Robert De Niro has been a frequent presence at the Academy Awards, winning his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for playing young Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather, Part II” (1974). He hit the jackpot yet again for his role as boxer Jake LaMotta in Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” (1980), which brought him a victory in Best Actor. “Taxi Driver” (1976), “The Deer Hunter” (1978), “Awakenings” (1990) and “Cape Fear” (1991) earned him subsequent nominations in lead, and he reaped another bid in supporting for “Silver Linings Playbook” (2012), one in Best Picture for “The Irishman” (2019) and another for “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Though he’s worked with some of Hollywood’s top directors, De Niro is best known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, starting with “Mean Streets” (1973) and leading to “Taxi Driver,” “New York, New York” (1977), “The King of Comedy” (1983), “Goodfellas” (1990), “Cape Fear,” “Casino” (1995), “The Irishman” (2019) and “Killers of the Flower Moon” (2023).
In addition to his Oscar success, De Niro won the Golden Globe for “Raging Bull,” earning their Cecil B. DeMille prize in 2011. On the TV side, he reaped Emmy nominations in 2018 for his guest performance as Robert Mueller in “Saturday Night Live” and for producing “When They See Us,” previously competing for producing and starring in “The Wizard of Lies” in 2017. He was also the 2020 SAG life achievement recipient, where he also competed for his first win as part of the ensemble for “The Irishman.”
Tour our ranked photo gallery above of De Niro’s 28 best movies, and see if your favorite tops the list.
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28. COP LAND (1997)
Image Credit: Rhonda Galbraith/AP/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by James Mangold. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Patrick, Michael Rapaport, Annabella Sciorra.
Mounted with the ambition of a great Dickens novel, James Mangold’s “Cop Land” is an epic, multi-layered crime drama that gets better with age. It employs an all-star cast to tell a story of corruption, greed and murder, focusing on the half-deaf sheriff (Sylvester Stallone) of a New Jersey hamlet populated almost exclusively by New York City cops who use the town as a front for their mob connections. De Niro costars as an Internal Affairs officer who wants to enlist Stallone in his investigation against the crooked officers, but he’s reluctant at first, still hoping to fit into a community that casually casts him aside.
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27. BRAZIL (1985)
Image Credit: Universal/Embassy/Kobal/Shutterstock Directed by Terry Gilliam. Written by Terry Gilliam, Tom Stoppard and Charles McKeown. Starring Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Kim Griest.
You don’t find too many stories that present a favorable view of the future, and Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil” is no exception. Set in an unspecified year, it envisions a world in which corporations rule society and citizens live in fear of the thought police. Bureaucrat Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce), who escapes his grim, highly automated life through his dreams, falls in love with a beautiful terrorist (Kim Griest) and finds himself an enemy of the state. De Niro has a minor yet memorable role as Harry Tuttle, the illegal repairman who turns Sam’s life upside down due to a clerical error. A movie filled with eye-popping sights thanks to its wonderfully creative sets.
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26. ANGEL HEART (1987)
Image Credit: Snap/Shutterstock Written and directed by Alan Parker, based on the novel ‘Falling Angel’ by William Hjortsberg. Starring Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling.
De Niro makes our skin crawl in Alan Parker’s haunting blend of detective noir and occult horror, stealing the show in a limited number of scenes. Set in 1955, “Angel Heart” stars Mickey Rourke as New York private investigator Harry Angel, who’s hired by the mysterious Louis Cyphre (De Niro) to locate a missing singer. His travels take him to New Orleans, where he becomes ensnared in the local witchcraft and voodoo, soon learning the true nature of his mission. With his long, black hair, sharp nails and love for hardboiled eggs, De Niro revels in playing the sinister Cyphre, whose true identity provides the film with a stunning twist.
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25. WAG THE DOG (1997)
Image Credit: Snap/Shutterstock Directed by Barry Levinson. Screenplay by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet, based on the novel ‘American Hero’ by Larry Beinhart. Starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, Andrea Martin, Kirsten Dunst.
Though it ostensibly had little to do with real life politics, “Wag the Dog” got a major boost when life suddenly imitated art. Released just one month before the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the bombing of Sudan simultaneously rocked the Clinton White House, this biting satire centers on a mysterious spin-doctor (De Niro) who pairs up with a Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman) to distract the American public with a phony war when a Presidential sex scandal breaks during an election cycle. While it was Hoffman who garnered the acclaim of Oscar voters, De Niro proves his equal in every way, right up to the chilling finale.
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24. ANALYZE THIS (1999)
Image Credit: Phillip Caruso/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock Directed by Harold Ramis. Screenplay by Kenneth Lonergan, Peter Tolan and Harold Ramis, story by Lonergan and Tolan. Starring Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow, Joe Viterelli, Chazz Palminteri.
Released the same year that “The Sopranos” hit airwaves, “Analyze This” offered a more comedic take on what would happen if a gangster decided to get some therapy. De Niro is pitch-perfect as mob boss Paul Vitti, a career criminal suffering panic attacks. He seeks help from a mild-mannered psychiatrist (Billy Crystal), making it clear that their treatment has to remain a secret. Suffice it to say, that proves easier said than done, and hilarity ensues. A box office smash, the film brought De Niro a Golden Globe bid for Best Comedy/Musical Actor. The less said about the mediocre followup “Analyze That,” the better.
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23. MIDNIGHT RUN (1988)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Directed by Martin Brest. Written by George Gallo. Starring Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano.
Like the many “Odd Couple” incarnations before it, Martin Brest’s “Midnight Run” succeeds by taking a diametrically opposed pair of characters and forcing them to coexist together. It centers on a tough-as-nails bounty hunter (De Niro) enlisted to track down an accountant (Charles Grodin) who skipped bail after embezzling money from the mob. Though the job looks easy on paper, it soon becomes complicated, and the two find themselves on a cross-country journey evading arrest by the F.B.I. and murder by the mafia. De Niro competed at the Golden Globes as Best Comedy/Musical Actor for the role.
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22. BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY (1973)
Image Credit: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by John D. Hancock. Written by Mark Harris. Starring Robert De Niro, Michael Moriarty, Vincent Gardenia.
“Bang the Drum Slowly” is in the great tradition of films like “The Pride of the Yankees” and “Brian’s Song,” which similarly concern athletes doomed to die in the prime of their lives. This time, it’s De Niro as Bruce Pearson, a good natured but mediocre catcher for the fictional New York Mammoths who discovers he’s suffering from Hodgkin’s disease. Knowing he’s only got a short time left, he decides to live life to its fullest, and his best friend, star pitcher Henry Wiggen (Michael Moriarty), sticks by his side the entire time, keeping his illness a secret from the team’s manager (Vincent Gardenia) so he can continue to play.
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21. A BRONX TALE (1993)
Image Credit: Snap/Shutterstock Directed by Robert De Niro. Screenplay by Chazz Palminteri, based on his play. Starring Lillo Brancato, Jr., Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Francis Capra, Katherine Narducci.
De Niro made his directorial debut with a superior entry in the genre he knows best. Adapted by Chazz Palminteri from his own play, “A Bronx Tale” is a coming-of-age story centered on young Calogero Anello (played as a child by Francis Capra and as a teenager by Lillo Brancato, Jr.). While growing up in the 1960s, Calogero finds himself pulled in two different directions: one by his working class father (De Niro), the other by a charismatic mob boss (Palminteri). His dad tries his best to save him from a life of crime, but it might be hopeless. The actor proves a sure hand behind the camera, which makes you wish he had directed more movies.
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20. NEW YORK, NEW YORK (1977)
Image Credit: United Artists/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Martin Scorsese. Screenplay by Mardik Martin and Earl Mac Rauch, story by Rauch. Starring Robert De Niro, Liza Minnelli, Lionel Stander, Barry Primus, Mary Kay Place, Georgie Auld, Jack Haley.
Martin Scorsese’s “New York, New York” represents an uneasy collision between the colorful extravagance of Old Hollywood musicals and John Cassavetes-style improvisational realism. The results are scattershot but never boring. Set in New York City during WWII, the film stars De Niro as a jazz saxophonist who embarks on a doomed romance with an aspiring singer (Liza Minnelli). Scorsese contrasts the artificiality of the sets and the musical numbers with the raw volatility of the central relationship. A notorious bomb in its day, it’s got moments of brilliance largely provided by the passionate performance by its two leads.
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19. MEET THE PARENTS (2000)
Image Credit: PHILIP V.CARUSO/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Jay Roach. Screenplay by Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg, story by Greg Glienna and Mary Ruth Clarke, based on their 1992 screenplay. Starring Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, James Rebhord, Jon Abrahams, Owen Wilson.
When it comes to comedy, De Niro is at his best when playing it straight, which he does brilliantly in Jay Roach’s screwy domestic comedy. As Jack Byrnes, a retired CIA operative sparring with a nebbishy nurse (Ben Stiller) hoping to propose to his daughter (Teri Polo), he’s the father-in-law from hell, prone to treating his would-be son-in-law to impromptu lie detector tests and others feats of strength. But there’s a strain of paternal love that keeps the character from becoming a cartoon. De Niro, who earned a Golden Globe nomination as Best Comedy/Musical Actor, returned to the role in the sequels “Meet the Fockers” and “Little Fockers.”
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18. AWAKENINGS (1990)
Image Credit: SNAP/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Penny Marshall. Screenplay by Steven Zaillian, based on the book by Oliver Sacks. Starring Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, John Heard, Julie Kavner, Penelope Ann Miller, Max von Sydow.
Penny Marshall’s “Awakenings” is a tear-jerker of the highest order, a true life drama that pulls at our heartstrings without hitting us over the head with sentiment. Robin Williams stars as Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a neurologist who, in 1969, discovers that the drug L-Dopa can cure catatonic patients who were victims of the “sleeping epidemic” of the 1920s. De Niro plays Leonard Lowe, a man who has been trapped in his body since childhood and suddenly finds himself reawakened thanks to Dr. Sayer’s treatments, although, sadly, only for a short while. The role brought De Niro an Oscar nomination as Best Actor.
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17. JOKER (2019)
Image Credit: DC Comics/Warner Bros./Shutterstock Directed by Todd Phillips. Screenplay by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver, based on characters created by DC Comics. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy.
Given the obvious influence of “Taxi Driver” and “The King of Comedy,” you’d be crazy to think De Niro wouldn’t pop up in Todd Phillip’s brooding comic book thriller. Though Joaquin Phoenix is front-and-center as Arthur Fleck, a deranged loner who morphs into a killer clown called Joker, De Niro steals every scene he’s in as Murray Franklin, a hacky late night host who both inspires and enrages Arthur. More than just a variation of Jerry Langford to Phoenix’s Rupert Pupkin, it’s a juicy supporting turn that plays a pivotal role in the supervillian’s transformation. The billion dollar hit inspired controversy and praise in equal measure, scoring 11 Oscar nominations including Best Picture.
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16. THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Directed by Brian De Palma. Screenplay by David Mamet, based on the book by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley. Starring Kevin Costner, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Sean Connery.
Though it was Sean Connery who walked away with all the accolades, it’s De Niro’s supporting performance that comes close to stealing Brian De Palma’s “The Untouchables.” The actor receded his hairline and wore some extra padding to play Prohibition-era gang leader Al Capone, who’s targeted by Federal Agent Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) and his ragtag group of vigilantes (including Connery as an Irish-American police officer who advocates using a violent touch). De Niro is absolutely terrifying in the role, causing us to shake in our seats whenever his temper seems ready to flare up on some poor unsuspecting lackey.
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15. JACKIE BROWN (1997)
Image Credit: Darren Michaels/Miramax/A Band Apart/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, based on the novel ‘Rum Punch’ by Elmore Leonard. Starring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, Michael Bowen.
Quentin Tarantino’s laid-back “Jackie Brown” has such a dense ensemble that it’s easy to overlook De Niro in a surprisingly subdued role. Yet his performance as ex-con Louis Gara gets better and better with each viewing. Recently out of prison and living with his arms dealer pal Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson), Louis is passive to the point of being unconscious, perking up momentarily to smoke pot and sleep with house bunny Melanie (Bridget Fonda). When he’s drafted into the main plot of a flight attendant (Pam Grier) trying to turn on Ordell, he fails in spectacular fashion, making you wonder how he ever lead a life of crime to begin with.
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14. CASINO (1995)
Image Credit: Phillip Caruso/Universal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Martin Scorsese. Screenplay by Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese, based on the book by Pileggi. Starring Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, James Woods.
Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” might be a mess, but it’s at least a wildly ambitious, gloriously entertaining one. De Niro anchors this operatic saga with a subtle performance as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a Jewish American gangster placed in charge of the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. (His character is based on real life mafioso Frank Rosenthal.) Though he tries to stay above the fray, the glitz and glamour of sin city soon destroy him, his hooker wife (Sharon Stone) and his mob enforcer pal (Joe Pesci). An actor known for playing big, De Niro proves to be just as menacing when scaling back, with a violent rage boiling underneath.
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13. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Written and directed by David O. Russell, based on the novel by Matthew Quick. Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Anupam Kher, Chris Tucker.
Although his last few years have been marked by more duds than hits, De Niro can still knock one out of the park when handed a good script. That’s certainly the case with “Silver Linings Playbook,” David O. Russell’s screwball romantic comedy that makes us laugh and cry in equal measure. He plays Pat Solitano, Sr., an obsessive compulsive Philadelphia Eagles fan caring for his bipolar son (Bradley Cooper) after he’s released from a mental institution. The scene where the elder Pat tearfully reaches out to his son is as powerful as anything the performer has ever done, and undoubtedly lead to his Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor.
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12. CAPE FEAR (1991)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Martin Scorsese. Screenplay by Wesley Strick, based on a screenplay by James R. Webb and the novel ‘The Executioners’ by John D. MacDonald. Starring Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Joe Don Baker, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, Martin Balsam.
There’s no competing with Robert Mitchum’s performance in the original “Cape Fear,” so De Niro doesn’t even try, instead creating his own bone-chilling villain in Martin Scorsese’s remake. He turns Max Cady, a convicted rapist stalking the lawyer (Nick Nolte) who sent him to prison, into an almost Biblical baddie, replete with tattoos and a wrathful rage. There’s also an eerie charisma to the man, showcased in the scene where he seduces the attorney’s teenage daughter (Juliette Lewis), which makes our skin crawl with its creepy sensuality. The role brought De Niro an Oscar nomination as Best Actor.
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11. ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984)
Image Credit: Ladd Company/Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Sergio Leone. Screenplay by Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini and Sergio Leoni, based on the novel ‘The Hoods’ by Harry Grey. Starring Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Tuesday Weld, Treat Williams.
Existing for years in a heavily truncated version that made it almost incomprehensible, Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in America” found a second life on home video with a director’s cut that restored the film to its original glory. It’s a sweeping, four hour epic that covers five decades in the lives of childhood friends who grow up to be gangster. De Niro is front and center as David “Noodles” Aaronson, a Jewish mobster who rises to prominence during the Prohibition era with his pal Max (James Woods). Leone tells his story in a tapestry of flashbacks that conveys the great regret Noodles feels at the way his life has unfolded.
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10. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (2023)
Image Credit: Apple / Paramount Director: Martin Scorsese. Writers: Eric Roth, Martin Scorsese, from the book by David Grann. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons.
De Niro has played his share of gang bosses in his time, but few have been as heinous as the real-life William “King” Hale, a 1920s Oklahoma crime kingpin who devised a scheme to drain the new-found wealth of the nearby Osage Nation by way of marriage and murder. De Niro, in his 10th collaboration with director Martin Scorsese, brilliantly captures both sides of King — the glad-handing model citizen front he puts on for the Osage and the public and the ruthless kingpin who fills his own coffers by bleeding others dry. No one can achieve that balance quite like De Niro, and here, in one of his very best late-career performances, he does it with intelligence and style.
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9. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Michael Cimino. Written by Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn, Louis Garfinkle and Quinn K. Redeker. Starring Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken.
It’s hard to explain the seismic impact “The Deer Hunter” had upon its release in 1978. For a country still reeling from the Vietnam War, this elegiac epic about a group of returning veterans (De Niro, John Savage, Christopher Walken) functioned almost like a three hour therapy session. And though it’s been rightly criticized for its unflattering portrayal of the Vietnamese, it still retains its power to move us. De Niro centers the story as Mike, who goes to battle with his best friends and comes home to find all of their lives shattered. The film won five Oscars including Best Picture, bringing De Niro a nomination as Best Actor.
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8. HEAT (1995)
Image Credit: Frank Connor/Monarchy/Regency/Kobal/Shutterstock Written and directed by Michael Mann. Starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Jon Voight, Val Kilmer.
Michael Mann’s epic crime thriller placed De Niro and Al Pacino on opposite side of the law for their first onscreen showdown (though they both costarred in “The Godfather, Part II,” they had no scenes together). De Niro plays career criminal Neil McCauley, who leads a team of professional bank robbers being tracked by an LAPD detective (Pacino). Meanwhile, both men struggle to find a balance between their personal and professional lives, as McCauley sparks a doomed relationship with the beautiful Eady (Amy Brenneman). It all culminates in the famous diner scene, where the two face off over a tense cup of coffee.
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7. MEAN STREETS (1973)
Image Credit: Taplin-Perry-Scorsese/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Martin Scorsese. Screenplay by Martin Scorsese and Mardik Martin, story by Scorsese. Starring Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, David Proval, Amy Robinson, Richard Romanus, Cesare Danova.
“Mean Streets” was the first collaboration between De Niro and Martin Scorsese, and what a way to kick things off! As Johnny Boy, a petty hood who behaves like a court jester, De Niro gave the performance that made him a star, perfectly embodying the tightrope-walk between joviality and violence that came to define Scorsese’s best work. Johnny Boy is a constant hassle for his best friend, Charlie (Harvey Keitel), insulting mob bosses by borrowing their money and failing to pay them back, then laughing in their faces about it. The whole thing ends with a bloodbath that tears the two apart as they try to escape their lives.
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6. THE KING OF COMEDY (1983)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by Paul D. Zinnerman. Starring Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Tony Randall, Sandra Bernhard, Diahnne Abbott.
For anyone who’s ever chased the spotlight at the expense of everything else, Martin Scorsese’s darkly funny “The King of Comedy” might serve as a cautionary tale. De Niro stars as Rupert Pupkin, a seriously delusional would-be comic who practices his mediocre routines in his basement, complete with a mock set-up and cardboard cutouts of celebs. He idolizes the nation’s top late night host (Jerry Lewis), and relentlessly pursues him with his equally unstable friend (Sandra Bernhard). When his stalking gets out of control, he kidnaps his hero and refuses to release him until he’s given a prime spot on his show.
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5. THE IRISHMAN (2019)
Image Credit: Netflix Directed by Martin Scorsese. Screenplay by Steven Zaillian, based on the book ‘I Heard You Paint Houses’ by Charles Brandt. Starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham, Harvey Keitel.
Despite that egregious Oscar snub, De Niro gives one of his best performances in Martin Scorsese’s meditative mob epic. At three-and-a-half-hours, it’s a sprawling culmination of the many themes the director and star have explored throughout their careers, foregoing the glitz and glamour of their other gangster efforts (particularly “GoodFellas”) for a somber and funereal crime drama. He plays Frank Sheeran, a low level truck driver who becomes a hitman after crossing paths with Teamsters head Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) and Mafia bigwig Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci). Groundbreaking special effects and makeup allow De Niro to play the character throughout several decades, from his humble beginnings to his tragic end. Despite missing in Best Actor, he did earn an Oscar bid in Best Picture.
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4. GOODFELLAS (1990)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock Directed by Martin Scorsese. Screenplay by Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese, based on the book ‘Wiseguy’ by Pileggi. Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino.
One of the great qualities of Martin Scorsese’s working man’s gangster flick is how it creates a sense of family amongst criminals. For Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), it’s not just the money, girls and great food that makes him want to be a wiseguy: it’s the feeling of acceptance from his fellow hoods. There’s a brotherhood formed with the practical, fatherly Jimmy Conway (De Niro) and the fiery, hair-trigger Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci in an Oscar-winning performance), which makes the eventual dissolution of their relationships all the more tragic. But before that, “GoodFellas” is the liveliest and most entertaining mafia movie ever (all due respect to “The Godfather”).
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3. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
Image Credit: Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Written by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, based on the book “The Godfather” by Puzo. Starring Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Talia Shire, Morgana King, John Cazale, Marianna Hill, Lee Strasberg, Michael V. Gazzo.
Few sequels can hold a candle to the original, so it’s no small feat that Francis Ford Coppola was able to followup one Best Picture-winning masterpiece with another. In “The Godfather, Part II,” the director parallels the rise of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) with that of his father, Vito (played in flashback by De Niro), in 1920s New York. Instead of trying to compete with Marlon Brando’s iconic performance in the first film, De Niro forges his own path, playing a young immigrant who will do anything for his family, including getting into business with some shady figures. The Academy rewarded him with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
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2. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
Image Credit: Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by Paul Schrader. Starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, Leonard Harris, Peter Boyle, Cybill Shepherd.
There are few scenes as chilling as the one when Travis Bickle (De Niro) stares in the mirror and asks, “Are you talking to me?” De Niro is truly frightening in this nightmare fantasia from director Martin Scorsese and writer Paul Schrader, which follows an alienated cabbie as he prowls the streets at night in his yellow chariot. Every attempt to connect fails, most spectacularly with a beautiful political campaign worker (Cybill Shepherd). But there’s a chance at bloody redemption when he decides to rescue a teenage prostitute (Jodie Foster) from her pimp (Harvey Keitel). The role brought De Niro an Oscar nomination as Best Actor.
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1. RAGING BULL (1980)
Image Credit: United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Martin Scorsese. Screenplay by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin, based on the book by Jake LaMotta, Joseph Cater and Peter Savage. Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Nicolas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana, Frank Vincent.
De Niro’s performance as boxer Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese’s searing “Raging Bull” quickly became the stuff of legends. After filming the first half, production shut down for four months so that the actor could gain a whopping 70 pounds to play the former heavyweight in middle age. Yet it’s not just the massive belly that’s impressive: De Niro bravely burrows deep into the soul of a man who allowed his body to be pummeled in the ring as retribution for the the jealous rage that drove away his wife (Cathy Moriarty) and manager brother (Joe Pesci). The Academy rewarded him with the Oscar for Best Actor.
