Untouchable: A Biography of Robert De Niro

This was the second Biography of De Niro, I had read. It was very very interesting. Lots of nice facts about him growing up, getting started in films, He seems like a very kind generous, and caring person. Private, but whats wrong with that?

This biography was a struggle to read. I didn't learn anything new about one of our finest actors and I found the author's clumsy attempt to report "dirt" on De Niro's personal life kind of annoying. Also, the author draws many unsupported conclusions about De Niro's drive and his amibition. For instance, many times in separate places the author likes to point out that much of De Niro's behavior must be due to circumstances related to his childhood. Without ever having spoken to De Niro it is clear that such a conclusion is unfounded. The author also seems to be stretching to find a reason for De Niro's acting abilities and his tremendous success. Why does there have to be a reason? Maybe the man is just a great actor who is blessed because he enjoys doing it. His willingness to throw himself into every role doesn't have to be because of some kind of character flaw or the fact that he is from a broken home. This book is not worth the time it took to read it. Do something better with your time like renting Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Midnight Run, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Analyze This,(and the sequel: Analyze That)or Casino. It's much better to be entertained by De Niro's body of work than to read some garbage accusing the actor of being motivated because he has Daddy Issues.

Being a De Niro fan, it's great to get my hands on anything to read about this interview-shy actor. This was a good bio. I learned many new and interesting things.

Amazing! I love it!

Loved it

poorly written ....rambling........waste of money

Like many of the other efforts to render a biography of Robert De Niro, this book makes a valiant attempt but ultimately falls short of the mark. Unlike other biographies, (and despite several glaring inaccuracies which could have been easily remedied by a careful review on the part of the publisher and or researchers), the attempt seems at least to be an honest one. The author, English as he his, constructs as broad an image of this particular celebrity actor as would seem possible given his well-known, almost obsessive protection of his privacy. We learn of the broken marriage of his parents, his NY upbringing and his powerful motivation to express himself theatrically and the intensity of his focus and ambition as an actor.This book will likely serve as a strong inspiration for actors who hope to emulate Robert De Niro's method of acting and certainly an abundance of tips and motivations are expressed through countless interviews, circumstances and situations. This is where the book succeeds. It gives an account of the relentlessness in De Niro's pursuit of excellence, balanced with those areas where it is suggested he skated through his roles either by necessity or for the money. The book fails, (for this reader) by attempting to speculate on Robert De Niro's psychology. It's simply over-done in this biography and ultimately unfair. The author draws conclusions based on De Niro's family structure and upbringing that are based on hugely external observations. As there is not one direct interview or account by anyone to support the facts in this book, it is vastly inappropriate to draw the conclusions that the author does about his subject's motivations.But as indicated earlier, the attempt seems at least an honest one. As the author sets out to write a biography about an impossible subject, he's almost doomed from the start. Still, it's an interesting read if you take the personal subject matter with a massive grain of salt. You learn a bit more about Robert De Niro's film career than you did before, you get a better sense of his goals and motivations but you wind up feeling like you've dug through his dirty clothes hamper a little more than you would've liked to.

Robert DeNiro is, without a doubt, one of the most engrossing actors ever.When I noticed that there was a new biography out by Dougan, I was immediately interested in reading it. However, the book has many faults: inconsistent reference to "Robert DeNiro Snr, Robert DeNiro, Robert DeNiro Jnr, Bobby DeNiro" -- to such an extent that the reader at points has to guess to whom the name is referenced! Secondly, the book refers to a painting by Virginia Admiral as having sold for $100, but in the picture caption after page 152 lists $1000 as the selling price. This is just what a reader does NOT need in a biography. When some details are obviously in disagreement, I become much more dubious about any other fact that I don't already know. Defeating, since one usually chooses to buy a biography to learn new things about the subject.Also, while there are 16 pages of pictures, probably 75% of them are from the British Film Institute -- very common acting pictures. There are no pictures of DeNiro's mother/father/children, and only one picture of each wife. Disappointing.For a reader who knows relatively little about Robert DeNiro and can overlook the minor inconsistencies, this book will suffice. However, if you are as discerning with the quality of the literature you read as the actors you choose to follow from the theatre, skip this one.

This was bought as a present so i cannot comment myself on how good the book is, however the recipient of the book has said it is a hal decent book so i count this as a successful present.

Good

Great deal, prompt delivery