Robert De Niro to Receive SAG Life Achievement Award

Robert De Niro will be honored with a SAG life achievement award.

The legendary actor, who currently stars in Netflix’s “The Irishman” and Warner Bros.’ “Joker,” will receive the performers’ union’s top accolade at the 26th annual SAG Awards on Jan. 19 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

The award is given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession.”

“Robert De Niro is an actor of extraordinary depth and ability,” said SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris. “The characters he creates captivate our imaginations. From the smoldering inferno of young Vito Corleone to the raging bull Jake Lamotta and everybody’s grandpa Ben Whittaker, he continues to touch our hearts and open our minds to new and exciting worlds of understanding and emotion. It is my great privilege to announce that SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor will be presented to one of the most singular talents of our generation, Robert De Niro.”

De Niro won Academy Awards for “The Godfather Part II” and “Raging Bull.” He was nominated for “Taxi Driver,” “The Deer Hunter,” “Awakenings,” “Cape Fear” and “Silver Linings Playbook.”

De Niro won a SAG Award as a cast member of “American Hustle” and received SAG Award nominations for “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Marvin’s Room.” He broke out in 1973 with “Bang the Drum Slowly” and “Mean Streets,” the first of nine collaborations with director Martin Scorsese. Those collaborations have included “Goodfellas,” “Cape Fear,” “Casino” and “The Irishman.”

De Niro received Emmy nominations for starring in and producing “Wizard of Lies” and for executive producing “When They See Us.”

In 1989, he and Jane Rosenthal founded the Tribeca Film Center, the first commercial space in Tribeca dedicated to housing film, television, and entertainment companies. After the attacks of 9/11, De Niro and Rosenthal co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival as a way to breathe new life into their neighborhood and spur economic development.

De Niro said, “I have been a member of this union for over 50 years. It’s an honor to receive this award from SAG-AFTRA.”