Robert De Niro’s most famous films

hto 80 years old100 movies, 2 Oscars and six children (by three different women). Robert DeNiro celebrate a birthday from Wild bull of Hollywood. Beloved for his mimicry, for that unmistakable mole (and for how he loses his temper in gangster roles), this living legend has given the big screen sequences embedded in the collective imagination. Many of which are the result of the partnership with Martin Scorsese, with whom he made 11 films. Including, the highly anticipated Killers of the Flower Moon alongside Leonardo DiCaprior which will arrive in Italian cinemas from October 19, after the exclusive streaming on Apple TV +. But it wasn’t Scorsese a find outbut, Brian DePalma which it does debut Hello America! of 1968 and then use it in the following ones Just married And Hi Mom!.

Molise for a quarterthe actor was born in New York, in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, by two artists. After her parents’ divorce, she grew up with her mother in the Little Italy neighborhood, absorbing cultural influences due to her Italian origins. She studies acting, first at theActors Studio by Lee Strasberg and then at the conservatory with Stella Adler, where he learns the Stanislavsky method.

Today, we want to celebrate Bob De Niro’s fabulous eightieth birthday with 10 iconic moments from his filmography: from the monologue to the mirror in Taxi Driver to gags with nerd in I present to you mine.

The murder of Don Fanucci ne The Godfather – Part II (1974)

Oscar for best supporting actor, was chosen by Francis Ford Coppola after his audition for the part of Sonny during the selection of the cast of the cornerstone where, however, James Caan was preferred. To prepare for the role of young Vito Corleone, De Niro spent six months in the Corleone area learning Sicilian. In the original version of the film, he performs in Italian with a strong Sicilian accent. This spectacular scene from the “sequel of sequels” shows the assassination of the sinister boss Don Fanucci by the twenty-year-old Corleone.

The monologue in the mirror Taxi Driver (1976)

Taxi driver executioner for Martin Scorsese, in the urban odyssey of paranoid Travis Bickle. The iconic mirror monologue was improvised by De Niro himself, during a break, unaware that the director was still shooting; «You talkin’ to me?was an exercise Robert had learned under Stella Adler’s guidance.

Russian roulette ne The hunter (1978)

It is Michael «Mike» Vronsky, Vietnam veteran in Micheal Cimino’s masterpiece. For the famous scene in which he subjects John Cazale’s character to an impromptu game of Russian roulette in the Vietcong barrack, De Niro wanted the bullet in the barrel of the gun to actually be present. Cazale agreed without protest, but he obsessively checked the gun before each take to make sure the round was not in the chamber.

The fisticuffs in the ring in wild bull (1980)

In his fourth film with Scorsese, De Niro takes home the Oscar for best leading actor in the biopic of the Italian-American boxer. The actor trained with the real Jake La Motta going through 1,000 rounds and winning two fights. In the second part, his character loses his former shape and weighs almost 100 kg. And De Niro did the same, gaining 27 and a half kilos: «I ate huge breakfasts, lunches and dinners. The first seven kilos go by themselves and it’s fun, but then it’s a sacrifice».

The date with Deborah in Once upon a time in America (1984)

De Niro embodies the gangster Noodles in Sergio Leone’s criminal epic that has its roots in the New York of prohibition. Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson turned down the title role in favor of Bob. Memorable is the scene in which, in an attempt to conquer the woman who has stolen his heart, Noodles organizes a splendid evening in a seaside restaurant booked exclusively for the two of them, during which he asks her to marry him. She, while reciprocating, refuses the proposal.

He rails against Kevin Costner ne The Untouchables (1987)

Bob De Niro’s perfect Al Capone screams «You are just talk and badge!» to the feds in the courtroom. Brian De Palma, the first who believed in him, directs him in the biopic of agent Eliot Ness, who will put together a team to frame the boss of bosses. With no time to gain weight for the role, De Niro used prosthetic makeup and padding to emulate the mobster. The star managed to track down Capone’s personal tailors and so wore copies of the original suits in the film. Also, the shaving set seen at the Lexington Hotel actually belonged to the gangster.

Coats of jewels Sharon Stone in Casino (1995)

In the last act of Scorsese’s Mafia trilogy (started with mean streets), the actor plays Ace: the gangster in the flamboyant suits inspired by Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal. Co-star Sharon Stone named De Niro “best kisser on set”.

The challenge with Al Pacino in Heat (1995)

He shares, for the first time, the scene with Al Pacino in Michael Mann’s urban noir, inspired by the real figure of the Chicago policeman Chuck Adamson and the criminal Neil McCauley (played by De Niro).

He vents with the pillow in Therapy and bullets (1999)

Brilliant comedy in which our Bob embodies the boss in analysis, Paul Vitti. The initial idea was to direct the film with Billy Crystal, before deciding to offer it to Harold Ramis.

Hands off geek in I present mine (2000)

In one of his most beloved comedian roles, Bob is Jack Byrnes: surly father-in-law of Ben Stiller and devoted master of a flea-loving Himalayan Persian. Originally, De Niro wanted to train the cat himself for the film, but soon realized that it would take many months to achieve the feat.