Robert De Niro has solidified an indelible legacy with his marvelous acting career in the filmmaking world. With a career spanning six decades, he has been a part of remarkable projects like Mean Streets, The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, Silver Linings Playbook, and Killers of the Flower Moon. Given his portfolio screams perfection in every manner, many would be naturally interested in his personal life.
Though he put great efforts into adapting a character in himself before portraying it on-screen, when it comes to tipping habits, it surely is another story.
Robert De Niro’s Tipping Habits Earned Him His Worst Nickname!
Robert De Niro became an A-lister due to his remarkable contribution to the film and television industry. With a reputed celebrity like him, many are bound to love and support him. As he’s known for different things, one might be shocked to know that he earned a weird nickname from limousine drivers due to his horrible tipping habits.
As per IMDB, limousine drivers in Los Angeles referred to him as “No Dinero” suggesting his infamous reputation for tipping poorly. For the unversed, The phrase, “No Dinero” in Spanish translates to no money in English. Though he couldn’t get in the limousine drivers’ good books, he managed to secure a taxi driver’s license during his preparation to work in Taxi Driver (1976).
Taxi Driver is a cinematic spectacle with De Niro playing the lead role of Travis Bickle, a Vietnam War veteran turned cab driver in New York City. While he’s known for going the extra mile for his role, he decided to take on the cab driver’s job for real to understand his character better. He even got a real cab driver’s license in preparation for his 1976 movie role.
You talkin’ to me? Anyone recall getting picked up by Robert De Niro while he researched his famous role in '76? #tbt pic.twitter.com/kn9szc4Yb3
— NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (@nyctaxi) May 22, 2014
The Taxi and Limousine Commission released a copy of his license on Twitter (now X) in 2014. The license expired on May 31, 1976 (four months after the film’s release), featuring young De Niro’s picture, who was 32 at the time. He reportedly worked 12-hour shifts for a month at a New York cab firm to prepare for his role.
He would even pick up and drop off passengers when he had free time while shooting around New York City. His dedication eventually paid off as the actor earned an Oscar nod in the Best Actor category.
Robert De Niro Has Another Interesting Nickname!
Other than his “No Dinero” name, he has a few other interesting nicknames, including Bobby Milk. As per Vanity Fair, he earned that nickname from his gang members when he was young. After his parents’ separation when he was 2, he was raised by his mother in the Greenwich Village and Little Italy neighborhoods of Manhattan.
During his stay in Little Italy, he befriended a street gang on Kenmare who gave him that nickname “because he was pale and strange as milk.” While he never went on to live a gangster’s life off-screen, he did enjoy prominence and recognition through his dark roles on-screen.
His work in crime movies gave a significant boost to his acting career, with him bagging his first Oscar in The Godfather Part II. His frequent collaborations with Martin Scorsese led him to give a further lift in dark roles with projects like Casino, The Irishman, and Goodfellas.
