Oscar predictions: Robert De Niro will extend his Best Picture record with ‘Killers of the Flower Moon

Jacob Sarkisian
·3 min read
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Robert De Niro is a legendary actor, starring in a string of iconic movies and winning two Academy Awards along the way. He picked up his first Oscar way back in 1975 for Best Supporting Actor before adding a Best Actor trophy to his cabinet in 1981 for “Raging Bull.” Two Academy Awards is impressive, but it isn’t a record haul (Katherine Hepburn has four for acting).

However, De Niro does hold the record for most featured appearances in Best Picture nominees — with 11 to date. That stat places him ahead of the likes of Cate Blanchett, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jack Nicholson, who have all appeared in 10 Best Picture nominees. Here’s De Niro’s breakdown:

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  • “The Godfather Part II” in 1975 — WON

  • “Taxi Driver” in 1977 — Nominated, lost to “Rocky.”

  • “The Deer Hunter” in 1979 — WON

  • “Raging Bull” in 1981 — Nominated, lost to “Ordinary People.”

  • “The Mission” in 1987 — Nominated, lost to “Platoon.”

  • “Goodfellas” in 1991 — Nominated, lost to “Dances With Wolves.”

  • “Awakenings” in 1991 — Nominated, lost to “Dances With Wolves.”

  • “Silver Linings Playbook” in 2013 — Nominated, lost to “Argo.”

  • “American Hustle” in 2014 — Nominated, lost to “12 Years a Slave.”

  • “Joker” in 2020 — Nominated, lost to “Parasitite.”

  • “The Irishman” in 2020 — Nominated, lost to “Parasite.”

Surprisingly, he’s only been in two Best Picture winners — “The Godfather Part II” and “The Deer Hunter.” However, the majority of those also-rans are still stone-cold classics (“Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” and “Goodfellas,” in particular).

Anyhow, back to De Niro. Of those 11 Best Picture nominees, four of them were directed by his longtime pal Martin Scorsese — “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas,” and “The Irishman.” Scorsese also produced “Joker.” De Niro could well extend his record with “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which is also directed by Scorsese.

The film follows the real-life murders of Osage tribe members in the USA in the 1920s, which triggered an FBI investigation involving J. Edgard Hoover. We expect “Killers of the Flower Moon” to be a major awards player this season and the film currently sits in second place in our Oscars odds chart for Best Picture, behind only “Oppenheimer.” It is ahead of other predicted nominees “Barbie,” “Past Lives,” “The Color Purple,” “Maestro,” “The Holdovers,” “Poor Things,” “The Zone of Interest,” and “Anatomy of a Fall.”

We also expect “Killers of the Flower Moon” to be nominated in at least five other categories: Best Director for Scorsese, Best Actor for DiCaprio, Best Adapted Screenplay for Scorsese and Eric Roth, Best Supporting Actress for Lily Gladstone, and Best Supporting Actor for Mr. De Niro himself. It could be a very good year for the veteran actor.

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