We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about Robert De Niro, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the iconic actor and public figure that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: He Has His Own Song. Bananarama wrote a song called “Robert De Niro’s Waiting” that they dedicated to De Niro.
Number Seven: He Dedicates Himself to His Roles. We mentioned in part one of this list that De Niro gained 60 pounds for his role in Raging Bull, but did you know he learned an entire language for one of his roles as well? De Niro learned Sicilian for his role while playing Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II.
Number Six: He Was the First Person to Win an Oscar for a Sequel. De Niro was the very first actor to win an Oscar for a film sequel – he won an Oscar for The Godfather: Part II.
Number Five: He Worked as a Cab Driver. In an effort to prepare for the role of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, De Niro actually worked as a taxi driver in real life. We wonder what those lucky people were thinking when they hailed a cab and found De Niro inside!
Number Four: He Broke Joe Pesci’s Rib. While filming a sparring scene in Raging Bull, De Niro broke one of Joe Pesci’s ribs in real life! We bet Pesci had some choice words for him after the scene wrapped – especially because Pesci and De Niro were living together while filming the movie.
Number Three: He Is Shy Around the Press. De Niro is very picky about what he will and will not discuss in interviews. He reportedly does not like to discuss politics and his wine collection.
Number Two: He Earned $35,00 for Taxi Driver. While De Niro earned just $35,000 for his outstanding performance in Taxi Driver, he earned an impressive $20 million for his role in 2010’s Little Fockers.
Number One: He Is Incredibly Prolific. As of 2013, De Niro had appeared in over 90 films. He may be getting older, but he’s certainly not any less talented than he was so many years ago.