Born on August 17, 1943 to a family of artists, Robert De Niro was destined to find a creative vocation. Raised in the Little Italy area of Manhattan, De Niro found his calling as an actor at the young age of 10, when he played the part of the Cowardly Lion in his school’s production of The Wizard of Oz. From this point on, De Niro knew that he would be an actor, and at age 16 he left his high school to pursue acting. De Niro began studying his craft under Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg and eventually enrolled in the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan.

De Niro landed his first film role when he was 20 in The Wedding Party (1963). 1973, however, was the most significant in De Niro’s acting career, for it marked his first collaboration with director Marin Scorsese. De Niro starred in Mean Streets opposite Harvey Keitel. This collaboration was the first of many; De Niro also starred in many more of Scorsese’s films, like Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), and Goodfellas (1990).

De Niro has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including his two wins for The Godfaather, Part II (1974) and Raging Bull (1980). De Niro continues to enjoy great success in his film career, starring in recent films like Meet the Parents (2000) and The Good Shepherd (2006), which he also directed.