Top 10 Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro has made a name for himself in the industry as a credible actor with a penchant for dramatic roles. In more recent years the American-Italian actor has shown off his funnier side, but before bringing down the house with Ben Stiller he was king of the ring in a string of serious roles. From playing boxer Jake LaMotta and crazed Travis Bickle to a young Don Vito Corleone, De Niro can do no wrong...

His Top 10 Films

Mean Streets (1973)

Mean Streets marked Robert De Niro’s first time collaborating with heavyweight director Martin Scorsese. At the time De Niro was virtually unknown, and Scorsese had barely any budget to make a film, but this didn’t stand in the way of a burgeoning partnership. Due to lack of funds, Scorsese used hand-held cameras, which shaped the film’s innovative edge, and ultimately defined his style. The film was met with universal praise, with the National Society of Film Critics honouring De Niro with an award for Best Supporting Actor.

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The Godfather: Part II (1974)

Interestingly, Francis Ford Coppola wanted Martin Scorsese to direct this crime-family sequel. But when the executive producers got wind of Coppola’s idea they insisted only he would be suitable as director. To prepare for his role as a young Vito Corleone, De Niro lived in Sicily for several months. The trip to foreign shores paid off, and the following year De Niro walked away with Best Supporting Actor at The Oscars. The debate goes on whether the sequel, which has topped several film lists, is better than the original.

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Taxi Driver (1976)

De Niro and Scorsese teamed up once again to film the four-time Oscar-nominated and Cannes Palme d’Or winner, Taxi Driver. To get into the mindset of his character, Travis Bickle, De Niro studied mental illness and worked twelve hours a day as a taxi driver. Director Brian De Palma was originally tied to the project but was let go when producers saw De Niro and Scorsese’s collaboration on Mean Streets. In 2005, the film’s infamous quote, “you talkin’ to me” came in at number ten in the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Movie Quotes list.

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The Deer Hunter (1978)

Loosely based on the German novel, Three Comrades (1937), The Deer Hunter is a drama which focuses on the mental implications of war. The film was nominated for nine Oscars in total, five of which it won, including Best Picture. In preparation for the role De Niro visited the homes of steel workers in Ohio. While co-star Christopher Walken (who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), ate nothing but rice and bananas before filming the third act, to achieve the malnourished look.

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Raging Bull (1980)

It took De Niro four years to persuade long-time collaborator Scorsese that they should make a film (their fourth together) about famous boxer Jake LaMotta. Finally, with everyone on board, the story of heavyweight boxer turned stand-up comic, LaMotta was put into production. De Niro went through extensive physical training, eventually taking part in two boxing matches - which he both won. He also later gained 60Ibs to play the older, washed up version of LaMotta. According to Scorsese production was put on hold for four months so DeNiro could eat his weight in fatty foods

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Goodfellas (1990)

During the eighties De Niro made some solid collaborations with respected directors such as Sergio Leone (Once Upon A Time in America) and good friend Brian De Palma (The Untouchables). Then in 1990 he signed up to play real-life gangster Jimmy Burke, teaming up with Scorsese for a fifth time. Scorsese gave all his actors free reign on set, re-writing their on-set ad-libbing into the script. One infamous improvised scene from the film involves an angry Joe Pesci screaming at Ray Liotta , “do I amuse you?” repeatedly, before bursting into hysterics. This scene, won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, while De Niro was nominated for Best Actor at the BAFTAs.

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Cape Fear (1991)

A remake of the 1962 thriller starring Gregory Peck, Scorsese’s 1991 adaptation saw a then slender De Niro bulk up for the role, and pay a dentist $5,000 to damage his teeth. He later paid the same dentist $20,000 to fix his own handy work. To complete the revenge-seeking rapist look, De Niro was tattooed with vegetable die. This role marks De Niro’s sixth Oscar nomination (two of which he won for Raging Bull and The Godfather Part II). Steven Spielberg was originally meant to direct Cape Fear but urged Scorsese to get involved instead.

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Casino (1995)

Considered as a companion piece to Scorsese’s previous film, Goodfellas, Casino - also starring Joe Pesci – is a brutal depiction of the gangster scene in Las Vegas throughout the late 1970/early 1980s.The film, which is a screen adaptation of the book by Nicholas Pileggi, received criticism for its excessive use of violence but was largely praised for its intelligent plotlines. Sharon Stone was handed an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Ace’s (De Niro) wife, the self-obsessed and glamorous Ginger. Pileggi also co-wrote the screenplay for the film.

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Heat (1995)

Director Michael Mann was given the opportunity to remake his television movie, L.A. Takedown in 1995 with an all-star cast attached to the project. In what was a busy year for the American star, DeNiro took pole position as bank robber Neil McCauley opposite fellow crime-genre icon, Al Pacino. This film marks a pinnacle moment in cinema history, for Pacino and De Niro fans, as the two cinema greats unite on-screen for the first time (having both starred, but not shared any screen time, in The Godfather Part II). However, it is rumoured that neither actors were present during these scenes and they only appear together via trick-editing.

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Meet the Parents (2000)

De Niro took a giant leap from the crime genre into comedy in the late nineties with Anaylze This. Then in 2000 he landed the lead role as a former spy and over-protective father, opposite Ben Stiller, in Jay Roach’s Meet the Parents. The film went on to become the seventh highest grossing film of 2000 worldwide. The success of this family-centred comedy spurred a sequel, Meet the Fockers, starring De Niro, which Dustin Hoffman also signed on for. The third film, reuniting all the cast, was released in December 2010.

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Jennifer Trevorrow