If you’re looking for a Robert De Niro list of movies, you’re basically looking at the history of modern American cinema. Honestly, the man is a machine. Even now, in 2026, when most legends are content to just sit on a porch and collect royalty checks, Bobby is out here making more movies and even jumping into prestige TV.
He’s not just "the guy from The Godfather." He’s the guy who drove a real taxi for months to play Travis Bickle and gained so much weight for Raging Bull that he actually developed breathing problems. That’s commitment. You don’t see that much anymore.
People often argue about which "era" of De Niro is best. Is it the gritty, terrifying young guy from the 70s? The sleek, professional mobster of the 90s? Or the "I don't care, I'm having fun" grandfather from the 2010s? Looking at his filmography, it’s clear he’s never stayed in one lane.
The Roles That Defined the Legend
We have to start with the big ones. If you haven't seen these, you haven't really seen De Niro.
The Scorsese Era (The Golden Age)
The partnership between Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro is probably the most fruitful director-actor duo in history. It started with Mean Streets (1973), where De Niro played Johnny Boy—a reckless, explosive livewire. But then came 1976. Taxi Driver.
"You talkin' to me?"
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That line wasn't even in the script. He ad-libbed it while staring at himself in a mirror. It became the defining moment of a generation. Then they did Raging Bull (1980), which won him the Oscar for Best Actor. He played Jake LaMotta with a terrifying, pathetic intensity. They kept going with The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, and Casino.
Stepping Into Brando's Shoes
In 1974, De Niro did the impossible. He played a young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II. Think about the pressure. He had to follow Marlon Brando, who had just won an Oscar for the same character. De Niro spent months in Sicily, learning the dialect until he sounded like a local. It worked. He won an Oscar too, making them the only two actors to win for playing the exact same character.
The 1990s: Heat and Professionalism
If you want to talk about "cool," you talk about Heat (1995). For the first time, De Niro and Al Pacino shared the screen. They’d both been in The Godfather Part II, but never in the same scene. That diner scene in Heat? Pure electricity. De Niro plays Neil McCauley, a thief who lives by a strict code: "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
The Robert De Niro List of Movies: A Decade-by-Decade Breakdown
The sheer volume of work is insane. You’ve got over 100 credits here.
| Era | Key Films | Why They Matter |
|---|---|---|
| The 70s Breakthrough | Mean Streets, Godfather II, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter | This is where the "Method" legend was born. He was raw and unpredictable. |
| The 80s Expansion | Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Once Upon a Time in America, Midnight Run | He proved he could do comedy (Midnight Run) and sprawling epics. |
| The 90s Mob Peak | Goodfellas, A Bronx Tale, Casino, Heat, Jackie Brown | He became the elder statesman of the crime genre. |
| The 2000s Comedy Shift | Meet the Parents, Analyze This, The Score, The Good Shepherd | He leaned into his "scary dad" persona for laughs. It was a huge pivot. |
| The 2010s to Now | The Irishman, Joker, Killers of the Flower Moon, Zero Day | A return to form with Scorsese and a late-career Oscar run. |
Why He Switched to Comedy (And Why People Get Mad)
Around 1999, something changed. Analyze This was a massive hit. De Niro played a mob boss having a panic attack, and people loved it. Then came Meet the Parents. Suddenly, the guy who played Max Cady was making faces and talking about "milking a cat."
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Some critics hated it. They thought he was "tarnishing his legacy." But honestly? He’d been doing heavy drama for 30 years. The guy wanted to laugh and make some money. You can't blame him. Films like The Intern (2015) showed a softer, charming side of him that actually felt really authentic.
Recent Work and Future Projects (2024–2026)
Even at 80+ years old, he isn't slowing down.
- Killers of the Flower Moon (2023): He played William King Hale, a truly manipulative, "banality of evil" type character. It was his tenth collaboration with Scorsese.
- Zero Day (2025): His big move into a Netflix limited series. He plays a former president investigating a global cyberattack. It's tense, political, and shows he still has that "serious" gear.
- Focker In-Law (2026): Yeah, the rumors were true. He's returning to the Jack Byrnes role for a fourth Fockers movie.
- Alto Knights (2025): A return to the mob genre where he reportedly plays two different characters.
The Secret to His Longevity
What most people get wrong about De Niro is that they think he’s just a "tough guy." He’s not. He’s a character actor who happened to become a leading man.
If you look at the Robert De Niro list of movies, you’ll see he’s played a priest (The Mission), a monster (Frankenstein), a catatonic patient (Awakenings), and even a flamboyant pirate (Stardust). He doesn't have "one" style. He disappears into the work.
He once said that the hardest part of acting is just "showing up and doing it." He doesn't overthink the legacy stuff. He just works.
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How to Watch the Best of De Niro
If you're starting from scratch, don't just watch anything. Some of his mid-2000s stuff is... well, it's not great.
- Start with the Essentials: Taxi Driver, The Godfather Part II, and Goodfellas. This is the foundation.
- Watch the Underappreciated: The King of Comedy. It’s awkward, cringe-inducing, and arguably his best performance.
- The Modern Masterpiece: The Irishman. It’s long, but it’s a beautiful, somber reflection on aging and regret. It feels like a goodbye to the mob genre.
Actionable Insights for Cinephiles
If you're looking to dive deep into his filmography this weekend, here is how to curate your own "De Niro Fest" based on your mood:
- Feeling Intense? Double feature of Cape Fear and Raging Bull. Prepare to be exhausted.
- Need a Laugh? Midnight Run. It’s the best buddy-cop movie ever made, and De Niro’s chemistry with Charles Grodin is 10/10.
- Want a Visual Epic? Once Upon a Time in America. Make sure you watch the "European Cut" (the long one). It’s a masterpiece of non-linear storytelling.
- Short on Time? Watch his cameo in American Hustle. He’s on screen for maybe five minutes, doesn't say much, and completely steals the entire movie from an A-list cast.
The reality is that we won't have Robert De Niro making movies forever. We're lucky he's still as active as he is. Whether he’s playing a legendary mobster or a grumpy grandpa, he’s still the gold standard for what it means to be a "movie star."
Next time you see his name on a poster, remember that you’re looking at a guy who has been at the top of his game since the Nixon administration. Not many people can say that.
Actionable Next Steps: Check your local streaming services for the "Scorsese & De Niro" collection, usually bundled on platforms like Max or Criterion Channel. If you want to see his latest performance, Zero Day is currently the best representation of his modern dramatic range. If you're a physical media collector, look for the 4K restoration of Taxi Driver—the detail on the 1970s New York streets is unparalleled.