Robert de Niro – Two-time Academy Award-winning

Origin: Robert De Niro was born on 17 August 1943 in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan, New Yor. His Italian great-grandparents, Giovanni De Niro and Angelina Mercurio, emigrated from Ferrazzano, Molise. His father Robert De Niro, Sr., an abstract expressionist painter and sculpto and mother – Virginia Admiral, a painter and poet. His father was of half Italian and half Irish descent, while his mother was of Dutch, English, French, German, and Irish ancestry.
Education: De Niro attended a public elementary school in Manhattan and later a Elisabeth Irwin High School, the private upper school of the Little Red School House. Niro shortly attended the High School of Music and Art and later the private McBurney School and the private Rhodes Preparatory School, although he never graduated from either. He studied acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory, as well as Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio.
Career highlights:  At the age of 10, De Niro made his stage debut as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. He also took children’s acting classes in Maria Picator’s Dramatic Workshop.
De Niro’s first film role came at the age of 20 in  the film The Wedding Party (1963), but the film was not released until 1969. His First Major Screen Credit were Greetings (1968) and Bloody Mama (1970).
He began gaining popularity in the beginning of 1970s after appearing in the sports drama Bang the Drum Slowly (1973) and Scorsese’s crime film Mean Streets (1973). Later he earned Academy Award nominations for the two films directed by Martin Scorsese: Taxi Driver (1976) and Cape Fear (1991).
De Niro and Scorsese have successfuly collaborated throughout their careers. De Niro starred in such Scorsese’s mostly crime genre  films as  New York, New York (1977), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995).  Guilty by Suspicion (1991).
In 1974 he starred in the  film The Godfather Part II, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In 1976 de Niro appeared in Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1900 with Gérard Depardieu, Stefania Sandrelli and Donald Sutherland and  in drama film directed by Elia Kazan The Last Tycoon, with  Jack Nicholson and Tony Curtis.
In 1978 De Niro  starred in the  film The Deer Hunter, for which he was nominated on Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
In 1980 De Niro scored his second Academy Award  Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake La Motta in the film Raging Bull.
Confirming his acting versatility he earned recognition of audience for his comedic roles in such films as Brazil (1985), Midnight Run (1988), Analyze This (1999), Meet the Parents (2000), and Meet the Fockers (2004), Little Fockers (2010).
Other films of 80’s include: True Confessions (1981), romantic-drama film Falling in Love (1984), with Meryl Streep, Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Mission (1986), Angel Heart (1987), The Untouchables (1987) with Kevin Costner and Sean Connery.
In 90’s he succefully starred in films Goodfellas (1990), Awakenings (1990), Heat (1995), The Fan (1996), Sleepers (1996), Wag the Dog (1997), Jackie Brown (1997), Ronin (1998) and  Flawless (1999).
Later De Niro starred in the biographical film Men of Honor (2000),  in the comedy films Meet the Parents (2000) wiht Ben Stiller,  Meet the Fockers (2004) with Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand. He reprised his roles  in the films: The Departed (2006) with Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, The Good Shepherd (2006) with Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie andAlec Baldwin,  in the romantic fantasy film Stardust (2007) with Michelle Pfeiffer.
In 2010 he reprised his roles  in the action film Machete  and  in the thriller Stone with Edward Norton and Milla Jovovich and  in the comedy film Little Fockers with Jessica Alba, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand.
In 2011 he appeared in the action film Killer Elite, Limitless  and the romantic comedy film New Year’s Eve  and in the filmManuale d’amore 3
In 2012, he starred with  Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in the films Silver Linings Playbook, garnering the 7th Oscar nomination of his career, and also in Freelancers, Red Lights, and Being Flynn with Julianne Moore.
Personal life:  De Niro married his first wife, African-American actress and singer Diahnne Abbott, in 1976 and the couple split in 1988. They have a son, Raphael and De Niro also adopted Abbott’s daughter from a previous relationship. Later De Niro has long relationship with former African-American fashion model Toukie Smith.
They have twins sons together conceived by in vitro fertilization and delivered by a surrogate mother in 1995. In 1997, De Niro married his second wife, actress Grace Hightower. Their son Elliot was born in 1998. They divorced in 1999.
In 2004 they renewed their vows and in December 2011, a daughter named Helen Grace was born via surrogate. De Niro has six children and four grandchildren, one from his daughter Drena and three from his son Raphael.
Zest: Robert was an only child in family. He is the second actor to win an Oscar for portraying Vito Corleone. He and Marlon Brando are the only two actors to win an Oscar for playing the same character. Has said that Meryl Streep is his favorite actress to work with. Very good friends with fellow actor and frequent co-star, Joe Pesci.