Robert De Niro, who played the role of Vito Corleone in 'Godfather II', which many loved and still love, is turning 68 years old today, i.e. 17th August, 2011.

De Niro started young, aged 20, as an actor in the movie The Wedding Party; but that was not his first stint with acting. His fate was decided, his path chosen, when he debuted on stage playing the cowardly lion in his school's production of 'The Wizard of Oz'. He realised his passion for movies and dropped out of school at 16, to pursue acting through Stella Adler Conservatory as well as the Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio. He tasted success with his entry itself. His successful association with Martin Scorsese, helped the duo give many hits.

Very few actors are as versatile and as dedicated as De Niro. He learned how to box for his role in the movie 'Raging Bull', he lived in Sicily for the 'Godfather II', worked as a cab driver for 'Taxi Driver' and learned to play saxophone for 'New york, New York'.

He received a lot of appreciation due to his passion and dedication for cinema. Along with winning the Academy Award for Best Actor, he was also nominated several times for the award, for BAFTA and for the Golden Globe Award. He presided the jury for the 64th Cannes Film Festival.

De Niro is a man with many talents. He is not only an actor but also has ventured into direction. He has co-founded the TribeCa Productions, a film studio, TriBeCa Film Festival, Nobu and TriBeCa Grill.

This man's life has not been a smooth one though. He married twice, got entangled in a legal matter related to prostitution and was detected with prostate cancer in 2003, although he went on to make full recovery later.

All these setbacks have not stopped this man from continuing with his passion. Fridaymoviez wishes that he continue his journey as successfully as he has till date and a very Happy Birthday to him.