Eseandre Mordi
Two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro has built an impressive fortune of $500 million through his legendary acting career and smart business moves, especially his role in co-founding the Nobu restaurant empire.
How Robert De Niro Started Making His First Money
Robert De Niro was born on August 17, 1943, in New York City's Little Italy to artist parents who split up when he was just two years old. As a shy kid, he found his calling at age 10 playing the Cowardly Lion in a school production of The Wizard of Oz, which helped him come out of his shell.
At 16, De Niro took a huge gamble—he dropped out of high school to chase his acting dreams full-time, studying at the prestigious Stella Adler Conservatory and later at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio. Those early years were tough. He juggled odd jobs just to pay the bills while hitting audition after audition. His first real film gig came in the late 1960s with "The Wedding Party" (1969), though it was actually filmed back in 1963.
Building Robert De Niro Net Worth: Career Growth and Early Paychecks
Everything changed for De Niro in 1973 when he was 30. He landed "Mean Streets," directed by Martin Scorsese, kicking off what would become one of the most iconic partnerships in movie history. The next year brought his first Oscar for playing young Vito Corleone in "The Godfather Part II." Though the exact number wasn't made public, he probably made around $35,000 for that role since he was still pretty new to the big leagues.
Here's where it gets interesting. For "Taxi Driver" (1976), De Niro took a massive pay cut—slashing his salary by over 90% to just $35,000—as a favor to his buddy Martin Scorsese. But that move paid off big time. By 1978, he scored his first million-dollar paycheck for "The Deer Hunter," and after that, he never made less than $500,000 per film.
Through the '80s and '90s, robert de niro net worth kept climbing as he became a household name. Take the Meet the Parents trilogy, for example—where he wasn't just acting but also producing. Those three movies pulled in over a billion dollars worldwide. By the early 2000s, De Niro was raking in as much as $14 million per film.
Robert De Niro Net Worth Hits Its Peak: The Restaurant Game-Changer
Sure, De Niro's acting career has been legendary, but here's the real kicker: a huge chunk of his money comes from co-founding Nobu, those fancy sushi restaurants and hotels, with chef Nobu Matsuhisa back in the 1990s after he ate at the chef's place and fell in love with the food. Today, there are over 40 Nobu spots around the world, and the whole operation brings in several hundred million dollars every year.
Get this—court documents from his divorce with Grace Hightower revealed that Robert De Niro made somewhere between $250-300 million just from 2004 to 2018 from movie paychecks and business profits. His wealth nearly doubled in six years, jumping from $250-300 million in 2018 to his current $500 million.
What Robert De Niro's Making Now
As of 2025, Robert De Niro's sitting pretty with a net worth of $500 million, most of it from his incredible film career where he pulls in anywhere from $10 million to $20 million per major movie. At 81 years old, the guy's still going strong—he just starred in his first-ever TV series "Zero Day" on Netflix, playing the U.S. President.
Beyond Nobu, De Niro also co-owns The Greenwich Hotel in New York, and he's still making solid money from his ongoing film work. His work ethic hasn't slowed down one bit, with several projects in the pipeline that'll keep adding to robert de niro net worth for years to come.
De Niro's Success Blueprint: What He Learned About Making It Big
Over the years, De Niro's dropped some real wisdom about what it takes to succeed:
1. Chase What You Love, Not What Looks Good
De Niro's main advice to people starting out is simple: focus on getting good at your craft, not on getting famous. "Don't expect to be famous. You have to love what you do and have fun doing it."
2. Don't Overthink It—Just Be Real
His whole approach to acting is about keeping things real: "Be in the moment. Period. Just be there. Because if you get all like, 'Oh, I got to do this big thing', it just never works." He breaks it down even simpler: "You don't have to do anything. Nothing!"
3. Go With Your Gut
De Niro's big on trusting yourself: "I always tell actors when they go in for an audition: Don't be afraid to do what your instincts tell you. You may not get the part, but people will take notice." He believes "the talent is in the choices" you make.
4. Rejection's Part of the Game
De Niro keeps it real about failure: "I didn't have a problem with rejection, because when you go into an audition, you're rejected already. There are hundreds of other actors. You're behind the eight ball when you go in there."
5. Keep Pushing Forward
His famous line says it all: "You'll have time to rest when you're dead," and "Time goes on. So whatever you're going to do, do it. Do it now. Don't wait."
6. Never Stop Growing
De Niro's final piece of advice ties it all together: "Stay curious, stay dedicated, and never stop learning. Success comes when you're willing to put in the work—and when you truly believe in what you do."
The story behind robert de niro net worth isn't just about the money—it's about staying committed, making smart moves, and never settling for good enough over six decades in the business.
Eseandre Mordi
