And in the 21st century, they’ve collaborated on two more occasions: once with Righteous Kill (2008), directed by De Niro himself, and again with The Irishman (2019), directed by Martin Scorsese.Īs for their friendship, though: they’ve actually been close for over fifty years. Over two decades later, they costarred in Michael Mann’s heist thriller Heat (1995). Related: All 27 Crime Movies Starring Robert De Niro, RankedĮasily the most covered friendship of Robert De Niro’s life, he and Al Pacino first appeared in the same project (though, not on screen together) with The Godfather Part II (1974) by Francis Ford Coppola. But Pesci and Bobby also appeared in other films together like Once Upon a Time in America (1984) by Sergio Leone, on top of A Bronx Tale (1993) and The Good Shepherd (2006) - both directed by De Niro. It was his and Bobby’s fourth collaboration with Marty, and one that reunited the trio after more than twenty years.

In fact, the thespians both have a close relationship with Martin Scorsese, as well, and De Niro helped the director convince Pesci to take his role in The Irishman (2019). After that boxing drama came Goodfellas (1990) - easily their most renowned film together - followed by Casino (1995) just a few years later.Īnd as many of you might have suspected, the two are legitimate friends. It all started with Raging Bull (1980), where the two played the brothers LaMotta: Jake (De Niro) and Tommy (Pesci). Every day on the shoot was like, 'This is the last one, and we're going for it.At this point, Joe Pesci is likely the most famous on-screen costar of Robert De Niro thanks to their many collaborations together with American director Martin Scorsese. In a way, it wiped me out, meaning that whole style of filmmaking.

For me, it was a culmination of everything I desired to do, and I made it as if it was pretty much the end of my life… suicide film. 'It wasn't even good or bad - it was experienced. It just could not not be because of everything we put into it.' 'We didn't know how well it was going to do, but we knew it would be special,' said De Niro. However, while making the movie, both he and Scorsese were unsure if it would be a success. Everett Collection Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro filming 'Raging Bull'ĭe Niro, who took a gastronomical tour of France and Italy to gain 60 pounds to play an older LaMotta, would go on to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as the troubled boxer.

Robert de niro boxing