Actor and director, born in New York City, USA. A student of acting with Stella Adler (1902–92) and Lee Strasberg, he worked off-Broadway, making his film debut in 1965. He received Oscars for his supporting role in The Godfather, Part II (1974), and for his portrayal of boxer Jake La Motta in Raging Bull (1980). His many films include Taxi Driver (1976), The Deerhunter (1978), Midnight Run (1988), Awakenings (1990), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994), and Sleepers (1996). Among later works are Analyze This (1999), The Score (2001), and Meet the Fockers (2004). He made his directorial debut with A Bronx Tale (1993), in which he also starred. In 2002 he set up his own production company, Tribeca Films, to revitalize parts of Manhattan following the 11 September 2001 attacks. He was honoured with an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.