All About the Life and Career of Robert De Niro Quiz

Answer: Robert and Virginia

Robert De Niro Sr. was born in 1922 in New York. He was an abstract expressionist painter who painted pieces such as "Landscape with Houses," "Still Life with Vases and Hat," and "Studio Interior with Guitar Case." He met his future wife, Virginia Admiral, at school, and they conceived Robert De Niro Jr., who was born in 1943.

The couple's marriage was short lived, as they divorced in 1945 while Robert Jr. was an infant. De Niro Sr. died in 1993 of cancer, and his son dedicated "A Bronx Tale" (1993) in his honor. Virginia died in 2000 of natural causes at the age of 85.

Answer: The Godfather: Part II

"The Godfather: Part II" (1974) was the first sequel to win an Oscar for Best Picture, and its predecessor "The Godfather" (1972) also won the Best Picture award two years earlier. Part II is noted for its star-studded lineup, consisting of Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and John Cazale alongside De Niro.

De Niro won for his portrayal of a young Vito Corleone, who was an immigrant from Italy while having to overcome the struggles he had assimilating to American life. His hardships, such as dealing with the murder of his family and the loss of his job, contribute to his rise to become the head of the Corleone family, which was prominently featured in the first movie.

Answer: Raging Bull

De Niro played the role as real life boxer Jake LaMotta, who had 106 professional fights between 1941 and 1954. The film featured his legendary fights with Sugar Ray Robinson. Which LaMotta only won one out of six bouts, he was the first boxer to knock Robinson down to the canvas.

The film also stars Joe Pesci as his brother and Cathy Moriarty as his wife. The film follows LaMotta's day-to-day life as well as his professional life. De Niro had to train vigorously to get in the shape to portray LaMotta in his fighting years, while also having to gain more than 50 pounds of weight to play the role of LaMotta in his older years.

Answer: Awakenings

Robert lost to Jeremy Irons at the 1991 Academy Awards for his performance in "Reversal of Fortune" (1990). "Awakenings" (1990) featured Robert De Niro as Leonard Lowe, a catatonic man who is tended by doctor Dr. Malcolm Sayer, played by Robin Williams.

Sayer gives Leonard a dose of a drug known as L-Dopa, which brings him out of this catatonic state, but only for a while until his tolerance of the drug increases to the point where it becomes ineffective and he returns to his previous catatonic state.

Answer: Diahnne

De Niro married Diahnne Abbott in 1976 and had two children with her. She has had minor roles in a few of Robert's movies, such as "Taxi Driver" (1976), "New York, New York" (1977), and "The King of Comedy" (1983), along with credits in a few others. The couple divorced in 1988, after Diahnne had filed for divorce due to Robert's multiple infidelities.

Answer: True

De Niro has two children from his first marriage to Diahnne Abbott, an adoptive daughter Drena, and one biological son, Raphael. Following his divorce to Diahnne, he had twin sons, Aaron and Julian, with his girlfriend, a model named Toukie Smith. De Niro married actress Grace Hightower in 1997, and had a son, Elliot, born in 1998, and daughter Helen, born in 2011.

Answer: Democratic

De Niro has been in support of high-profile Democratic candidates, such as Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden. He is also a well-known critic of former President Donald Trump, and has been outspoken of him ever since he ran for President in 2016. De Niro frequently endorses Democratic candidates, such as Julie Menin for New York City Council, and Pete Buttigieg for the Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential election.

Answer: Meet the Parents

De Niro plays the role of Jack Byrnes, an over-protective father to Pam, played by Teri Polo. She brings her boyfriend, Gaylord Focker, played by Ben Stiller, for the first time to her parents' house, where there are many tense and awkward moments between Stiller and De Niro, and it makes for a very funny movie.

One scene that sticks out is when Gaylord and Jack are driving to the store together, and "Puff the Magic Dragon" comes on the radio. Gaylord tells Jack that the song is about smoking marijuana, which leads to an funny interaction. The comedy was a box office hit, and it spawned two sequels, which were released in 2004 and 2010.

Answer: The Good Shepherd

"The Good Shepherd," released in 2006, was a spy thriller about the CIA's early days. It featured Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, and De Niro. Damon played the lead role as Edward Wilson, a CIA specialist who is assigned with investigating the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961.

The movie was nominated for one Oscar, and grossed $100 million in box office revenue. De Niro's movie directing has been rare; he began his acting career in the 1960s, and, as of 2022 has only directed two movies, so he mainly sticks with his acting chops.

Answer: The Irishman

"The Irishman" was released in 2019 and was directed by Martin Scorsese. Along with De Niro and Pesci, it stars Al Pacino, Ray Romano, Anna Paquin, and Harvey Keitel. De Niro, as Sheeran, is a World War II veteran who finds work as a truck driver after the war while also working with the mob, and eventually meets and befriends Jimmy Hoffa, president of the Teamsters Union.

While in a nursing home, the now elderly Frank Sheeran reflects on his past involvement with the mob and Teamsters to retell the story of his life. The movie was nominated for 10 Oscars, but it failed to win any.