Robert De Niro

**Robert Anthony De Niro** ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, producer, and director. He is thought to be one of the best and most important actors in his generation. De Niro has been given many awards. He was won 2 Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for 8 BAFTA Awards and 4 Emmy Awards. He was given the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2003, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2011, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Honorary Palme d'Or in 2025.

His most famous movies were _Mean Streets_ (1973), _The Godfather: Part II_ (1974), _Taxi Driver_ (1976), _The Deer Hunter_ (1978), _Raging Bull_ (1980), _The Untouchables_ (1987), _Goodfellas_ (1990), _Cape Fear_ (1991), _Casino_ (1995), _Heat_ (1995), _Jackie Brown_ (1997), _Meet the Parents_ (2000), _Silver Linings Playbook_ (2012), _Joker_ (2019) and _The Irishman_ (2019).

He was also known for his television roles. He played Bernie Madoff in the HBO film _The Wizard of Lies_ (2017). He won a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for this role. He was given more Emmy Award nominations for making the Netflix series _When They See Us_ (2019). He also had an Emmy Award nomination for being Robert Mueller on _Saturday Night Live_.

De Niro and Jane Rosenthal founded TriBeCa Productions in 1989. This company has made many movies. De Niro and Rosenthal also founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002.

Many of De Niro's movies are thought to be classics in America. 6 of his movies are in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. These were put in the Library of Congress in 2023 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". 5 of De Niro's movies were on the AFI's 100 greatest American films of all time.

## Early life

Robert Anthony De Niro was born on August 17, 1943, in Greenwich Village, New York City on August 17, 1943. He was the only son of his parents. His mother was Virginia Holton Admiral, a painter and poet. His father was Robert Henry De Niro, an abstract expressionist painter and sculptor. His father is half Irish and half Italian descent and His mother is of half German, with her other roots of English, French and Dutch descent.

### Family

De Niro was first married to Diahnne Abbott. They have a son, Raphael, a former actor who works in New York real estate. De Niro also adopted Abbott's daughter from a previous relationship, Drena.

De Niro has twin sons, Julian Henry and Aaron Kendrik. They were delivered by a surrogate mother in 1995.  His partner was a long-term live-in relationship with former model Toukie Smith.

In 1997, De Niro married actress Grace Hightower. Their son Elliot was born in 1998. The couple split in 1999. The divorce was never finalized and in 2004 they renewed their vows. In December 2011, they had a daughter, Helen Grace. She was born through a surrogate.

In addition to his six children De Niro has three grandchildren.

In 2003, it was said that De Niro had prostate cancer. He went on to make a full recovery.

### Academy Award

- 47th Academy Awards (1974): Best Supporting Actor, **win**, for _The Godfather Part II_
- 49th Academy Awards (1976): Best Actor, nomination, for _Taxi Driver_
- 51st Academy Awards (1978): Best Actor, nomination, for _The Deer Hunter_
- 53rd Academy Awards (1980): Best Actor, **win**, for _Raging Bull_
- 63rd Academy Awards (1990): Best Actor, nomination, for _Awakenings_
- 64th Academy Awards (1991): Best Actor, nomination, for _Cape Fear_
- 85th Academy Awards (2012): Best Supporting Actor, nomination, for _Silver Linings Playbook_
- 92nd Academy Awards (2019): Best Picture, nomination, for _The Irishman_
- 96th Academy Awards (2023): Best Supporting Actor, nomination, for _Killers of the Flower Moon_

### BAFTA Award

- Nominated: Best Newcomer, _The Godfather Part II_ (1976)
- Nominated: Best Actor, _Taxi Driver_ (1977)
- Nominated: Best Actor, _The Deer Hunter_ (1979)
- Nominated: Best Actor, _Raging Bull_ (1982)
- Nominated: Best Actor, _The King of Comedy_ (1984)
- Nominated: Best Actor, _Goodfellas_  (1990)

## Other websites

- Tribeca Film

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Robert De Niro
- **image**: Robert de Niro Cannes Film Festival (3x4 cropped).jpg
- **caption**: De Niro at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025
- **birth name**: Robert Anthony De Niro
- **birth place**: New York City, U.S.
- **years active**: 1963–present
- **children**: 7, including Drena De Niro, Drena and Raphael De Niro, Raphael
- **awards**: List of awards and nominations received by Robert De Niro, Full list