Yahoo! - Help

If you were hoping to find Uma Thurman, or any of our other Web Celebs, click here.

Yahoo!'s Web Celeb Robert De Niro Robert De Niro, Jr., was born on August 17, 1943. He is the son of two artists; his father was an abstract expressionist, a sculptor, and a poet. His mother, Virginia Admiral, was a painter. He was born and raised in New York, New York, and he was known around his neighborhood in Little Italy as 'Bobby Milk' because of his thin frame and wimpish-like traits. He was a quiet kid and preferred books over friendships. Nobody at the time could have imagined that Bobby De Niro would become one of the leading tough guys in cinema. The intensity that De Niro brings to each role is matched by few in Hollywood. At the age of ten, De Niro got his first stage role as the cowardly lion in THE WIZARD OF OZ. After that he spent his early teenage years on the streets wasting time with a half-respectable gang, but he took up acting again and at the age of sixteen he got his first paycheck for a touring performance in Chekhov's 'The Bear.' The next fifteen years were spent doing gigs at dinner theaters and off-Broadway plays. He studied with Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, two major figures in Method acting. De Niro's first screen role came in THE WEDDING PARTY, a movie by Brian De Palma - and that's all there is to say about it. It was made in 1963 but not released until 1969, but nobody noticed anyway. De Niro's next two films were also with De Palma, GREETINGS and HI, MOM!, but it wasn't until 1973 that De Niro had a breakthrough in Hollywood. His career booster was due to his portrayal of Bruce Pearson in BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY. The part earned him the New York Film Critics award for Best Actor. That same year, De Niro also appeared in the Martin Scorsese movie MEAN STREETS. It was his first role in a Scorsese film, and since then De Niro and Scorsese have worked on seven other movies like TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL, GOODFELLAS and, most recently, CASINO. 1974 was the year, however, that De Niro cemented his star status in the Francis Ford Coppola film THE GODFATHER, PART II. De Niro's portrayal of the young Vito Corleone won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and the impressive reputation for being the next Marlon Brando. De Niro further proved his dedication to acting in the film RAGING BULL. He gained 60 pounds to play the role of Jake La Motta, a role that got De Niro his first Oscar for Best Actor. Celebrity on the Web Robert De Niro Category The Robert De Niro & Martin Scorsese Tribute Site Yahoo! Movies - Ronin Ronin Official Site Goodfellas Category The Godfather Category Backdraft Category Taxi Driver Category Heat Category De Niro has worked hard to keep his family life away from the public eye. On June 17, 1997, he married Grace Hightower - his second wife. He was first married to Diahnne Abbott, an actress. They were married in 1976 and divorced in 1988. He has three sons and one daughter, and anything else concerning his family comes only as rumors and word of mouth. His next film, RONIN, has been called '...a masterpiece...' by TIME Magazine. Other De Niro films to look for include HEAT (with Al Pacino), A BRONX TALE (De Niro's first film behind the camera), BACKDRAFT, CAPE FEAR, COPLAND, and AWAKENINGS. Copyright 1998 UN Productions, Inc. Past Web Celebs: Laurie Plaskin, Andrew Shue, Calvert Deforest, Yasmine Bleeth, Howard Stern, Pamela Lee Anderson, David Letterman, Cindy Margolis, Will Smith, Kate Mulgrew, Jewel, Chris Rock, Rosie O'Donnell, Pierce Brosnan, Tracey Ullman, Fiona Apple, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, 3rd Rock From The Sun, Godzilla, Carmen Electra, and Uma Thurman. Also check out Yahoo! NY Model of the Month and Yahoo! Chicago Blues Review. Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logo are trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. Copyright © 1994-97 Yahoo! All Rights Reserved.