Honoring Robert Deniro (2)

Academy Award winner Meryl Streep called De Niro "the gold standard," saying, "He's the one that we all went to school on, inspired by, stole from, I personally."

De Niro was raised on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Chen said he knew at an early age that he wanted to be an actor. He told Chen he didn't ever really know he had a knack for it -- he just did what he wanted to.

So, does he know how to act now? "So people tell me!" he remarked.

De Niro's breakthrough came in 1973's "Bang the Drum Slowly." The same year, the film "Mean Streets" debuted -- the first of his eight collaborations with renowned director Martin Scorsese.

Scorsese said of De Niro at the honors ceremony, "We learned to make movies together, and what we learned you can see in every picture I've made ever since."

De Niro said Scorsese is always open to trying new things. "I'll come up with an idea, or try something, and he'll say, 'Yeah, let's try it. Let's try it.' But then there's a point when you're working with a director, if they keep saying, 'Well, I don't know.' After a while, you just sort of shut down. But Marty's always very open."

De Niro won his first Academy Award for best supporting actor in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather Part II."

De Niro told Chen, "I felt very lucky being part of that, because it had already been established as what it was, and so the second one coming was great."

De Niro's second Oscar-winning performance was in "Raging Bull," which tracked the brutal rise and tragic fall of boxer Jake LaMotta. De Niro showed his commitment to the role with a drastic physical transformation.

"For me, it was taking a hiatus, and gaining the weight to really be out of shape," he said. "Beause I ran into Jake Lamotta once when he was working as a -- I guess a bouncer -- at a strip club. And I saw him standing there, and we were talking. And he just made an impression. And then, when he was -- when he was in his prime, the difference. I thought that was an interesting thing, if you could capture that for real."

De Niro has had his share of dramatic roles, but hasnt shied away from comedy with parts in films such as "Meet the Parents."

De Niro says he never knows what will connect with audiences. "When we were doing 'Taxi Driver,' the reaction of certain people, we never would've expected," he says. "The 'You talking to me?' thing. You know, that's like, who would've expected a reaction?"

So how would the actor describe himself? He responded, "That's too long for this interview."

You can see the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors with tributes to Robert DeNiro, Bruce Springsteen, Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, and Grace Bumbry Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 9/8 Central on CBS.

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[TheDell01]

Seriously, there will NEVER be another Robert De Niro. He is one of those people who come around once in a lifetime, but will NEVER be forgotten.

[mvjardin]

i love Robert De Niro!!!! He is D BEST and no one even comes close to how GREAT of an actor he is!

[rivaldoamir]

Greatest actor of all time

[MrHillRoxx]

@vadimzdonutube i think they honor people who have done some sort of charity work too and i doubt Pacino have(he is a carefree sort of guy) i don't know what he does with his money and i don't care

[MrHillRoxx]

what does the lady next to Deniro have on?

[xianneh]

@guptz Oh Yeah?? Google De Niro and Pacino and compare the amount of pictures they have. De Niro definitely is more outgoing especially because of TriBeca festival. Get yo facts straight douche.

[guptz]

@xianneh Do you think Robert De Niro attends parties or strolling around in the Hollywood life? He even barely goes to a talkshow. Brando's great, Pacino's great, and De Niro's great. STFU!

[xianneh]

I'm not surprised at all if Al Pacino hasn't been honored with this award yet coz even Marlon Brando, the greatest actor who ever lived, was also snubbed.

The artists that gets these awards are the ones who gets along so well in Hollywood, attends parties, therefore they have a lot of friends in this circle. Pacino and Brando never gave a shit about Hollywood.

[xianneh]

@vadimzdonutube because these award shows are all about Politics

[vadimzdonutube]

why hasnt pacino been honored

[TheMrm93]

3:00 ''and then ...there's the nobel peace guy '' LMAO !!

[catanlorca]

No doubt.... he ist the best of the best. I bow to you, Mr. De Niro