Robert De Niro Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Acclaimed actor Robert De Niro is receiving a prestigious Life Achievement Award at this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The award is given annually to someone who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession.”
De Niro has been starring in films for more than 50 years. Gabrielle Carteris, president of the trade union SAG-AFTRA, called De Niro “one of the singular talents of our generation.”
He won his first Academy Award starring as a young Vito Corleone in 1974’s “The Godfather Part II.” A few years later, he won the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of boxer Jake LaMotta in “Raging Bull.”
Moreover, De Niro continues to star in movies today. He appeared in two movies — “The Irishman” and “Joker” — that are nominated for best picture this year.
“Robert De Niro is an actor of extraordinary depth and ability,” Carteris said. “The characters he creates captivate our imaginations. From the smoldering inferno of young Vito Corleone to the raging bull Jake LaMotta and everybody’s grandpa Ben Whittaker, he continues to touch our hearts and open our minds to new and exciting worlds of understanding and emotion.”
One of De Niro’s first major roles was in the 1968 comedy ‘Greetings.’ He grew up in New York City and dropped out of high school to pursue his acting career. His parents were both painters. Courtesy Everett CollectionFrom left, William Finley, Charles Pfluger and De Niro star in the 1969 film ‘The Wedding Party.’ It was actually filmed in 1963, when De Niro was just 20 years old.
Courtesy Everett Collection
De Niro poses for a portrait in 1973. Santi Visalli/Archive Photos/Getty ImagesFrom left, David Proval, De Niro and Harvey Keitel star in 1973’s ‘Mean Streets.’ It was De Niro’s first film with director Martin Scorsese. They’ve collaborated on eight more films since.Director Francis Ford Coppola guides De Niro in a scene from ‘The Godfather Part II.’ Most of De Niro’s lines were delivered in Sicilian. He won the Academy Award for best supporting actor. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesScorsese rides in the back seat of a cab as he plays a role in his 1976 film ‘Taxi Driver.’ De Niro played the main character, Travis Bickle.
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De Niro, right, hangs out with musician Bob Dylan and actresses Lainie Kazan, left, and Sally Kirkland at a Los Angeles concert in 1976.
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De Niro and his first wife, actress Diahnne Abbott, attend a Shirley MacLaine show in 1976.
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De Niro stars in 1978’s ‘The Deer Hunter.’ Mondadori/Getty ImagesDe Niro is honored by Harvard University students as the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year in 1979.
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De Niro played boxer Jake LaMotta in 1980’s ‘Raging Bull.’ It won him his second Oscar.
The real-life LaMotta playfully grabs De Niro at Sardi’s restaurant in New York City. Sonia Moskowitz/Getty ImagesDe Niro holds his best actor Oscar in 1981. With him, from left, are Sissy Spacek, Ronald L. Schwary and Robert Redford.
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De Niro sits with Liza Minnelli and Al Pacino in 1981. The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesDe Niro appears with Elizabeth McGovern in the 1984 film ‘Once Upon a Time in America.’
De Niro holds a sword in 1986’s ‘The Mission.’ Warner Bros/Kobal/ShutterstockDe Niro and his daughter Drena in 1989. Drena is De Niro’s adopted daughter from his marriage to Diahnne Abbott. He and Abbott also had a son together before divorcing in 1988.
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De Niro and his girlfriend, model Toukie Smith, in 1990. The two had twin sons together.
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From left, Ray Liotta, De Niro, Paul Sorvino and Joe Pesci appear in a publicity portrait for the 1990 film ‘Goodfellas.’
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De Niro attends the 1990 premiere of ‘Awakenings’ with director Penny Marshall and actor Robin Williams.
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De Niro stars in 1995’s ‘Casino.’ It was the eighth time De Niro had starred in a Martin Scorsese film.
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De Niro plays an obsessed baseball fan in 1996’s ‘The Fan.’ Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesPhilip Seymour Hoffman and De Niro act in a scene from 1999’s ‘Flawless.’ Metro Goldwyn Mayer/Getty ImagesDe Niro holds a cat in the 2000 comedy ‘Meet the Parents.’ Phillip V. Caruso/Universal Studios/Getty ImagesDe Niro goofs around with President Bill Clinton at Hillary Clinton’s birthday bash fundraiser in 2000. She was running for the US Senate at the time.
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Leonardo DiCaprio and De Niro speak at a New York City concert benefiting 9/11 victims in 2001.
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De Niro is joined by his second wife, actress Grace Hightower, and his son Raphael at a 2004 cocktail party for the Directors Guild of America.
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De Niro is fitted with traditional Kuwaiti dress during a US Army reception in 2003.
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De Niro plays a cat lady in a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit in 2004. Dana Edelson/NBC/Getty ImagesDe Niro sits with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was celebrating his 75th birthday at the Tribeca Grill in New York in 2006.
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De Niro and his wife, Grace, talk with future President Barack Obama before an Obama rally in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 2008.
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De Niro speaks during the Doha Tribeca Film Festival in 2009. De Niro co-founded the Tribeca Film Institute, which supports the work and stories of underserved filmmakers.
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De Niro and other Kennedy Center honorees applaud President Obama at a White House reception in 2009. From left are film director Mel Brooks, jazz musician Dave Brubeck, opera singer Grace Bumbry, De Niro and rock star Bruce Springsteen. Alex Brandon/APUS Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry, a Medal of Honor winner, talks with De Niro and former New York Gov. George Pataki before an NFL football game in 2011.
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De Niro and his ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ co-stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper attend the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012.
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De Niro left his handprints and footprints at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in 2013.
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De Niro and Sylvester Stallone attend the Rome premiere of their movie ‘Grudge Match’ in 2014.
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De Niro embraces Ellen DeGeneres at a White House ceremony in 2016. They received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
De Niro embraces Ellen DeGeneres at a White House ceremony in 2016. They received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. “While the name De Niro is synonymous with ‘tough guy,’ his true gift is the sensitivity that he brings to each role,” President Obama said.
Over the last few years, De Niro has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump. Here, he speaks at an anti-Trump rally in New York City just before Trump’s inauguration in 2017. D Dipasupil/Getty ImagesDe Niro, back left, plays special counsel Robert Mueller in a ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch in 2018.
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De Niro attends a groundbreaking ceremony for Nobu Toronto in 2018. De Niro co-founded the first Nobu, an upmarket Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant, in 1994.
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De Niro sits with actor Alec Baldwin at Baldwin’s Comedy Central roast in 2019. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for Comedy CentralDe Niro plays a late-night talk show host in the 2019 film ‘Joker.’
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De Niro and Pesci appear in a scene from 2019’s ‘The Irishman.’ It was De Niro’s ninth film with director Martin Scorsese.
