A RETROSPECTIVE LOOK AT THE CAREER OF ROBERT DE NIRO :
Robert De Niro, who is considered of as one of the greatest actors of his time, was born in New York City in 1943 to two artists. He was trained at the Stella Adler Conservatory and the American Workshop. He first gained fame for his role in Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), but he gained his reputation as a volatile actor in Mean Streets (1973), which was his first film with director Martin Scorsese. In 1974 De Niro received an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in The Godfather: Part II (1974) and received Academy Award nomations for best actor in Taxi Driver (1976), The Deer Hunter (1978), and Cape Fear (1991). He won the best actor award in 1980 for Raging Bull (1980). De Niro currently heads his own production company, Tribeca Film Center, and made his directorial debut in 1993 with A Bronx Tale (1993).
The actor made his first film appearance as an extra in Marcel Carné's Trois Chambres a Manhattan (1965). The following year, he successfully auditioned for a small speaking part in The Wedding Party (1966). During filming, De Niro was befriended by one of the co-directors, Brian De Palma, who provided the young actor with his first leading part as a draft dodger in Greetings (1966). Unfortunately, the film was a flop, failing to find much of an audience. The same was true of De Niro's third film, Sam's Song (1969) (which was re-cut and re-released as The Swap a decade later to exploit De Niro's popularity). It was actress Shelley Winters, aquatinted with De Niro since they studied with Adler, who provided him with his first break by casting him as her drug-addicted, dim-witted son in the low-budget film Bloody Mama (1970). Though something less than a towering cinematic achievement, the film began open doors for De Niro in Hollywood. He continued appearing in low-rent roles until he was cast opposite Michael Moriarty in the moving Bang the Drum Slowly in 1973; his portrayal of a simple-minded professional baseball player suffering from Hodgkins disease earned him "Best Supporting Actor" kudos from the New York Film Critics. That same year the actor enjoyed another critical triumph with his role as the volatile, deeply troubled Johnny Boy opposite Harvey Keitel in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets, and the film marked the beginning of De Niro's long and celebrated association with the director.
The actor's next big break came the subsequent year when Francis Ford Coppola cast him as the young Don Corleone (originally played by Marlon Brando) in the acclaimed The Godfather Part II. For his subtle, multi-layered portrayal (his flawless accent came from hours of studying and practicing a Sicilian dialect), De Niro received his first Oscar for "Best Supporting Actor." In 1976, he courted further acclaim in Scorsese's Taxi Driver as tortured loner Travis Bickle, a role he prepared for by spending days in New York cabs observing the drivers. The film, and De Niro's portrayal of Bickle, became one of the most celebrated of the actor's career, and established him as one of the decade's rawest and most compelling new talents. He followed up Taxi Driver with New York, New York (1977), another Scorsese collaboration that saw De Niro play struggling musician Jimmy Doyle opposite Liza Minnelli; although the director's uneven attempt at a noirish Hollywood musical was greeted with a lukewarm reception, De Niro's work as Doyle helped to broaden his range beyond the confines of crime-oriented films.
De Niro encountered greater acclaim in 1978 for his riveting performance as a steelworker whose life is irrevocably changed by his experiences in Vietnam in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter. He then won another Oscar in 1980 for his performance as self-destructive boxer Jake LaMotta in Scorsese's powerful Raging Bull. This film is the one most frequently cited when people try to explain the lengths De Niro goes to to get into character; in this case, the actor gained 50 pounds to portray LaMotta in his seedy old age.
Following this tremendous success, De Niro continued to do some of the best work of his career in collaboration with Scorsese. He received particular acclaim for his work in the director's Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995), both of which are widely held to contain De Niro's strongest work of the 1990s. However, the actor did turn down his friend for what could have been a career-altering role: in the late '80s, Scorsese approached De Niro with the opportunity to star in the lead role in The Last Temptation of Christ. Ever a Method disciple, De Niro reportedly declined the offer, saying that he couldn't possibly do adequate research for the part. Ironically, the actor did accept Alan Parker's offer to play Lucifer (also known as Louis Cyphre) in the director's violent noir mystery Angel Heart (1987). To prepare for the three scenes he was to appear in, De Niro grew long hair and a beard and read the biographies of some of history's more evil men. Later, Parker talked about his experience working with the actor, saying "When De Niro walks on the set, you can feel his presence, but he never behaves like a movie star, just an actor. And when he acts, his sheer concentration permeates the whole set." Parker additionally stated that working with De Niro could be was a little exhausting, as the actor was constantly coming up with questions, suggestions, and new ideas.
Fearing he had become typecast in mob roles, De Niro from the mid-1980s began expanding into occasional comedic roles, and has had much success there as well with such films as Brazil (1985), in which he had a small role; the hit action-comedy Midnight Run (1988), Showtime (film) (2002) opposite Eddie Murphy; and the film-and-sequel pairs Analyze This (1999) and Analyze That (2002), and Meet the Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004). Other films include Falling in Love (1984), The Mission (1986), The Untouchables (1987) "Angel Heart (1987)" Heat (1995), Wag the Dog (1997) and Ronin (1998). In 1997, he reteamed with Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta, along with Sylvester Stallone, in the crime drama Cop Land. De Niro proved he was able to play a supporting role taking a back seat to Stallone, Keitel and Liotta.
ACCOLADES :
ACADEMY AWARD :
Robert De Niro in Raging Bull. Won: Best Supporting Actor, The Godfather, Part II (1974)
Nominated: Best Actor, Taxi Driver (1976) Nominated: Best Actor, The Deer Hunter (1978) Won: Best Actor, Raging Bull (1980) Nominated: Best Actor, Awakenings (1990) Nominated: Best Actor, Cape Fear (1991)
BAFTA AWARD :
Nominated: Best Newcomer, The Godfather, Part II (1976) Nominated: Best Actor, Taxi Driver (1977) Nominated: Best Actor, The Deer Hunter (1980) Nominated: Best Actor, Raging Bull (1982) Nominated: Best Actor, The King of Comedy (1984) Nominated: Best Actor, Goodfellas (1991)
Golden Globe Award:
Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picure Drama, Taxi Driver (1977) Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical/Comedy, New York, New York (1978) Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, The Deer Hunter (1979) Won: Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, Raging Bull (1981) Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical/Comedy, Midnight Run (1989) Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, Cape Fear (1992) Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical/Comedy, Analyze This (2000) Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical/Comedy, Meet the Parents (2001)
In addition to his entertainment industry commitments, De Niro created and co-owns the Tribeca Grill, which is located on the first two floors of his lower-Manhattan film center (which in turn is located in an historic coffee distribution building) and is decorated with his father's artwork.
SOME OF DE NIRO'S BEST WORKS :
Raging Bull
The Godfather Part II
The Deer Hunter
Newyork Newyork
Taxi Driver
The King Of Comedy
Once Upon A Time In America
Analyse This
Good Fellas
Casino
Cop Land
Meet The Parents
Cape Fear
The Untouchables
Heat
Angel Heart
Frankenstien
We hope to expect more from this legendary actor in the future.
Sincerely,
his ardent fan,
Praveen Chandar.
Coming up Soon :
- 'The Simpsons Movie' Review -
- 'Cidade De Deus' : Trivia and Appreciation of the film -
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