Table of Contents
Robert De Niro
Birth
Robert Anthony De Niro was born on August 17, 1943, in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood.1)
Parents
He is the son of Robert De Niro Sr. and Virginia Admiral.2)
Parents' Jobs
His parents were both artists; his father was half Italian and half Irish, while his mother was half German with French, English, and Dutch ancestors. They divorced not too long after. 3)
Upbringin
His mother raised him in Manhattan's Greenwich Village and Little Italy neighborhoods. His father lived nearby, and De Niro spent a lot of time with him as a child.4)
Religion
His mother was reared Presbyterian but later became an atheist, while his father had been a lapsed Catholic since the age of 12.5)
Education
De Niro started high school at the exclusive McBurney School and then transferred to the prestigious Rhodes Preparatory School, although he never graduated from either.6)
Bobby Milk
De Niro, nicknamed “Bobby Milk” for his pallor, hung out with a gang of homeless kids in Little Italy as a child, some of whom have remained lifelong friends.7)
Wizard Of Oz
His stage debut at the age of ten, when he played the Cowardly Lion in a school production of The Wizard of Oz, predicted the direction of his career.8)
Obsessed With Acting And Movies
He was obsessed with movies and dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to pursue acting, as well as seeking relief from shyness via performance.9)
Studied Acting
He attended the Stella Adler Conservatory and Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio.10)
Italian Citizenship
In 2006, he obtained an Italian passport. Despite substantial resistance from the American-Italian community, the Prime Minister gave him Italian citizenship on behalf of the Italian Republic.11)
Sean Penn
He shares the same birthday as Sean Penn.12)
Academy Award
Robert had seven Academy Award nominations and two wins for his roles in The Godfather: Part 2 and Raging Bull.13)
Oscar For Same Role
Only Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando have won an Oscar for portraying the same character, Vito Corleone.14)
Martin Scorsese
Since 1973, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have worked together on nine films: Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, New York, New York, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, The Irishman, Cape Fear, and Casino.15)
Tribeca Film Festival
De Niro founded the Tribeca Film Festival in May 2002 with the goal of revitalizing Lower Manhattan following the September 11th attacks.16)
The Last Temptation of Christ
He declined the part of Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ. It was later passed on to Willem Dafoe.17)
The Departed
Due to commitments with The Good Shepherd, he had to decline a role in The Departed (2006).18)
Moscow International Film Festival
De Niro presided over the jury at the 15th Moscow International Film Festival in 1987.19)
The Deer Hunter
During the production of The Deer Hunter, he did a lot of his own stunts.20)
Arrested In France
During a film shoot in France in February 1998, De Niro was detained by French authorities and questioned about a prostitution network.21)
Diahnne Abbott
In 1976, he married his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, and they have a son, Raphael, who is a former actor who works in real estate in New York. In 1988, Robert and Diahnne divorced.22)
Toukie Smith
He also has twin kids from a lengthy relationship with former model Toukie Smith, who were produced through in vitro fertilization and delivered by a surrogate mother in 1995.23)
Grace Hightower
De Niro married his second wife, actress Grace Hightower, at their Marbletown home in 1997. Elliot was born in 1998, and the couple divorced in 1999. The divorce was never formalized, and they rekindled their vows in 2004.24)
Grandchildren
De Niro has four grandkids, one from his daughter Drena and three from his son Raphael, in addition to his six children.25)
Elliot With Autism
On March 25, 2016, De Niro revealed that his son, Elliot, has autism, which explains his interest in its origins and treatment.26)
Prostate Cancer
In October 2003, it was revealed that De Niro had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. In December 2003, he underwent surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.27)
John Belushi
He knew comic John Belushi, who died of a heroin overdose on March 5, 1982.28)
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly named him the 34th Greatest Movie Star of All Time.29)
Not A Footbal Fan
He admitted that it was tough for him to appear to be a football fan for his character in Silver Linings Playbook because he is not a football enthusiast.30)