Robert Mario De Niro Jr. was born on August 17th, 1943 in New York City. The son of two artists, he was enrolled by his mother at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art at the age of 13, but dropped out, spending his time instead in a Little Italy street gang. But De Niro did not stay on this path for very long, he began studying at the Stella Adler Conservatory and Lee Strasberg's Actor's Studio, and at age 16 was already touring in a production of Chekhov's The Bear.
De Niro's first major role was in The Wedding Party, which was filmed in 1963 but not released until 1969. As De Niro's career took off, he starred in more hits such as Bloody Mama (1970), Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), Mean Streets (1973), and The Godfather: Part II (1974). He also starred as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976), and ad libbed one of his most famous lines, "You talkin' to me?"
De Niro has won several awards for his performances, including two Oscars (for Raging Bull and The Godfather: Part II) and a Golden Globe (for Raging Bull).
