After 1981's True Confessions, his next roles were that of an aspiring standup comedian in Scorsese's The King of Comedy (1983) and as a Jewish mobster in the sprawling historical epic Once Upon a Time in America (1984). The previously skinny De Niro had put on 60 pounds of muscle for his riveting turn as LaMotta and was rewarded for his dedication with the 1981 Academy Award for Best Actor.
While De Niro was by all accounts only a very modest troublemaker, the gang provided him with experience to skillfully portray Italian mobsters as an actor.ĭe Niro later portrayed middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta in the commercially unsuccessful but critically adored film Raging Bull (1980), again helmed by Scorsese. 41 in Greenwich Village, De Niro proved to be uninterested in school altogether and, as a teenager, joined a rather tame Italian street gang that gave him the nickname "Bobby Milk," in reference to his pale complexion. However, feeling overwhelmed and unprepared for the intense and competitive atmosphere, he dropped out to attend public school after only a few days. Soon after, he was accepted at New York's prestigious High School of Music and Art, an institution specializing in visual and performance arts. De Niro's mother worked part-time as a typist and copyeditor for Maria Picator's Dramatic Workshop, and as part of her compensation, De Niro was allowed to take children's acting classes for free.Īt the age of 10, De Niro made his stage debut as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. He was especially taken with films starring Swedish actress Greta Garbo. A bright and energetic child, De Niro was incredibly fond of attending movies with his father when they spent time together.
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