De Niro first gained fame for his role in Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), but he gained his reputation as a volatile actor in Mean Streets (1973), which was his first film with director Martin Scorsese. He was trained at the Stella Adler Conservatory and the American Workshop. His paternal grandfather was of Italian descent, and his other ancestry is Irish, English, Dutch, German, and French. One of the greatest actors of all time, Robert De Niro was born on Augin Manhattan, New York City, to artists Virginia (Admiral) and Robert De Niro Sr.
