Robert De Niro's 9 Oscar Nominations RANKED!

[@ajtaylor8750]

No Oscar win for De Niro feels more right than Raging Bull. That performance is one of the all-time greats of both the 80s and in film history. A bottle of insecurity, fragile masculinity, brokenness, rage, and despair all in one character portrayed masterfully by one of the GOATs.

[@danielrabbitt1092]

It was an amazing performance and very Oscar-worthy, even though I didn't like the movie and don't understand why it ranks so high on so many lists (yes, the cinematography was great in addition to DeNiro, but otherwise there wasn't much to it.)

[@oscarman42]

I think his performance in The Godfather Part II was one of his finest.

[@alpe1987]

RAGING BULL is Robert De Niro all time greatest performance. So untouchable because it’s just perfect

[@Erasureeraser]

Robert De Niro deserves an Oscar win just for existing. The world of acting just doesn't feel the same once he's gone :(

[@SenatorLeiaOrganaSolo]

The 21 year break between nominations is crazy to me. Glad he is getting some noms in his later career. He just keeps getting better. He was excellent in Killers of the Flower Moon.

[@samuelbarber6177]

His performance in Killers of the Flower Moon is so great. He seems so aged in The Irishman and then a couple years later he seems just as energetic as ever.

[@jonathanvelazquezph.d.2719]

True

[@ChrisThomson-y7l]

@@samuelbarber6177i mean, the Irishman was a different kind of performance from DeNiro compared to the Flower Moon. One was a hitman through 50+ years and the other was an older man over about a decade

[@michaelgreisinger5255]

I think De Niro should've been nominated for Once Upon A Time In America from 1984. I also think everyone involved with This Boy's Life deserved some recognition. Very underrated movie with three great lead performances by De Niro, Barkin & DiCaprio in his first movie.

[@samuelbarber6177]

Once Upon A Time In America received absolutely nothing from the Academy and it breaks my heart. Had they seen the full version, I really think it could’ve been up for some major awards (Picture, Director, Actor, Score, Art Direction etc.)

[@michaelgreisinger5255]

@@samuelbarber6177 I agree. It's a great movie that should've received recognition. I have the full version on DVD.

[@samuelzins5089]

I'd say once upon a time in america is a rop 3 movie ever. If its release wasn't messed up, it would have likely got a lot of awards

[@ILoveMisty1985]

Once Upon a Time in America also got screwed over by studio executives who couldn't understand Sergio Leone's vision and compromised it. Such a tragedy.

[@lexkanyima2195]

​@@ILoveMisty1985they got cut out

[@Erasureeraser]

It's not an Oscar nominated performance and it shouldn't be anyways but De Niro in Nancy Meyers' The Intern was probably one of the sweetest and most charming performances that he has ever given. I often watched that movie just to be in a good mood, he and Anne Hathaway has such an excellent chemistry

[@melanie62954]

Absolutely agree! I've always admired De Niro as an actor, but that performance made me LOVE him. And from what I've read, it's closer to his actual personality than his more powerhouse performances.

[@roxy5588]

I love that movie so much. It has become a very rewatchable movie for me. It's a feel-good film about the sweet friendship between Anne Hathaway and Robert de Niro it's a hell of a lot of fun to watch. They have amazing chemistry in this movie.

[@dillonpruitt-hx1nt]

Love your videos so much man ! Waiting for Jack Nicholson ranking and DiCaprio ranking lol haha

[@JohannesYtterstrom]

I really like Leo but man I miss me some JACK. Bring on the Jack ranking!

[@inezfeytons8896]

Love Robert de Niro the best actor

[@michelinegros-jean8771]

As usual, it's a great video. Would you ever do a video on actors who won Oscars but whose careers never picked up steam, i.e., Timothy Hutton or Louise Fletcher?

[@mangu-o8h]

Brian can you please do ranking of Judi dench's 8 oscar nominations.

[@Dee-v8u]

Do you think she deserved that win for Shakespeare In Love or was it a consolation win because she didn't win the year before for Mrs. Brown

[@poett8875]

@@Dee-v8ueveryone knows it was a consolation win since she was supposed to win the year prior. It was a matter of being in the right movie in the right time and being overdue. I can’t lie tho, I actually don’t hate that win. It’s just the last role that I would’ve given her an Oscar for out of all her Oscar noms.

[@kellie-nd1yp]

I’m happy he was nominated for Awakening. He should have been nominated for Casino and The Irishman. He’s the one I think of when I think of The Irishman I would have given him the Oscar for Deer Hunter too. For this past year yes I would have preferred anyone over Downy Jr . It should have been more split up during the season. But it’s a career Oscar for RDJ . I love that DeNiro doesn’t do an impersonation of Brando . He takes the essence of Vito but nuances it perfectly.

[@ChrisThomson-y7l]

The eyes he had in the Irishman were a little creepy and some of the actions he does look insanely stiff but the last hour of the movie should have gotten him nominated. As for Casino, to me that feels too much like a “playing to type” performance

[@jr87-87]

My favourite all time actor. I can find redeeming qualities in almost all of his movies no matter how bad they are, he always does something that I just adore. Always thought he should of got something for A Bronx Tale, even a best director nom

[@Jared_Wignall]

To me, his performance as Travis Bickle is his best performance. I would have liked to have seen him win for Taxi Driver. It’s a shame not only that he didn’t win, but that Taxi Driver won nothing as well as had only 4 nominations. Thank you for the ranking Brian, I hope you’re doing well. Take care!

[@arontamas5639]

Thank you I love him so much! He was so amazing in Killers of the flower moon!

[@js7dragon]

In the 2000s he had a custody battle and divorce proceedings AND he was expanding Nobu. Bills had to be paid.

[@RobertBurns71405]

This

[@PenaltyKillah]

TIL De Niro owned Nobu (or a stake in it)

[@roxy5588]

Robert de Niro is one of my all time favourite actors. He is a legend. Some of the performances that I liked that were not even nominated for Oscars are Heat, Casino and Goodfellas. I agree with this ranking 100% and his performance in Raging Bull was SPECTACULAR. A very well deserved Oscar win. I am waiting on your Tom Hanks ranking.

[@samuelzins5089]

I'd say his top 5 performances are: 1a. Godfather 2 1b. Raging bull 3. Once upon a time in america (not nominated) 4. The deer hunter 5. Taxi driver He has so many really high level performances, very good at his job

[@fab0392]

Love your channel. Watching from my vacation in Cancun.

[@samuelbarber6177]

I commented this on the post but I still think he should’ve been nominated as Actor for The Irishman (particularly as both Pesci and Pacino were nominated). Once Upon A Time In America as well. His best nomination? Probably Raging Bull. I also really love him in The Godfather Part II. I also want to shout out Awakenings, an underrated movie which I really love. Edit: huh, didn’t know that Cape Fear got him a nomination.

[@BFA100]

My Robert De Niro Oscar Nomination Ranking 1. Raging Bull (Winner) 2. The Godfather Part II (Winner) 3. Taxi Driver 4. The Deer Hunter 5. Killers of the Flower Moon 6. Awakenings 7. Silver Linings Playbook 8. Cape Fear 9. The Irishman (as Producer)

[@ConMan-ye4ou]

I think it’s unfair to rank a producing nomination alongside a bunch of acting nominations. Producing and acting are so different that there’s really not anything to compare. My advice is that the next time you rank an actor’s nominations, you should leave out any producing nominations.

[@HungLe-nj5su]

Just imagine it's a top 8 list then!

[@jamesmorant1406]

Leonardo Dicaprio Oscar nomination ranking

[@TGTR-06660]

Thinking about the Deer Hunter, an actor that had a REALLY SHORT career but who was in a Best Picture-level movie basically IN ALL HIS PERFORMANCES was John Cazale. His Fredo Corleone, his performance in Dog Day Afternoon, and the Deer Hunter, the man left us too soon (an understatement). A video about him would be nice!

[@BTrisc0392]

Hi Brian! Series idea for you: Top 10 most competitive Oscar races. You could do it by decade, by category, etc. :) I’m always fascinated by races where nearly every nomination could have won.

[@ChrolliForever]

Oh yes. Love especially unpredictable races and suprises

[@angeloiko3973]

Man i watched awakenings and rewatched it the next day. In the de niro scenes where his illness was coming back, I felt something pressing my heart. Loved his performance

[@williamsummerson1204]

I absolutely agree with your ranking Brian. DeNiro is one of the greatest actors of all time.

[@DrtyALGreen]

Having grown up in a rust belt town outside of Pittsburgh De Niro nailed that. I've know so many dudes like he played in the Deer Hunter.

[@barttanner8162]

Your ranking is spot on!

[@jonathanvelazquezph.d.2719]

Robert De Niro in Raging Bull is one of the best Best Actor Oscar wins of all time! Like him or not, he's one of the best actors to have ever lived. I was immensely happy to see the recognition he got for Killers of the Flower Moon.

[@andyroo9381]

I have never watched "Taxi Driver". I was a boy when this film hit theatres, so there was no way I could have seen it. I don't even really know the storyline, but this film always seems to be mentioned here and there. One day...

[@ChrisThomson-y7l]

It’s a classic. Check it out

[@pophector]

An amazing video, Brian! Genuinely a masterclass of an actor. Top 3 very appropriately ranked and Goodfellas would be the right #4 had he been nominated for that. I do have to say that the 1978 Best Actor race was a lot more competitive than we think and how I think the race went: 01 Jon Voight - Coming Home (Winner, also won Drama Golden Globe, Cannes, Los Angeles Film Critics, National Board Of Review, New York Film Critics Circle) 02 Warren Beatty - Heaven Can Wait (Comedy Golden Globe, Saturn Award) 03 Gary Busey - The Buddy Holly Story (National Society Of Film Critics) 04 Laurence Olivier - The Boys From Brazil (tied with Voight for National Board Of Review) 05 Robert De Niro - The Deer Hunter (Runner-up at New York Film Critics Circle. I do believe he would have been more of a clear favorite had Voight not been nominated). Great video, Brian! Would love one for Al Pacino as well 🎉

[@jonathanvelazquezph.d.2719]

Very interesting. Thank you for the details of the race that year. 😀

[@DanCrowleyNYC]

Excellent list. As a 40-something Italian-American, my maternal grandfather loved all crime movies, but especially The Godfather films. Weirdly, as De Niro grows older, he looks like my late grandfather! I didn't get into those films until my 20s, but I always joke that I live in an alternate reality where Uncle Bob and Uncle Al are my great uncles (they do look like a lot of my family!) I agree with you about Deer Hunter being better than Coming Home (though I love both - but after recent re-watches of both, Deer Hunter still won for me), and that he should have been nominated for King Of Comedy. I have yet to watch Raging Bull because I hate boxing (but I promise as a film buff, it's in my list), but I adore Taxi Driver. When I shaved my head into a mohawk in 2017, only because I was going bald, I was honored that I was called "taxi driver" in Ireland, Italy, and Cape Cod - but never here at home in NYC! I had to laugh at that!

[@joancarlestomas]

De Niro was present when he was nominated for Awakenings. He even presented. He was on camera when they showed his Oscar clip, but for no reason they didn't show his live image when the envelope was opened

[@marcelabad5868]

Indeed, 1:06 kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoraaJVphbh_mpYsi=1cnoHhnKeky_bcRb

[@delia88209]

Loved him the Godfather part 2. He was great a movie called the Mission. I did enjoy him in Killers of the Flower Moon

[@kareninacarado]

I’d love you to do a video ranking Martin Scorsese’s films! Or a deep dive about the Scorsese-De Niro and Scorsese-DiCaprio collaborations.

[@moneypenny1267]

Goodfellas is brilliant

[@franklinajohnson]

Can you please do a Kate Winslet ranking?!?

[@trinaq]

I love that DeNiro is still steadily working away, and has even picked up a few more nominations. While some of the movies he's in are mediocre, he's never been terrible in them, and always gives decent performances.

[@ChrisThomson-y7l]

Most terrible movies he’s just playing himself

[@annanikia7949]

I LOVE The King of Comedy! I have watched it several times! Always great!

[@Cinemahguy]

I agree with you for King of Comedy.

[@samj5183]

Please do a Frances McDormand ranking

[@dikshyantakhatri3585]

Do jack nicholson next

[@annanikia7949]

Mean Streets, Raging Bull and Taxi Driver!❤❤❤

[@cameronbrown4313]

De Niro was something else in the king of comedy I was shocked he wasn’t nominated that year!

[@branagain]

Do an Al Pacino video next.

[@TitanicHorseRacingLover]

Robert DeNiro was awesome in "Flower Moon''. He was the best part of the film. The film was very good. I do think he should have been nominated for Casino. It was such a great performance. Such a huge snub by the Academy.

[@ChrisThomson-y7l]

I mean, I love Lily Gladstone and I think she’s great in the movie (she deserved best actress IMO) but Robert DeNiro was such a treat in the movie

[@aeris2001]

In Awakenings his performance near the end of the movie broke my heart. Was a worthy against type nomination

[@poihpioakarp8845]

3. Silver Linings Playbook (as Pat Solitano Sr.) 2. The Godfather Part II (as Vito Corleone) 1. Raging Bull (as Jake LaMotta) Saw Taxi Driver but too long ago to rank. Only got about 15 minutes into Cape Fear before I shut it off because I *really* didn't like it. Haven't seen his other nominations yet. Film I would nominate her for: Heat (as Neil McCauley)

[@criss8836]

The Russian roulette scene in The Deer Hunter. Wow.

[@kylekemppainen391]

A fantastic list to complement a phenomenal actor. My list: 1. Raging Bull 2. Killers of the Flower Moon 3. Cape Fear 4. Taxi Driver 5. The Godfather Part II 6. Silver Linings Playbook 7. Awakenings 8. The Deer Hunter 9. The Irishman (producer) As a producer, the Irishman is at the bottom but for acting then the Irishman would be number 7 or number 8. I like that movie despite its flaws and its one of De Niro’s most emotional performances. It felt like a comeback for DeNiro, a return of his gangster movies with Martin Scorsese and even better they work again 4 years later in Killers of the Flower Moon where is REALLY amazing as the villainous William K Hale.

[@originaltommy]

Can you please do a Sigourney Weaver video?

[@marcosmadeiros9553]

My personal favorite DeNiro performance is Awakenings. I know Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and The Deer Hunter are historic performances, but Awakenings is a special film because of all of the great performances, especially Robin Williams.

[@dustymuniz]

I need a Kate Winslet Oscar nominations ranking!!

[@angelcastaneda529]

I want to see Nicole Kidman.

[@dustymuniz]

@@angelcastaneda529 yes!! Nicole too!!

[@ChrolliForever]

Yes Kate is Always a pleasure to See and she could easily have 10+ Oscar nominations. Imagine age wasnt nominated for Revolutionary Road, Finding Neverland, Ammonite, Quills, Heavenly creatures, Hamlet, Jude, Enigma, Labor Day, wonder wheel, the dressmaker.

[@dustymuniz]

@ChrolliForever exactly! So many incredible performances!!

[@bodine57]

My personal favorite for non-nominated performance has to be "Angel Heart".

[@Leo-Faure1]

I think his performance in "awakenings" is soooo much better than his in "cape fear". I think his acting in the latter is really over the top.

[@christianaguilera1469]

He didn't show up for The Deer Hunter because there was so much controversy towards that film it made him anxious and thought it was best to not show up. My personal fav is Godfather II because not only did he had to live up the expectations of Brando but he also did it in another language.

[@sunblue22]

PLEASE make a pre-Oscars prediction video for “The Great Lillian Hall”, no one is talking about it right now. I can barely find a review on it. I loved it. Jessica Lange MUST win an Oscar for it. Thoughts?

[@thatoneguy2813]

Rate Nicholson

[@ChrisThomson-y7l]

Cape Fear is a cool nomination because he could easily have been in supporting. But his character is so indispensable from the movie that it got him a best actor nomination

[@SUK2293]

I mostly concur. De Niro will always be Dirty Grandpa.

[@lilpenny1982]

My Top 9 are: #1 Raging Bull #2 Heat #4 Goodfellas #5 Casino #6 The Untouchables #7 Meet the Parents #8 Godfather II #9 Ronin

[@ChrolliForever]

Yesss, the king of comedy should definitly be another oscar nom at least for him.

[@nyators9652]

(In terms of what I think was the most talented) 1. His Oscar win for Raging Bull 2. His Oscar win for The Godfather Part II 3. His Oscar nom for The Deer Hunter 4. His Oscar nom for Taxi Driver 5. His Oscar nom for Cape Fear 6. His Oscar nom for Awakenings (I thought his performance was more deserving of the Oscar than Irons) 7. His Oscar nom for Silver Linings Playbook 8. His Oscar nom for KOTFM

[@khoohockleong7585]

Robert de Niro can spread the nuances of a role in a way that follows closely the pacing if a story so that you do not know he is acting Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Cilian Murphy and Anthony Hopkins cannot equal him in this regard . But Hack Nicholson can.

[@SS4Luxray]

While it’s obviously not an Oscar film, but I really enjoy Hide and Seek. Such an underrated suspense thriller.

[@leightonbate7516]

I think De Niro is a total acting god from 1973 to 1997 then after that I wasn't impressed until he delivered in Silver Linings Playbook,he's 2nd to Hoffman in that year 2012 for the win. My ranking 8 Awakenings 7 Killers of the Flower Moon 6 Cape Fear 5 Silver Linings Playbook 4 The Godfather II 3 Taxi Driver 2 Raging Bull 1 The Deer Hunter He's also been snubbed for good work like Bang The Drum Slowly,The King of Comedy,Midnight Run,Jacknife and Casino

[@BFA100]

Christoph Waltz was the winner that year for Django Unchained.

[@leightonbate7516]

@@BFA100 I'd have prefered De Niro or Hoffman.

[@leightonbate7516]

We need a Jane Fonda ranking,she co starred with him in Stanley and Iris..

[@chancellor1055]

I want to know would you have voted for De Niro over Peter Finch in the 1977 Oscar’s (I haven’t seen network)

[@Themoomabides]

To complain he had better films in others years so you knock the Awakenings performance is dumb. Oscar nominations can’t be compared to other years - only within the year the actor is competing. DeNiro in the 90’s was the GOAT with non nominated films in This Boy’s Life, A Bronx Tale, Casino, Heat, The Fan, Marvin’s Room, Cop Land, Jackie Brown, Wag the Dog, Flawless and Analyze This.

[@billk9856]

Oh, OK ..... I'll say it, I really loved Falling In Love with him and Meryl.

[@topogigio2879]

I like De Niro in AWAKENINGS much more than I liked his work in CAPE FEAR (#10), KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (#9) and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (#8).

[@SUK2293]

And then King of Comedy became Joker..

[@TT-wu8kc]

Most actors would swap their lifetime of acting experience to have two years of De Niro's

[@Weezing336]

De Niro is too good in Taxi Driver and Raging Bull to bother arguing that Cape Fear should be #1, but personally his performance as Max Cady is my #1. One of my favorite performances of all time in one of my favorite movies of all time.

[@rossbristow7040]

He should have been nominated for once upon a time in America

[@antmfan231995]

Absolutely would’ve nominated him and Sandra Bernhard for King of Comedy 💯

[@rossrivero7516]

I agree that he should’ve been nominated for The King of Comedy but I also think he should’ve been nominated for Once Upon a Time in America

[@pascalmanuel3]

What an actor!

[@ChrisThomson-y7l]

I don’t care about politics so lemme just say Robert DeNiro is among the best actors ever.

[@rahulvinalnarayan9743]

No doubt Raging Bull was his best performance. I really wanted him to win for Silver Linings Playbook. He was outstanding

[@TitanicHorseRacingLover]

I was going to suggest he should have been nominated for "The King of Comedy."

[@rxtsec1]

He should have been nominated for Men of Honor

[@אביצאלי-כ8ז]

Can you please do al pacino one day?

[@sheilacrosby4894]

I can't believe he didn't get a nom for rocky and Bullwinkle oh the injustice

[@danielrabbitt1092]

I was glad that he didn't get nominated for The Irishman, he looked like he was resting on his laurels and not making the effort. Also the movie was too long and often boring. While his performances in the Meet the Parents movies weren't deserving of Oscar nominations he showed that he has great comedy acting chops as well, so I admire his work there.

[@PicklesRTasty]

His best performance is The King of Comedy ngl

[@salvatoresultana4058]

Should’ve been nominated for Goodfellas and Once Upon a Time in America

[@jamesmorant1406]

His performance in Cape Fear was terrifying he paid a dentist 5K to make his teeth bad for Max Cady

[@carissagreen9595]

The KotFM ranking may be recency bias. Yes, DeNiro was excellent. But that movie was seriously 20 minutes too long, and when I think about what I'd cut, it's scenes with Leo and DeNiro. I'd keep nearly everything with the Osage characters, and I wish there was more Jesse Plemons. David Grann's book indicated the person DeNiro played was really the true mastermind and villain of the story, and DeNiro nailed it, but it's not his top five ever.

[@Zuranthium]

Meet the Parents is one of DeNiro's best performances this century and a fun movie, that was wrong to include in the video as an example of lazy work. Awakenings is definitely his worst nomination, really cliche stuff there, and Silver Linings Playbook was a very unnecessary nomination too. He was robbed of nomination for King of Comedy, and also would have deserved to get in for Mean Streets and The Untouchables.

[@buddhimanrahman4583]

Honestly I thought Mark Ruffalo was more deserving of the best supporting actor for his fantastic performance on Poor Things. But I guess who am I to judge 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@darrylreilly3915]

Perhaps, De Niro only attends Oscar Ceremonies when he thinks he has a good chance of winning! In 1974, Fred Astaire was “the sentimental favorite” for The Towering Inferno; he won the Golden Globe and BAFTA! This is an excellent examination.

[@jonm.5023]

Even though it's a terrible film, I thought his one great performance in the 2000s was Men of Honor. He was the best part about it.

[@santos8468]

He is very good in that movie

[@jzakibe]

King of Comedy is so hard to watch. My vicarious embarrassment syndrome is in full force. But it’s a good movies. And he’s wonderful in it.

[@oscarpinillacastro5893]

Awakenings was Robin Williams show. It should have been him.

[@CineRam]

I agree about Cape Fear. Love the movie, but De Niro had NO shot at winning Best Actor that year. I tend to think that he was nominated for two reasons: It was a very popular hit from his favorite director, Scorsese...and the most talked-about scene in a very brashly styled thriller is a quiet dialogue scene opposite his fellow nominee Juliette Lewis. I also think there was a distracting amount of ADR in De Niro's dialogue, whereas Juliette Lewis' delivery went pretty much untouched in postproduction. I'm sure that didn't help. On the other hand, I completely disagree with your last-place ranking of "Awakenings" among De Niro's acting nominations. It's one of my top three De Niro performances of all time, alongside "Heat" and "Taxi Driver". Sure, the role could be considered Oscar Bait, but has De Niro ever treated a project as Oscar Bait even once during his whole career? Clearly, he researched Parkinson's patients and their symptoms extensively, and I can't imagine what a challenge it must have been to keep constant movement appear spontaneous over entire scenes. One of the best is when Leonard is having a full-blown attack of tics, and while he's dancing with Paula, the tics gradually subside. In the years after the film came out, a good friend and I would complain on the regular that De Niro had a MUCH more difficult job than Jeremy Irons, who won Best Actor that year. I hope that "Awakenings" is remembered as one of his best films, even though it isn't the kind of hard-edged material that is associated with his career more often. (Also, I don't think it's fair to penalize his work because he wasn't nominated for other performances that he gave in a completely different year.)

[@munbok]

That clip of RDJ accepting his well-deserved Oscar from Ke Huy Quan without even making eye contact with Ke still bugs me. So much arrogance.

[@princejohn6560]

I would have favoured Ray Liotta over De Niro for an Oscar nomination for Goodfellas.

[@salvatoresultana4058]

Liotta for lead, De Niro alongside Pesci for supporting

[@criss8836]

De Niro was the protagonist of KOTFM. Not Lily, not Leo.