Robert De Niro has long been recognised as one of the greatest actors of his generation. His intense commitment to his roles, his ability to disappear into characters, and his collaborations with legendary directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have solidified his place in Hollywood history.
But like any great artist, De Niro has his own inspirations – performers and films that shaped his craft and influenced his approach to acting. In a 2013 article by The Golden Globes, in which stars listed their go-to movies, De Niro revealed his three favourite films of all time.
East of Eden (1955)
Directed by Elia Kazan and based on John Steinbeck’s novel, East of Eden introduced audiences to James Dean in his first major film role. Dean played Cal Trask, a troubled young man struggling to win the love and approval of his father.
The film’s intense emotional depth and Dean’s raw, vulnerable performance earned him an Academy Award nomination, making him the first actor to receive a posthumous nomination.
De Niro, who has always admired actors who fully immerse themselves in their roles, spoke about Dean’s influence, saying in an interview with Kenneth Branagh from 1994: “When you saw James Dean do East of Eden, he was great, but you can’t do what he could do.”
On the Waterfront (1954)
Marlon Brando’s performance in On the Waterfront is widely regarded as one of the greatest in film history. Also directed by Elia Kazan, the film tells the story of Terry Malloy, a former boxer who finds himself entangled in the corruption of the New Jersey docks.
Brando’s portrayal of Terry, a man torn between loyalty and conscience, won him his first Academy Award for Best Actor. His famous “I coulda been a contender” monologue remains one of the most quoted moments in cinema.
De Niro, who has often cited Brando as a major influence, praised his performances in On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire, calling them “some of the greatest of all time”.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Released the same year as East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause solidified James Dean’s status as a cultural icon. Directed by Nicholas Ray, the film explored themes of teenage rebellion, alienation, and identity, with Dean playing Jim Stark, a troubled young man trying to find his place in the world.
His brooding intensity and emotional vulnerability resonated deeply with audiences, making him the definitive symbol of youthful angst. Tragically, Dean died in a car accident at the age of 24, just before the film’s release.
Despite his short career, his impact on Hollywood was profound, and his performances in East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause continue to influence generations of actors.
Those choices reflect De Niro’s growth as an actor, seeing as he has credited both James Dean and Marlon Brando with shaping the formative years of his career.
“The actors I thought were the most interesting were James Dean, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Kim Stanley and Greta Garbo,” he said, on the same interview with Kenneth Branagh, around the release of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Then, he was also asked to list some of his earliest film influences, to which he replied: “I was thinking actually some early English films like Karel Reisz’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Albert Finney. There was This Sporting Life with Richard Harris”.
“Those films I remember were considered, when I was a kid, they were art film films in America and were not as mainstream as European films are becoming today”.