Robert De Niro is set to be honored with an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, marking a significant milestone for the 81-year-old actor, whose connection to the prestigious French festival spans fifty years.
In 1976, he featured in two films – Martin Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver’ and Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘1900’ – both of which competed at Cannes. ‘Taxi Driver’ quickly became a classic, winning the festival’s highest accolade, the Palme d’Or.
Since then, De Niro has frequently graced the Croisette, returning with films such as ‘The King of Comedy’ in 1983, Sergio Leone’s ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ in 1984, and Roland Joffé’s ‘The Mission’ in 1986, the latter also winning the Palme, making him one of the few actors to appear in two Palme d’Or-winning films.
While he co-manages the Tribeca Festival in New York, De Niro has remained a prominent figure at Cannes, serving as jury president in 2011 when Terrence Malick’s ‘The Tree of Life’ won the Palme.
Most recently, he and Scorsese premiered ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ in 2023. Upon the announcement of his honorary Palme d’Or last month, De Niro expressed, ‘I have such close feelings for Festival de Cannes.
Especially now when there’s so much in the world pulling us apart, Cannes brings us together – storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends. It’s like coming home.’ Robert De Niro will receive the award during the festival’s opening ceremony on May 13.
