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One of the greatest actors of all time, Robert De Niro was born on August 17, 1943 in Manhattan, New York City, to artists Virginia (Admiral) and Robert De Niro Sr. It wasn't long into his life before he found his true calling for a career!
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De Niro's start in the acting game was quite fated in retrospect. The son of two Greenwich Village artists, De Niro dropped out of school at age 16 to study at the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting.
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He began working in the world of theater and making his bones as a stage actor. This game him the formation he needed to project and be able to expand his acting skills as many other greats had done before him!
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After working in a few Off-Off-Broadway plays, he appeared in his first film which was Brian De Palma’s 1969 film, 'The Wedding Party.' This began a career that would soon be draped in golden achievements and many memorable moments.
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Thereafter he appeared in several minor films, the most notable being 'The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight' (1971). It was not until his performance in 'Bang the Drum Slowly' (1973) that he was widely recognized as an excellent actor.
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And then came a really big notch in his belt. 'Mean Streets' (1973) marked De Niro’s first association with director Martin Scorsese, with whom he would do some of his most celebrated work. Their work together would go down in history.
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Director Francis Ford Coppola, whose massively popular The Godfather (1972) had won the Academy Award for best picture, was so impressed by De Niro in 'Mean Streets' that he offered the actor the part of young "Vito Corleone" in 'The Godfather, Part II'
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He received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'The Godfather Part II' (1974) and then followed that by receiving Academy Award nominations for best actor in 'Taxi Driver' (1976), 'The Deer Hunter' (1978) and 'Cape Fear' (1991).
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Among many of his incredibly memorable performances, then came the one that would pay off the most. He received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as real-life boxer Jake LaMotta in 'Raging Bull' (1980).
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Today he can look back on a record filled with success and crowned with glory. There is no film aficionado in the world that doesn't think De Niro is in the Hollywood Olympus.
Robert De Niro is perhaps the greatest living actor of our time. For many, his characters have become synonymous with film history and his films have transcended time and space. Today he is regarded as a Hollywood giant.
De Niro's legacy is by and large one that many actors have tried their best to emulate along their careers. But there is only one Bobby De Niro.