The actors who inspired a young Robert De Niro
There was a notable shift in Hollywood during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a new wave of young filmmakers decided to challenge the dominance of the studio system. While Hollywood typically thrived on happy endings and traditional cinematic techniques, these new directors flipped the industry on its axis. With movies such as Easy Rider and Bonnie and Clyde, the New Hollywood era was born, possessing unconventional formal techniques and bleak visions of America.
Out of the New Hollywood movement emerged filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese. The latter often focused on themes of social isolation, urbanity and crime, rising to prominence with 1973’s Mean Streets. The movie marked the first collaboration between Scorsese and Robert De Niro, one of the key actors from the New Hollywood period.
The pair have collaborated on eleven different projects since, with their most notable being Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas. The pair just seem to get each other, and audiences know they will be in for a half-decent time if they join forces. De Niro began acting in the 1960s, landing one of his earliest roles in De Palma’s Greetings. From there, he worked with the director several times, and it was De Palma who introduced the actor to Scorsese, marking the start of a lifelong friendship and artistic partnership.
De Niro began acting as a child, and from a young age, he found himself drawn to many classic actors, who inspired him to pursue the craft. Talking to Playboy in 1989, De Niro discussed some of the movies and actors that influenced his decision to become a star. He revealed that his early influences included “A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, East of Eden, the Kazan films, A Place in the Sun, Splendor in the Grass.”
When it came to actors, De Niro unsurprisingly picked out Marlon Brando. Luckily for De Niro, in 1974, he was given the chance to play the younger version of Brando’s patriarch, Vito Corleone, in The Godfather Part II. Moreover, he starred in Frank Oz’s 2001 movie The Score with Brando, which was his final film role before passing away in 2004.
Other actors that impacted De Niro include Montgomery Clift, Geraldine Page, Kim Stanley and another unsurprising choice, James Dean, calling him “terrific”. Additionally, De Niro discussed his appreciation for Walter Huston, who he believed to be “great in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”. The actor was also inspired by Spencer Tracy, stating, “He didn’t vary a lot, but he had a great sense of truth.”
In a separate interview, De Niro praised the actors who inspired him most. “When you saw James Dean do East of Eden he was great, but you can’t do what he could do. Brando with On the Waterfront or A Streetcar Named Desire, are considered the great performances of that time and still are”.
Clearly, De Niro has studied these acting greats and internalised their skills, becoming a Hollywood giant in his own right.
