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A child of artists, Robert De Niro’s parents both worked as painters and expressionist sculptors. He caught the acting bug after starring in a school production of The Wizard Of Oz at 10. He dropped out of high school to pursue his dream and developed his art under acting coaches. By 20, De Niro had landed his first acting role and received recognition after working with Martin Scorsese in Mean Streets. 1974 was a big year for the actor as he played the younger version of Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II and earned an Academy Award. Over the years, he starred in classics including Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Casino, and Last Vegas and amassed a massive $500 million fortune.
From working in thrillers like Limitless opposite Bradley Cooper to starring in classic comedies such as Meet The Parents trilogy, Robert De Niro has a broad acting portfolio that crosses genres. Let’s take a look at his highest-grossing movies.
Limitless (2011)
Limitless is a science-fiction thriller starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro in lead roles. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Neil Burger-directed film centers around Bradley Cooper's character, who gets a mega-brain through steroids, and De Niro hires him for a complicated corporate merger. A box office success, the film grossed a whopping $155.5 million worldwide on a small $27 budget.
Sleepers (1996)
A Barry Levinson legal crime drama, Sleepers is a term that refers to juveniles serving sentences for more than nine months. The film was an ensemble star-studded lead cast featuring Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffman, Jacob Patric, Brad Pitt, and Robert De Niro, portraying the role of Father Bobby Carillo. The film was nominated for an Oscar for the score and collected $165.6 million in theaters.
Analyze This (1999)
While Robert De Niro is often seen in drama and action mafia movies, he merged mafia into comedy with Analyze This. The film earned $176.8 million worldwide, and the film's success led to a sequel, Analyze That. It stars De Niro as a mob boss while Billy Crystal co-stars as a reluctant psychiatrist.
Cape Fear (1991)
Cape Fear marked the seventh time Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro worked on a movie together. It was made on a low budget of $35 million, but the dynamic duo helped make $182.9 million at the box office. For ex-con Max Cady's role, Robert De Niro was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Cape Fear.
Heat (1995)
Michael Mann’s modern crime thriller masterwork, Heat, was a commercial and critical success and raked $187.4 million in theaters against a $60 million budget. While the movie was snubbed at the Oscars, audiences saw Robert De Niro and Al Pacino work together on the screen for the first time, as noted by Variety. They had previously won Oscars for The Godfather Part II but did not appear together in any scenes.
The Intern (2015)
Robert De Niro co-stars alongside Anne Hathaway in a feel-good comedy, The Intern. Playing the role of a retiree who takes an internship at an e-commerce company, his compelling character helped the movie earn $197.1 million at the box office. It was a highly-awaited movie made with director Nancy Myers who had last directed It’s Complicated in 2009.
Little Fockers (2010)
The third film that completed the Meet The Parents trilogy, Little Fockers, took a five-year time leap to serve a conclusion. It retains the original cast from the past two films and features Robert De Niro alongside Ben Stiller, Blythe Danner, Dustin Hoffman, and Owen Wilson. The final installment in the series grossed $310.6 million around the world.
Meet The Parents (2000)
Meet The Parents was Robert De Niro’s new foray into comedy as he stars as Ben Stiller’s overcritical father-in-law to be in the film. As mentioned by Rolling Stone, this first movie in the trilogy is considered to be De Niro’s best comedic performance. The movie became an instant hit and garnered $330.4 million at the box office.
Shark Tale (2004)
Robert De Niro ventured into voice acting with Shark Tale, a computer-animated movie about an underachieving fish in the ocean. It has a slate of A-list actors lending their voices, with Will Smith as the fish and De Niro as the mob boss shark of the sea. Since the success of its release at the Venice Film Festival, it collected $371.7 million worldwide, earning an Oscar nomination.
Meet The Fockers (2004)
A highly anticipated sequel to Meet The Parents, Meet The Fockers is the highest-grossing movie of Robert De Niro. Barbara Streisand and Dustin Hoffman take on the roles of Ben Stiller’s character's parents in the sequel to everyone’s delight, as stated by The Guardian. The box office hit made $516.5 million on an $80 million budget.
Other notable movies include Joy, New Year’s Eve, Dirty Grandpa, Frankenstein, and Goodfellas. Robert De Niro has continued actively working in film, best known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese. He will next be seen starring in another Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon, awaiting a 2023 release.
Sources: Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Guardian