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Robert Anthony De Niro was born on August 17, 1943, in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood.1)
He is the son of Robert De Niro Sr. and Virginia Admiral.2)
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)
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)
His mother was reared Presbyterian but later became an atheist, while his father had been a lapsed Catholic since the age of 12.5)
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)
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)
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)
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)
He attended the Stella Adler Conservatory and Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio.10)
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)
He shares the same birthday as Sean Penn.12)
Robert had seven Academy Award nominations and two wins for his roles in The Godfather: Part 2 and Raging Bull.13)