Stiff though the competition may be, there’s a strong argument to be made for Robert De Niro being the greatest actor of all time. Throughout a fantastic career that has now spanned seven decades, the Academy Award winner has appeared in more than 120 movies; several of which are considered by many to be some of the greatest to have ever graced the silver screen. What’s more, despite turning 77 last year, the veteran actor shows no signs of slowing down just yet.
Although his most memorable roles have typically placed him in the shoes of gangsters and criminals, De Niro has played a wide range of characters throughout his lengthy career. Whether playing an overbearing stepfather or a psychotic killer, the breadth of his talent is such that it’s incredibly rare for one of his performances not to hit its mark. They may not have all been knockouts according to Metacritic, but his points card is still incredibly impressive over the course of 12 rounds.
10 Silver Linings Playbook (2012) – 81
It’s not often that Robert De Niro is upstaged, but the performances of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook are truly fantastic. Of course, it helps that the pair played the movie’s leads while De Niro was merely a supporting character, but the veteran actor does have a track record of stealing the show even when he’s not directly in the spotlight.
The movie offers an interesting take on mental illness while exploring some of the challenges that those suffering from it are faced with on a regular basis. Its delicate and measured approach to the subject matter was a huge contributing factor to its critical success and a big part of the reason why the movie resonated with so many of its viewers.
9 Brazil (1985) – 84
Brazil is set in an alternate version of reality in which common sense and reason have given way to rampant consumerism and pointless bureaucracy. It is through this dystopian society that a number of fascinating themes are explored; compliments of some smart writing, creative ideas and wonderful acting performances. It’s not as well-known as many of De Niro’s other movies, but it’s definitely up there with his very best.
The Oscar winning actor had originally expressed an interest in the role of Jack Lint but the part had already been promised to Michael Palin. De Niro was therefore cast as the suspected terrorist Archibald Tuttle who serves more as a foil to the movie’s main protagonist Sam than a character who drives the narrative forward. It’s hard to argue too much with the casting though as both actors were exceptional throughout.
8 The Deer Hunter (1978) – 86
Best remembered for the tense moments where De Niro and Christopher Walken’s characters are forced to play Russian Roulette by their Viet Cong captors, The Deer Hunter is one of the most powerful movies in which De Niro has ever appeared. Not only does it serve to highlight the horrors of war, but it also shines a light on the indelible mental scarring that comes as a result of being exposed to them.
All wars are horrific in their very nature, but the Vietnam War was a particularly brutal one and director Michael Cimino did an exceptional job of conveying this through the movie. This grizzly depiction earned him the Oscar for Best Director at the 51st Academy Awards; one of five wins from the movie’s nine nominations. De Niro missed out on Best Actor for the second time, although his co-star Walken did come away with the award for Best Supporting Actor.
7 Raging Bull (1980) – 89
The Rocky movies may hold the belt when it comes to the being most memorable classic boxing movies, but Raging Bull is in an entirely different weight class. It might not have the uplifting and motivational impact of Rocky Balboa’s journey, but its gritty tone and the authenticity found through Jake LaMotta’s story makes for a much more compelling and relatable viewing experience.
The movie didn’t perform particularly well at the box office but has since gone on to become something of a cult classic. Whether or not it’s De Niro’s best acting performance is a matter for debate, but it remains the only one for which he has been awarded the Oscar for Best Actor.
6 American Hustle (2013) – 90
De Niro’s appearance in American Hustle is little more than a cameo, but there’s still plenty of acting talent to enjoy in this laugh a minute black comedy crime flick. Christian Bale and Amy Adams are the standout performers, although Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper really aren’t too far behind. Together they combine to create one of the slickest and most enjoyable heist movies since Paul Newman and Robert Redford lined up together in The Sting back in 1973.
The movie was a critical and commercial hit, raking in more than a quarter of a billion dollars at the box office and picking up ten Oscar nominations. Remarkably, however, it didn’t win a single one of the awards it was up for making it one of only three movies to reach double digit nominations without a single win.
5 Goodfellas (1990) – 90
Ray Liotta may have played the lead in this 1990 Scorsese classic, but his is just one of many standout performances on display throughout Goodfellas. Joe Pesci’s portrayal of Tommy provides an abundance of raw energy whilst De Niro’s calming presence as Jimmy helps to balance everything out. The supporting cast also bring a lot to the table and this is all backed up by some truly stunning cinematography.
The movie is based on the life of former mobster Henry Hill and is one of the most authentic gangster movies ever made. Anybody with even a passing interest in the world of organized crime owes it to themselves to check it out; assuming, that is, that they haven’t done so already. For those who have, 1995’s Casino once again brings De Niro, Pesci and Scorcese together and offers an equally compelling experience.
4 The Godfather: Part II (1974) – 90
De Niro’s portrayal of a young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II really is a thing of beauty — although it did not come easily for him. Despite his Italian heritage, the actor never actually learned to speak the language growing up and instead had to study it tirelessly in preparation for the role. His hard work definitely paid off though as he was awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.
The movie itself also won big that year with six Academy Awards from 11 nominations. This not only made it the most acclaimed of the Godfather trilogy, but also one of the most successful movies of all time. It was somewhat unique in that the movie serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the original movie, with half of the movie taking place in the past. As a result, De Niro never actually shared any screen-time with Al Pacino, although the pair would go on to star together on numerous occasions in the years that followed.
3 The Irishman (2019) – 94
The Irishman marked De Niro’s ninth appearance in a Martin Scorsese flick and also reunited him with former co-stars Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. Perhaps surprisingly though, it was actually the first time that the latter had ever worked with Scorsese. It was some performance too, with both he and Pesci picking up Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Sadly, De Niro was overlooked despite yet another stellar performance.
He played the role of Frank Sheeran, a truck driver who gets involved with the Bufalino crime family and ends up becoming one of their most prolific hit men. Due to the story spanning multiple decades and the actors’ advancing years, a considerable amount of time and money was spent de-aging De Niro and his two co-stars for the movie. Their occasionally sluggish movement may have betrayed the fine work of the CGI artists here and there, but their acting was just as compelling as ever.
2 Taxi Driver (1976) – 94
Even today, some 45 years on from the movie’s initial release, De Niro’s performance as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver remains one of his strongest and most memorable to date. Suffering from insomnia and some series psychosis, the titular taxi driver develops delusions of grandeur and becomes fixated on saving the world. His methods reflect his madness, however, as his goal quickly becomes the assassination of a presidential candidate.
Coming hot on the heels of The Godfather: Part II and Mean Streets, this was far from De Niro’s first big picture. It was, however, the first for which he was nominated for the Best Actor award at the Oscars; something that he would go on to do on a further four occasions. He didn’t end up winning it this time around, but he wouldn’t have to wait too much longer before picking up acting’s top accolade.
1 Mean Streets (1973) – 96
Although he’d been cast in a handful of fairly sizable roles during the early days of his career, it was not until his appearance in Mean Streets that people really began to sit up and take notice of a young Robert De Niro. His performance as the out of control Johnny Boy was one that defied his relative inexperience and felt more like that of a seasoned veteran than one of a fledgling actor appearing in his first major role.
While on the subject of firsts, this was also the first time that De Niro worked with Martin Scorsese and marked the beginning of a fruitful relationship for both men. To date, the pair have worked together on ten movies and will do so again in the not too distant future when production finally begins on Killers of the Flower Moon. The movie will also reunite De Niro with Leonardo DiCaprio; with whom he has not worked since the pair appeared together in This Boy’s Life back in 1993.
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