Are Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese Brothers Or Related In Any Way?

Quick Facts

In Hollywood, it is not uncommon to find certain directors collaborating with certain actors again and again. It has been seen with and , James Cameron and Sigourney Weaver who has appeared in six of his films, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, as well as Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. Nonetheless, the professional relationship between Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro is what has got a lot of people talking, with some wondering if both men are brothers.

It makes a lot of sense that many find it easy to assume that the bond between the two Hollywood legends could be as deep as blood. They have not only collaborated in many films together but have also come up with some of the best films we have seen including the 2019 Netflix film, The Irishman.

Are Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese Brothers?

Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese have maintained a good relationship over the years, but they are neither brothers nor are they related in any way, except for the fact that they are both of Italian descent.

Scorsese (Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese) was born in 1942 in the United States. His grandparents emigrated from Sicily, Italy to the US. On the other hand, De Niro (Robert Anthony De Niro Jr.) was born in 1943 also in the United States to a father of Irish and Italian descent and a mother of English, Dutch, German, and French descent.

Even though they are both of Italian descent, have less than a year between them, and have handled a good number of projects together, the two men are neither brothers nor related in any way.

The first time they met was in the late 1960s when they were introduced to each other. At the time, both their careers were still young.

How Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese Met

The relationship between the ace producer and award-winning actor stretches back to the 1960s. At the time, Robert was still a young actor trying to find his way around. It was around this time that he was first introduced to Scorsese who had just finished working on his film, Who’s That Knocking at My Door.

The two men were introduced to each other by Brian De Palma who was working with the young Niro on the 1968 film, Greetings. Since then, they would strike a friendship and working relationship that would last for a very long time and give the silver screen some of the greatest films of all time.

In 1973, Robert DeNiro made an appearance in a film adaptation of the 1956 novel of Mark Harris, Bang the Drum Slowly. This earned him so much praise and open more doors for him as an actor, including the door to his first film collaboration with Scorsese in the 1973 gangster film Main Streets. The role of Johnny Boy Civello earned De Niro a National Society of Film Critics award.

Their next work together was in 1976 when they collaborated in Taxi Driver. The work got the actor an Academy Award nomination as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination. It also won him other awards such as the NYFCC Award and LAFCA Award.

Only a year later, they worked on yet another film, New York, New York which this time around, was poorly received in the box office, although it got De Niro yet another Golden Globe nomination.

The next films that and Martin Scorsese would work on are Raging Bull and The King of Comedy both in the 1980s while in the 1990s, they worked on Goodfellas, Cape Fear, and Casino. From then, it was until 2015, two decades later, that they would work together again on The Audition.

Their newest film together, the 2019 film, The Irishman, is thus far enjoying some level of success.

Any Future Projects?

Considering the many successes that both men have achieved together including the most recent of their collaboration, The Irishman, many would want to see them work together again in the future. For now, they do not have any project together and with age not fully on their side, only time can tell how many more works they can pull off again.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.