Having delivered a brilliant performance in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Robert De Niro has an opportunity to break two records at the Academy Awards. Commonly regarded as one of Hollywood’s best actors, De Niro has been a staple of the industry for several decades now. The beginnings of his career go back to 1968 when he started in Brian De Palma’s Greetings. However, his first big breakthrough was in 1973 with Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets.
De Niro’s relationship with the Academy started early in his career, as his second big role was young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II in 1974, which spawned the first of many De Niro Oscar nominations and his first win in 1975. In the 1970s, he also received nominations for his work in Taxi Driver and The Deer Hunter. During the 80s, he won his second Oscar for Raging Bull. De Niro has received a total of eight Oscar nominations and has won twice. Considering the length of his career, his possible presence at the 2024 Oscars also means that some new records might be set.
Robert De Niro Will Most Likely Set The Record For The Longest Time Between The First And Last Oscar Nomination For An Actor
The recent Golden Globe nominations announcement brought excitement about Robert De Niro possibly being nominated for an Oscar once again. Taking the Foreign Press Association as a fine indicator ahead of the Academy Awards and keeping in mind De Niro’s brilliant performance in Killers of the Flower Moon, he has very good odds of being nominated for Best Supporting Actor. If that happens, De Niro would make history by setting a new record for the longest time between an actor’s first and last Oscar nomination, which is currently held by Katherine Hepburn.
Hepburn’s first nomination (and win) was in 1934 for Morning Glory and her last nomination (and win) was in 1982 for On Golden Pond. Her 48-year gap record would be beaten by De Niro’s 49 years between his first nomination (and win) in 1975 for The Godfather Part II and a hypothetical nomination for Killers of the Flower Moon in 2024. However, that is not everything. Considering that Hepburn’s first and last nominations were also her first and last wins, the record is double. Since De Niro’s first nomination was his first win too, he would be breaking Hepburn’s two records if he wins an Oscar next March.
Robert De Niro Could Also Break The Record For Longest Year Gap Between Oscar Wins For An Actor
It’s worth noting that beating two records may not be all De Niro accomplishes. If he does not only get a nomination but ends up winning, in addition to Katherine Hepburn’s two records, he has the chance to break a third one. Considering that De Niro’s last Oscar win happened in 1981 for Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull, winning in 2024 would set a new record for the longest time gap between Oscar wins for an actor.
That record is currently held by Helen Hayes, who won her first Oscar in 1932 for The Sin of Madelon Claudet and had to wait 39 years to win again in 1971 for Airport. Robert De Niro’s 43 years between his Raging Bull win and his hypothetical Killers of the Flower Moon win would top Hayes. However, even though breaking a record and making history is always a good thing, there is something about De Niro’s 43 years without winning an Oscar that seems hard to believe.
Why Robert De Niro Hasn’t Won An Oscar For 43 Years
When examining why it’s taken so long for De Niro to secure more nominations, it’s important to consider that in the mid-90s, Robert De Niro started taking less-challenging roles in family comedies and action movies and followed that path for almost two decades until Silver Lining’s Playbook, which got him his first nomination in 21 years. Additionally, the Academy might have overlooked some brilliant performances like the ones in The King of Comedy, Casino, Goodfellas, The Untouchables, or Heat. This could be attributed to the similarities with previous roles along with great competition.
Killers of the Flower Moon
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Cast
- Leonardo DiCaprio , Louis Cancelmi , Jillian Dion , Scott Shepherd , Jesse Plemons , JaNae Collins , Robert De Niro , Jason Isbell , Cara Jade Myers , Lily Gladstone
- Genres
- History , Drama , Crime
