Robert De Biography

Robert DeNiro, actor

Birthdate: August 17, 1943

Birthplace: New York City, New York

Sign: Leo

Considered one of the best and most influential actors of all time, Robert De Niro is also well known for being a method actor and for portraying troubled characters. During his career, De Niro has also formed an enduring collaboration with director Martin Scorsese.

De Niro is a two-time Academy Award winner and two time Golden Globe winner. In addition to being an actor, he is a producer and director.

He is probably best known for his roles as the young Vito Corleone in "The Godfather Part II," Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver," Michael "Mike" Vronsky in "The Deer Hunter," boxer Jake Lamotta in "Raging Bull" and of course as Al Capone in "The Untouchables."

In 1974, De Niro won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in "The Godfather, Part II" and followed that up in 1980 by winning an Academy Award for Best Actor in "Raging Bull."

De Niro was born August 17, 1943 in New York City, New York as Robert Mario De Niro, Jr, to Virginia Admiral, a painter, and Robert De Niro, Sr, a painter and sculptor.

His parents met a painting classes but divorced when De Niro was two years old. He grew up in the Little Italy area of Manhattan and was nicknamed "Bobby Milk" due to his pale complexion.

His father was of Italian and Irish descent and his great-grandparents emigrated from Ferrazzano.

His mother enrolled him in the High School of Music and Art in New York but he dropped out when he was 13. At the age of 16 he toured in a production of Chekhov's "The Bear."

The actor spent most of the 1960s working in theater workshops and off-Broadway productions. He made his official film debut in the 1968 film "Greetings."

De Niro developed a successful working relationship with Scorsese and appeared in his films "Taxi Driver," "New York, New York,", "Raging Bull," "The King of Comedy," "Goodfellas," "Cape Fear" and "Casino." The two also acted together in "Guilty by Suspicion" and the animated movie "Shark Tale."

In most of his early films, De Niro played sociopaths and his role as Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver" forever linked him to the famous line "You talkin' to me?" which De Niro improvised himself.

Fearing he would be forever typecast in mob roles, in the mid-1980s De Niro began expanding his film roles. He appeared in the action-comedy "Midnight Run" and has continued to find roles in lighter genres including his role in 2000 in "Meet the Parents."

With his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, De Niro has a son named Raphael. He also has twin sons, Julian Henry and Aaron Kendrick, from a long-term live-in relationship with former model Toukie Smith.

He married his second wife, Grace Hightower, in 1997 and they have a son named Elliot. The couple filed for divorce shortly after Elliot was born.

Since 1989, De Niro has been investing in the lower Manhattan neighborhood of TriBeCa. He co-founded the film studio TriBeCa Productions and the popular TriBeCa Film Festival.

In 2003, De Niro was diagnosed with prostrate cancer but his doctors gave him a prognosis of a full recovery.

De Niro is Democratic supporter and supported Al Gore and now supports Barack Obama.