Biographic - Sunday August 10, 2008 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

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Routinely hailed as one of the greatest actors in cinema history, throughout his career Robert De Niro has earned a reputation for unparalleled commitment to his art, he famously gained 60 pounds to play boxer Jake La Motta in 1980s "Raging Bull" and had his teeth surgically altered and his body tattooed with vegetable dye (that took months to fade) for 1991's "Cape Fear" Born in New York on August 17, 1943, the son of respected artists, his earliest role was The Cowardly Lion on in a local production of "The Wizard of Oz" when he was 10 years old. By the age of 16, he was touring in a production of Chekov's "The Bear." He spent the best part of a decade honing his craft in off-broadway productions and theater workshops, before breaking into films in the late 1960s. Two movies released in 1973 "Mean Streets" and "Bang The Drum Slowly" established De Niro as a rising star. The following year he starred as the young Vto Corleone in "The Godfather" Part II a role that earned him the Academy Award for best supporting actor. Following from their work together on "Mean Streets" De Niro embarked on a series of collaborations with director Martin Scorsese that produced some of the great landmarks in american cinema. 1976's "Taxi Driver" earned him an Academy Award nomination. As did "Cape Fear" and he won his second Oscar for "Raging Bull" they also worked together on "New York, New York" "The King of Comedy" "Goodfellas" and "Casino" He has worked with many other notable directors- with Brian De Palma on "The Untouchables" with Bernando Bertolucci on Novecento" and Sergio Leone on "Once Upon a Time In America" 1978 haunting Vietnam war movie "The Deer Hunter" directed my Michael Cimino. Earned him another Oscar nomination. In later years, De Niro has showed his versatility, from the monstrous father in "This Boy's Life" to the actual monster in "Frankenstein" from such lighter fare as "Meet The Parents" to the sci-fi fantasy of "Stardust" he played the devil in "Angel Heart" Fearless Leader in "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, and voiced a shark in "Shark Tale" founder of the Tribeca Film Festival. De Niro also directs and is a high-powered producer ensuring his place in the pantheon of movie-making legends.

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