to 139 minutes, which critics hated; De Niro played the Jewish gangster 'Noodles' Aaronson.

Which 1985 dystopian film was De Niro's first venture into science fiction?

Terry Gilliam's daydreamer's tale flopped at the box office but joined the Criterion Collection.

In Angel Heart (1987), De Niro played a character with which devilishly punning name?

Pauline Kael called him 'lazy' for taking small roles that year; De Palma said he was 'experimenting'.

In Midnight Run (1988), De Niro played bounty hunter Jack Walsh opposite which comic foil?

The Washington Post said the chance to play comedy 'appears to have revitalized him'.

Whom did Scorsese cast as Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ after De Niro passed?

De Niro had told Scorsese he would still do it as a favour if needed.

Goodfellas was adapted from which non-fiction book by Nicholas Pileggi?

De Niro played the Irish truck hijacker James Conway; the film premiered at Venice.

Awakenings (1990), with De Niro as a catatonic patient, was based on a book by which neurologist?

Sacks said De Niro 'did somehow feel his way into being Parkinsonian'; Penny Marshall directed.

What was the name of De Niro's vengeful ex-convict in Cape Fear (1991)?

Newsweek praised his 'lip-smacking, blackly comic and terrifying' psychopath; the film grossed $182 million.

De Niro's directorial debut, A Bronx Tale (1993), was based on a play by which co-star?

The coming-of-age story drew on Palminteri's own childhood.

In the 1995 Vegas film with Stone and Pesci, what was De Niro's Sam Rothstein nicknamed?

It was his eighth film with Scorsese, again from a Nicholas Pileggi book.

Which producer sent De Niro the script for Heat first?

Linson's Hollywood experiences later became the basis of What Just Happened (2008), which De Niro also starred in.

De Niro's 50th film credit was which 1996 drama about four boys abused in a detention centre?

He played Father Bobby Carillo, a father figure to the boys.

In Wag the Dog (1997), De Niro's spin doctor and Hoffman's producer fake a war in which country?

A month after release the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal broke, handing the satire free publicity.

In Analyze This (1999), De Niro played an insecure mob boss whose therapist was played by whom?

The Harold Ramis comedy took $176 million and earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

What is the name of De Niro's ex-CIA father-in-law in the Meet the Parents films?

Producing partner Jane Rosenthal talked him into it; the film took $330 million.

De Niro turned down a role in which Scorsese film in 2006 to direct The Good Shepherd?

His CIA drama reunited him with Joe Pesci and starred Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie.

Which 2004 fantasy drama is De Niro's poorest-performing film on Rotten Tomatoes, at 4%?

Critics date the start of his slump to the early 2000s.

In Stardust (2007), De Niro played Captain Shakespeare, the leader of what?

Matthew Vaughn adapted the Neil Gaiman novel; one critic called the performance 'god-awful' but full of gung-ho spirit.

For which David O. Russell film did De Niro earn his first Oscar nomination in over 20 years?

He played Bradley Cooper's father; Variety said he had rarely been 'this effortlessly endearing and relaxed'.

Which real-life fraudster did De Niro play in the 2017 HBO film The Wizard of Lies?

It earned him an Emmy nomination; another came for playing Robert Mueller on Saturday Night Live.

What was the name of De Niro's talk-show host in Joker (2019)?

The role nodded to The King of Comedy; the film earned eleven Oscar nominations.

The Irishman (2019) was De Niro's ninth film with Scorsese and the first since which 1995 film?

He also earned a Best Picture nomination as its producer.

Whom did De Niro play in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)?

The cattleman behind the Osage murders earned him an eighth acting Oscar nomination.

With which producer did De Niro found TriBeCa Productions in 1989 and the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002?

He has invested in the Tribeca neighbourhood since 1989 and owns the Greenwich Hotel and Tribeca Grill there.

Which Japanese chef is De Niro's partner in a restaurant chain bearing the chef's first name?

The first Nobu Hotel opened inside Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in 2013.

Which honour did De Niro receive from Barack Obama in 2016?

The Kennedy Center Honors had come in 2009, with Scorsese and Meryl Streep paying tribute.

De Niro shares the record for most films on the AFI's 100 greatest American films list with which actor?

Five of his films made the list; six are in the National Film Registry.

Which girl group's 1984 fan song 'Robert De Niro's Waiting...' reached number three in the UK?

It stayed on the chart for 12 weeks.

Which institution received De Niro's scripts, costumes and props when he donated them in 2006?

The collection took two years to catalogue and opened to the public in 2009.

Which Italian-American organisation opposed De Niro receiving Italian citizenship in 2006?

They argued his gangster roles had damaged the public image of Italians.

How many children does De Niro have?

The youngest, Gia, was born in April 2023 when he was 79.

De Niro's estate in Gardiner, New York, subject of a tax dispute, covers roughly how many acres?

The trust that owns it argued a $6 million assessment was too high and lost in State Supreme Court.

Which honour did the Cannes Film Festival give De Niro in May 2025?

He had presided over the Cannes jury in 2011 and the Moscow festival jury in 1987.

De Niro's parents met at the painting classes of which artist in Provincetown, Massachusetts?

They separated when he was two years old; his father was of Irish and Italian descent and his mother of Dutch, English, French and German ancestry.

At what age did De Niro drop out of high school to pursue acting?

He said performing helped relieve his shyness; he had bounced between schools including McBurney and Rhodes Preparatory.

De Niro quit auditions for the first Godfather film to make which 1971 comedy instead?

Coppola remembered him and gave him the young Vito Corleone role in Part II, which won De Niro his first Oscar.

In True Confessions (1981), De Niro's priest clashes with a detective brother played by whom?

The film was adapted from John Gregory Dunne's 1977 novel about the investigation of a prostitute's murder.

In which 1986 play did De Niro return to Broadway at the Longacre Theatre in the lead role?

Later that year he co-starred with Jeremy Irons in The Mission, which won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

In Guilty by Suspicion (1991), De Niro plays a film director caught up in what?

His fictitious director David Merrill returns to the US during the McCarthy era; that same year he had a minor role as a fire inspector in Backdraft.

Which cartoon villain did De Niro voice in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000)?

He also produced the live-action/animation comedy, which was panned with a 43% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Which real-life figure did De Niro portray opposite Alec Baldwin's Trump on Saturday Night Live?

The recurring appearances earned him an Emmy nomination in 2019, the same year as Joker and The Irishman.

Which This Boy's Life co-star presented De Niro with the SAG Life Achievement Award?

De Niro was the award's 56th recipient, and DiCaprio cited him as an inspiration and influence.