Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese have collaborated on several feature-length films for over five decades. While decades-long collaborations in Hollywood aren’t new, De Niro and Scorsese’s mutual respect has transcended into a longtime friendship. Their on-screen partnership has seen De Niro take on a wide range of characters, often steeped in themes of power, violence, redemption, and moral complexity.
With each collaboration, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese have continued pushing their art’s boundaries. This has left a string of classic, timeless movies that resonate with audiences across generations. Since their collaborative debut in 1973, the duo has worked together on 11 projects on the big screen. Interestingly, 5 of these 11 films have earned Robert De Niro Oscar nominations and win. Here are the 11 times Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese have worked together in a movie.
1973: Mean Streets
The 1973 crime drama Mean Streets was Martin Scorsese’s third feature-length movie. The then-30-year-old Robert De Niro led the cast as John “Johnny Boy” Civello. The character was a reckless and unpredictable small-time criminal whose impulsive behavior constantly landed him in trouble. He’s a young man living in New York City’s Little Italy, immersed in petty crime, gambling, hustling, and debt.
De Niro’s Johnny character is cast alongside Harvey Keitel’s Charlie Cappa. Charlie is Johnny Boy’s more responsible and morally conflicted friend. As the movie progresses, Johnny’s recklessness escalates, ultimately leading to a violent confrontation that serves as the movie’s climax. Mean Streets was a critical and commercial success, earning $3 million against a $650,000 budget.
1976: Taxi Driver
In Taxi Driver, Robert De Niro delivered a haunting and unforgettable performance as Travis Bickle. Travis is a deeply troubled Vietnam War veteran who’s a New York City cab driver. He’s a man disconnected from society, suffering from insomnia and psychological trauma. As he navigates the city’s decaying, crime-ridden underworld, he becomes disillusioned with the moral decay. This fuels his growing sense of alienation and disgust. Travis’s infatuation with Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), a political campaign worker, ends disastrously, reinforcing his feelings of rejection and isolation.
As his mental state deteriorates, he begins to see himself as a vigilante with plans to clean up the city. In particular, he seeks to rescue Iris (Jodie Foster), a 12-year-old prostitute. Travis’s escalating paranoia culminates in a blood showdown as he takes justice into his hands. Robert De Niro’s portrayal, with his iconic line, “You talkin’ to me?”, remains one of cinema’s most classic quotes. Robert De Niro got his second Oscar nomination for his performance. Taxi Driver was another iconic collaboration between Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese. The movie earned $28.6 million against a $1.9 million budget.
1977: New York, New York
The 1977 romantic musical drama New York, New York, is one of Martin Scorsese’s underrated movies. It is Robert De Niro and Scorsese’s third collaboration. In New York, New York, De Niro plays Jimmy Doyle, a brash, ambitious saxophonist who embodies the volatile spirit of post-World War II New York.
From the movie’s start, Jimmy’s abrasive personality sees him aggressively pursue Francine Evans (Liza Minnelli), a talented singer he meets on V-J Day. The tension between Jimmy’s professional aspirations and his inability to maintain personal stability becomes a central theme. New York, New York was made with a $9 million production budget and successfully grossed $16.4 million at the Box Office.
1980: Raging Bull
Depending on the generation of Martin Scorsese’s fanbase, several audiences consider Raging Bull to be the director’s finest work. Scorsese teamed up again with Robert De Niro in his 1980 biographical sports drama. In Raging Bull, De Niro delivered one of his most celebrated performances as Jake LaMotta. The movie is based on the real-life middleweight boxer. It chronicles LaMotta’s rise and fall in the boxing ring and his personal life.
Robert De Niro’s portrayal of LaMotta shows a man consumed by jealousy and paranoia, particularly in his relationship with his wife, Vicky (Cathy Moriarty). LaMotta’s uncontrollable temper and obsessive need for control led to violent outbursts that eventually strained relationships with his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) and his wife. Raging Bull had moderate Box Office success but was critically acclaimed. Robert De Niro won his second Academy Award for his performance.
1983: The King of Comedy
The 1983 The King of Comedy was the first time Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese’s collaboration was a commercial failure. Although a critical success, The King of Comedy struggled commercially, with $2.5 million in Box Office earnings against a production budget of $19 million. In the movie, Robert De Niro led the cast again as Rupert Pupkin, a socially awkward, delusional aspiring comedian.
Rupert has grand dreams of becoming a famous entertainer. His obsessive desire for fame drives the narrative as he fantasizes about stardom and believes he will be a household name. Rupert finally hatches a plan with Masha (Sandra Bernhard) to kidnap a famous late-night TV host, Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis). Rupert holds the talk show host hostage, demanding that he be given a primetime spot on the show as ransom.
1990: Goodfellas
Seven years later, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese returned for their sixth collaboration. Considered one of the greatest films ever made, Goodfellas was a critical and commercial success. Robert De Niro portrayed James “Jimmy” Conway. Jimmy is a seasoned and calculating gangster who plays a pivotal role in the rise and fall of the film’s protagonist, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta). Jimmy Conway is portrayed as a smooth, charismatic criminal with a penchant for orchestrating high-stakes heists, particularly the infamous Lufthansa heist. Goodfellas grossed $47.1 million at the Box Office against a $25 million production budget.
1991: Cape Fear
The following year, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese teamed up in the 1991 psychological thriller Cape Fear. De Niro delivered a chilling performance as Max Cast, a convicted rapist. Max seeks revenge on his former lawyer, Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte). After spending 14 years in prison for rape and assault, Max emerges with a singular obsession: to torment Sam Bowdon, whom he blames for his imprisonment. Cape Fear earned Robert De Niro another Academy Award nomination. It received generally positive reviews and was a commercial success, grossing $182.3 million against its $35 million budget.
1995: Casino
In Casino, Robert De Niro plays Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a professional gambler with a keen sense for odds and a meticulous attention to detail. The Chicago mob chose Ace to oversee the operations of the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. Ace’s life unravels as the film progresses due to external pressures, particularly through his tumultuous relationships with his wife, Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), and longtime friend, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci). Casino was another critical and commercial success, grossing $116.1 million against an estimated $40–50 million budget.
2015: The Audition
Far from a feature-length movie, The Audition brought Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese together again for a project. Created as a short film, the comedy sees De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio try to audition for an upcoming Martin Scorsese film. DiCaprio, another frequent collaborator of Scorsese, travels alongside the filmmaker and De Niro in Macau. The 16-minute short film was created to promote a hotel casino resort, Studio City, in Macau.
2019: The Irishman
After over a decade since their last full-length movie collaboration, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese worked together again in the 2019 The Irishman. De Niro portrayed a real-life figure, Frank Sheeran. With the character as the movie’s protagonist, Frank Sheeran’s life story is created as a window into the inner workings of organized crime in mid-20th-century America. Robert De Niro’s performance in The Irishman earned him his eighth Academy Award nomination.
2023: Killers of the Flower Moon
In Killers of the Flower Moon, Robert De Niro portrayed the powerful and influential cattle rancher William “King” Hale. The movie is set in the early 1920s Oklahoma, when oil was discovered beneath the land of the Osage Nation, making the tribe incredibly wealthy. Killers of the Flower Moon follows De Niro’s character as he weaves a complex web of manipulation and greed, orchestrating a campaign of murder to gain control of their oil-rich land. The movie was produced on a $200–215 million budget but bombed at the Box Office, which grossed only $157 million. Besides these Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese frequency collaborations, director Wes Anderson has also collaborated with several actors.
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