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Turning 72 today is American acting icon Robert De Niro, who’s famous now for playing grandfatherly roles in David O. Russell movies as well as for other people’s impressions of him. From the early ’70s through the mid-’90s, however, De Niro was recognized as one of the top talents in his field and all impressions aside — without him, acting, as an art, would be missing a major piece of its puzzle.

Through working with the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Mann, and his favorite collaborator, Martin Scorsese, De Niro redefined the archetypal “bad guy,” gangster, and, in many instances, offered audiences a different interpretation of a deeply flawed protagonist. Over one-hundred onscreen appearances spanning fifty years, two Academy Awards, and countless nominations later, De Niro has become one of the most internationally recognized household names to ever grace Hollywood. De Niro’s exuberant fame, however, has remained mutually exclusive from his personal life. An infamous recluse, De Niro has kept his multiple marriages and family life under wraps and out of the public eye. In addition to cementing himself as an onscreen staple, De Niro has also become a New York icon by starring in dozens of NYC-set movies, directing his beloved A Bronx Tale, and founding the annual Tribeca Film Festival with producer Jane Rosenthal in an effort to rebuild downtown Manhattan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Though De Niro has starred in every genre known to man, his celebrated career is typically in reference to his unforgettable, relentlessly dissected, often parodied dramatic roles. Below are ten of De Niro’s most iconic roles featured in what have been listed as some of history’s most celebrated films of all time, ranked by their sheer brilliance and utter timelessness.

**NUMBER TEN:** Sam "Ace" Rothstein
**FILM:** *Casino* (1995)
De Niro as ruthless Las Vegas casino owner Ace Rothstein could be considered one of the actor's last great roles.
[Where to stream *Casino*] Photo: Everett Collection

**NUMBER NINE:** Michael "Mike" Vronsky
**FILM:** *The Deer Hunter* (1977)
Just two years after he nabbed the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in *The Godfather: Part II*, De Niro was nominated again for Michael Cimino's epic war drama.
[Where to stream *The Deer Hunter*]Photo: Everett Collection

**NUMBER EIGHT:** Lorenzo Anello
**FILM:** *A Bronx Tale* (1993)
The actor stepped behind the camera to direct his first feature, but also starred as hard-hitting patriarch figure Lorenzo.
[Where to stream *A Bronx Tale*]Photo: Everett Collection

**NUMBER SEVEN:** Neil McCauley
**FILM:** *Heat* (1995)
No one humanizes the onscreen gangster quite like De Niro and that's exactly what he did opposite Al Pacino in Michael Mann's crime drama.
[Where to stream *Heat*]Photo: Everett Collection

**NUMBER SIX:** Max Cady
**FILM:** *Cape Fear* (1991)
His portrayal of violent prisoner Max Cady in Martin Scorsese's remake of the 1962 classic earned De Niro his sixth Oscar nom.
[Where to stream *Cape Fear*]Photo: Everett Collection

**NUMBER FIVE:** James "Jimmy" Conway
**FILM:** *Goodfellas* (1990)
Like Ray Liotta's Henry Hill, De Niro's sociopathic Jimmy Conway reeled us in and then terrified us in Scorsese's perennial gangster film.
[Where to stream *Goodfellas*] Photo: Everett Collection

**NUMBER FOUR:** Johnny Boy
**FILM:** *Mean Streets* (1973)
De Niro's first collaboration with Harvey Keitel and a young Martin Scorsese introduced to the world a lanky, loony badass in Johnny Boy.
[Where to stream *Mean Streets*] Photo: Everett Collection

**NUMBER THREE:** Travis Bickle
**FILM:** *Taxi Driver* (1976)
De Niro's Travis Bickle not only gave us one of the most quoted lines in movie history, but also offered up one of cinema's unforgettable tragic anti-heroes.
[Where to stream *Taxi Driver*]Photo: Everett Collection

**NUMBER TWO:** Young Vito Corleone
**FILM:** *The Godfather: Part II* (1974)
Only De Niro could make the sequel better than the first *and* take home the Oscar after doing so.
[Where to stream *The Godfather: Part II*]Photo: Everett Collection

**NUMBER ONE:** Jake "The Bronx Bull" La Motta
**FILM:** *Raging Bull* (1980)
The actor trained relentlessly leading up to filming Martin Scorsese's black and white boxing tale, then had to gain upwards of 60 pounds to emphasize La Motta's real-life demise.
[Where to stream *Raging Bull*]Photo: Everett Collection

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