Robert De Niro

One of the greatest actors of all time, 'Robert De Niro' (qv) was born on August 17, 1943 in Manhattan, New York City, to artists Virginia (Admiral) and 'Robert De Niro' (qv) Sr. His paternal grandfather was of Italian descent, and his other ancestry is Irish, English, Dutch, German, and French. He was trained at the 'Stella Adler' (qv) Conservatory and the American Workshop. De Niro first gained fame for his role in _Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)_ (qv), but he gained his reputation as a volatile actor in _Mean Streets (1973)_ (qv), which was his first film with director 'Martin Scorsese' (qv). He received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in _The Godfather: Part II (1974)_ (qv) and received Academy Award nominations for best actor in _Taxi Driver (1976)_ (qv), _The Deer Hunter (1978)_ (qv) and _Cape Fear (1991)_ (qv). He received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as 'Jake LaMotta' (qv) in _Raging Bull (1980)_ (qv).De Niro has earned four Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, for his work in _New York, New York (1977)_ (qv), opposite 'Liza Minnelli' (qv), _Midnight Run (1988)_ (qv), _Analyze This (1999)_ (qv) and _Meet the Parents (2000)_ (qv). Other notable performances include _Brazil (1985)_ (qv), _The Untouchables (1987)_ (qv), _Backdraft (1991)_ (qv), _Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)_ (qv), _Heat (1995)_ (qv), _Casino (1995)_ (qv) and _Jackie Brown (1997)_ (qv). At the same time, he also directed and starred in such films as _A Bronx Tale (1993)_ (qv) and _The Good Shepherd (2006)_ (qv). De Niro has also received the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 and the Golden Globe 'Cecil B. DeMille' (qv) Award in 2010.::Pedro Borges