How many Oscars does Robert De Niro have and how many times has he been nominated for the Oscars?
Robert De Niro is one of the actors with the most accolades and career trajectory in Hollywood. The Oscars are no exception to his outstanding career.
On Sunday, March 10, all eyes will be on the city of Los Angeles. The reason? The celebration of the 96th edition of the Oscars. This event has been gaining importance over the years, and everyone will be paying attention to what happens at the Dolby Theatre in the Californian city, the usual venue for this event, which brings together the cream of American culture.
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The Oscars are gradually approaching their 100th edition. Throughout history, several people have written their names in gold letters on these awards for their work in the films for which they were competing. One of them is Robert De Niro. The New York-born actor has become one of the most prestigious interpreters in the industry, and has been widely recognized by audiences, critics, and the Academy, which awards the statuettes.
“The Godfather II” in 1974, his first Oscar
In the 1970s, De Niro was an up-and-coming actor. In fact, his appearance in films such as “The Godfather II”, in which he played a younger version of Vito Corleone (a character portrayed by Marlon Brando), earned him great recognition, starting with the Oscars. In 1975, the New Yorker made history and won his first career statuette, winning in the Best Supporting Actor category. Thus, the Academy’s recognition was a boost to his trajectory, one of the greatest in Hollywood history.
“Raging Bull” earned him his second statuette
Just a few years later, in 1980, one of Robert De Niro’s most iconic films was released, “Raging Bull.” In this film, the actor, who had to gain over thirty kilograms in weight, played Jake LaMotta, a boxer whose excesses exceeded all limits and cost him relationships as important as those he maintained with his wife and family. In the cast, the presence of Joe Pesci, who played the boxer’s brother and manager, and Cathy Moriarty, who played LaMotta’s partner, stands out.
At the 1981 Oscar ceremony, the Academy did not hesitate and decided to award De Niro his second and last statuette for the time being. This time, the category in which he was competing was not Best Supporting Actor, but Best Actor, which all actors dream of winning at some point. The deep portrayal of the boxer made the interpreter definitively, and without fissures, reach the elite of the film world. It is also worth mentioning that he also won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama.
Six more nominations adorn De Niro’s resume
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that these have not been the only occasions when Robert De Niro has competed to win an Oscar. He has been nominated a total of five times individually, competing for one of the most coveted and prestigious awards in the world of culture. The first was in 1977 when, thanks to his performance in “Taxi Driver”, he fought for the first time in the Best Actor category. However, despite his performance in this film, one of the most iconic in cinema history, he could not win.
Just two years later, at the 1979 ceremony, he had the opportunity to compete for the coveted award again. His performance as the protagonist in the film “The Deer Hunter”, in which he co-starred with one of the most acclaimed actresses in Hollywood history, Meryl Streep. This film, which is about the Vietnam War, had nine nominations, but only won five, including Best Picture and Best Director. Therefore, De Niro could not take the recognition home.
To find Robert De Niro’s next Oscar nominations, you have to go to the 1990s. He consecutively aspired to win the Best Actor award for the films ‘Awakenings’ and ‘Cape Fear’. In the latter, he stands out especially for his portrayal of the criminal Max Cady, who performs one of the most recognizable scenes in the history of cinema, in a pursuit of the lawyer who kept him in jail and even hid vital evidence. However, he was unable to win on either of these occasions.
On the other hand, the 2013 edition he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his appearance in the film ‘Silver Linings Playbook’. In this movie, he played the protagonist’s father, played by Bradley Cooper. Again, he was left without options.
This year he will have another chance to go home with his third Academy Award. He is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the last Martin Scorsese movie, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’. He is not amongst the favorites this time, as Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo have been collecting the awards this season.
In 2020, he was nominated for the award... collectively
More recently, one of his latest performances to date must be mentioned, the film ‘The Irishman’, directed by Martin Scorsese. On this occasion, De Niro, who shared the stage with Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, was nominated for the award... collectively. In this opportunity, the actor competed for the Best Picture award, as he was one of the producers of the film.
However, he could not win. The movie ‘Parasite’, the great revelation of the 2020 ceremony, was the winner in the Best Film category.