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Robert De Niro

Robert De NiroAKA Robert De Niro, Jr.

Born: 17-Aug-1943
Birthplace: New York City

Gender: Male
Religion: Roman Catholic
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Actor
Party Affiliation: Democratic

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: The Godfather: Part II

Robert De Niro's first screen appearance came in a 1965 French drama filmed in New York, and De Niro had no lines (he just ate in a diner). His second film was Brian De Palma's farce Greetings, in 1968. He played his first gangster in Roger Corman's 1970 Ma Barker melodrama Bloody Mama, starring Shelley Winters. In 1973, Bang the Drum Slowly, a tearjerker about baseball buddies, made De Niro recognisable. In 1974, De Niro starred in The Godfather Part II. As the young Vito Corleone, he was hailed as the next coming of Marlon Brando. Brando and De Niro are the only actors to win Oscars playing the same character.

De Niro's other famous roles include the creepy Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, the tragic war hero in The Deer Hunter, the tortured boxer in Raging Bull, the psychotic Rupert Pupkin in The King of Comedy, the anarchist plumber in Brazil, a recovering catatonic in Awakenings, a nightmare rapist in Cape Fear, and a fictionalized Karl Rove-alike in Wag the Dog. And like Brando, after his string of terrific performances, De Niro seems to have settled into a succession of easy paychecks, squandering the second half of his career on projects of little interest and comedies capitalizing on his tough-guy image -- The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, Analyze This and That, Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers, etc.

In 1998, two articles in a French newspaper linked him to a prostitution ring. De Niro was questioned but never charged in that matter, and while he may or may not have slept with an employee of the ring, he insists he never paid for any services rendered. De Niro sued and won about $13,000 in damages. The press coverage, however, led the Vatican to drop De Niro from the roster of readers recording a CD of Pope John Paul II's poetry.

De Niro was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003, but his doctors insist that he is otherwise in excellent physical condition, and is expected to make a full recovery.

Father: Robert De Niro, Sr. (d. 1993 cancer)
Mother: Virginia Admiral
Girlfriend: Leigh Taylor-Young (actress, dated early 1970s)
Wife: Diahnne Abbott (singer-actress, m. 1976, div. 1978, one son)
Daughter: Dreena De Niro (stepdaughter, model)
Son: Raphael De Niro (b. 1976, with Abbott)
Girlfriend: Uma Thurman (actress, dated early 1990s)
Girlfriend: Naomi Campbell (model, dated 1990s)
Girlfriend: Ashley Judd (actress, dated 1990s)
Girlfriend: Toukie Smith (actress, dated 1990s, two surrogate children)
Son: Aaron Kendrick De Niro (twin, born to surrogate for Smith, b. 20-Oct-1995)
Son: Julian Henry De Niro (twin, born to surrogate for Smith, b. 20-Oct-1995)
Wife: Grace Hightower (stewardess, m. 17-Jun-1997, two children)
Son: Elliot De Niro (b. 18-Mar-1998)
Daughter: Helen Grace De Niro (b. Dec-2011)

    High School: Rhodes Prep, New York City, NY

    Oscar for Best Supporting Actor 1975 for The Godfather: Part II
    Oscar for Best Actor 1981 for Raging Bull
    French Legion of Honor
    Golden Globe 1981 for Raging Bull
    American Film Institute Life Achievement Award 2003
    Kennedy Center Honor 2009
    Golden Globe 2011, Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award
    Endorsement of American Express
    Dean for America
    Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
    Friends of Hillary
    Gephardt for President
    Gore 2000
    John Kerry for President
    Obama for America
    Obama Victory Fund 2012
    World Trade Center Memorial Foundation Board of Directors
    Nobu (Restaurant) Co-Founder, Partner (2007-)
    Paternity Test (4-Oct-1992)
    Issued Concealed Carry Permit New York City
    Irish Ancestry Three-quarters Irish
    Italian Ancestry
    Risk Factors: Prostate Cancer

    FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR
    The Good Shepherd (11-Dec-2006)
    A Bronx Tale (29-Sep-1993)

    FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
    Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (Jan-2018) · Himself
    The Wizard of Lies (11-May-2017)
    Hands of Stone (16-May-2016)
    Dirty Grandpa (20-Jan-2016)
    Joy (24-Dec-2015)
    Heist (11-Nov-2015)
    The Intern (15-Sep-2015)
    The Bag Man (28-Feb-2014)
    Grudge Match (16-Dec-2013)
    Last Vegas (31-Oct-2013)
    Birth of the Living Dead (18-Oct-2013) · Himself
    The Family (10-Sep-2013)
    Killing Season (29-Jun-2013)
    The Big Wedding (26-Apr-2013)
    Silver Linings Playbook (8-Sep-2012)
    Freelancers (10-Aug-2012)
    Being Flynn (2-Mar-2012) · Jonathan Flynn
    Red Lights (20-Jan-2012)
    New Year's Eve (5-Dec-2011) · Stan Harris
    Killer Elite (10-Sep-2011)
    Limitless (8-Mar-2011) · Carl Van Loon
    The Ages of Love (25-Feb-2011)
    Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (21-Jan-2011) · Himself
    Little Fockers (22-Dec-2010) · Jack Byrnes
    Stone (10-Sep-2010) · Jack
    Machete (1-Sep-2010) · Sen. McLaughlin
    Everybody's Fine (3-Nov-2009)
    I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (16-Jan-2009) · Himself
    Righteous Kill (11-Sep-2008)
    What Just Happened? (19-Jan-2008) · Ben
    Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (13-Oct-2007) · Himself
    Stardust (9-Aug-2007) · Capt. Shakespeare
    The Good Shepherd (11-Dec-2006)
    Hide and Seek (27-Jan-2005)
    The Bridge of San Luis Rey (22-Dec-2004)
    Meet the Fockers (16-Dec-2004) · Jack Byrnes
    Shark Tale (10-Sep-2004) · Don Lino [VOICE]
    Godsend (30-Apr-2004)
    Analyze That (6-Dec-2002) · Paul Vitti
    City by the Sea (6-Sep-2002) · Vincent LaMarca
    Showtime (11-Mar-2002) · Mitch Preston
    9/11 (10-Mar-2002) · Himself
    America: A Tribute to Heroes (21-Sep-2001) · Himself
    The Score (9-Jul-2001)
    15 Minutes (1-Mar-2001)
    Meet the Parents (6-Oct-2000) · Jack Byrnes
    Men of Honor (14-Sep-2000) · Billy Sunday
    The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (24-Jun-2000) · Fearless Leader
    Flawless (24-Nov-1999) · Walt Koontz
    Analyze This (5-Mar-1999) · Paul Vitti
    Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth (21-Oct-1998) · Himself [VOICE]
    Ronin (12-Sep-1998) · Sam
    Great Expectations (30-Jan-1998) · Prisoner
    Wag the Dog (25-Dec-1997) · Conrad Brean
    Jackie Brown (25-Dec-1997) · Louis Gara
    Cop Land (15-Aug-1997) · Moe Tilden
    Marvin's Room (18-Dec-1996) · Dr. Wally
    Sleepers (18-Oct-1996) · Fr. Bobby
    The Fan (16-Aug-1996) · Gil Renard
    Heat (15-Dec-1995) · Neil McCauley
    Casino (22-Nov-1995) · Sam "Ace" Rothstein
    A Hundred and One Nights of Simon Cinema (25-Jan-1995)
    Frankenstein (4-Nov-1994)
    A Bronx Tale (29-Sep-1993) · Lorenzo
    This Boy's Life (9-Apr-1993)
    Mad Dog and Glory (5-Mar-1993) · Wayne
    Night and the City (16-Oct-1992)
    Mistress (29-Apr-1992) · Evan M. Wright
    Cape Fear (13-Nov-1991) · Max Cady
    Backdraft (24-May-1991) · Donald Rimgale
    Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (May-1991) · Himself
    Guilty by Suspicion (15-Mar-1991)
    Awakenings (20-Dec-1990) · Leonard Lowe
    Goodfellas (19-Sep-1990)
    Stanley & Iris (9-Feb-1990)
    We're No Angels (15-Dec-1989)
    Jacknife (10-Mar-1989)
    Midnight Run (20-Jul-1988) · Jack Walsh
    Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (Oct-1987) [VOICE]
    The Untouchables (3-Jun-1987) · Al Capone
    Angel Heart (6-Mar-1987)
    The Mission (29-Sep-1986)
    Brazil (20-Feb-1985) · Harry Tuttle
    Falling in Love (21-Nov-1984)
    Once Upon a Time in America (17-Feb-1984)
    The King of Comedy (18-Feb-1983)
    True Confessions (2-Oct-1981) · Des Spellacy
    Raging Bull (14-Nov-1980) · Jake La Motta
    The Deer Hunter (8-Dec-1978) · Michael
    New York, New York (21-Jun-1977) · Jimmy Doyle
    The Last Tycoon (15-Nov-1976) · Monroe Stahr
    1900 (15-Aug-1976)
    Taxi Driver (8-Feb-1976) · Travis Bickle
    The Godfather: Part II (12-Dec-1974)
    Mean Streets (2-Oct-1973) · Johnny Boy
    Bang the Drum Slowly (26-Aug-1973)
    The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (22-Dec-1971) · Mario
    Born to Win (1-Dec-1971) · Danny
    Jennifer on My Mind (10-Nov-1971) · Mardigian, Cab Driver
    Hi, Mom! (27-Apr-1970)
    Bloody Mama (24-Mar-1970) · Lloyd Barker
    The Wedding Party (9-Apr-1969)
    Sam's Song (1969)
    Greetings (15-Dec-1968)


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