"Ronin is a movie where things are not what they appear to be. The whole film is about not knowing what Sam really is, because what he seems to be is not what he really is. A lot of things are left unsaid in the film." - John Frankenheimer
"The story of Ronin unfolds within a somewhat disenchanted atmosphere and dark, subtle undercurrents. One is never certain where Sam comes from or what his real motives are."
ROBERT DE NIRO (Sam) launched his prolific motion picture career in Brian De Palma's The Wedding Party in 1969. By 1973, De Niro had twice won the New York Film Critics' Award for Best Supporting Actor in recognition of his critically acclaimed performances in Bang the Drum Slowly and Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets.
In 1974, De Niro received the Academy Award
for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the young
Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Part
II. In 1980, he won his second Oscar, this time as Best Actor,
for his extraordinary portrayal of Jake La Motta in Scorsese's
Raging Bull.
De Niro has earned Academy Award nominations for his work in four additional films: Scorsese's Taxi Driver, Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter, Penny Marshall's Awakenings and Scorsese's remake of Cape Fear. De Niro's distinguished body of work also includes performances in The Last Tycoon, 1900, True Confessions, Falling in Love, Once Upon a Time in America, Brazil, The Mission, The Untouchables, Angel Heart, Midnight Run, Jackknife, Stanley and Iris, We're No Angels, Backdraft, This Boy's Life, Mad Dog and Glory, A Bronx Tale, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Heat, Sleepers, The Fan, Marvin's Room, Copland and four more films directed by Martin Scorsese: The King of Comedy, New York, New York, GoodFellas and Casino.
De Niro's most recent film credits include Alfonso Cuaron's Great Expectations, Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog and Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. He recently completed Warmer Bros.' Analyze This, for director Harold Ramis.
De Niro opened his own production company, Tribeca Productions, with his partner Jane Rosenthal in 1988. Through Tribeca (which is housed in his Tribeca Film Center, a downtown film facility in Manhattan, which he founded simultaneously), he develops a wide variety of projects on which in serves in a combination of capacities, including producer, director and actor.
De Niro made his feature film directorial debut in 1993 with A Bronx Tale. Other Tribeca features include Thunderheart, Cape Fear, Mistress, Night and the City, The Night We Never Met, Faithful, Panther, Marvin's Room, Wag the Dog and the upcoming movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical "Rent."
Tribeca Television was launched in 1992 with the critically acclaimed series "Tribeca," on which De Niro served as executive producer. Most recently, Tribeca produced a miniseries based on the life of mobster Sammy The Bull Gravano, which aired in 1998, earning impressive ratings as well as critical praise.
De Niro, who has produced films through his Tribeca Productions in addition to his extensive experience as an actor, says: "I found this crew to be one of the best I ever worked with. There was a good feeling, a great harmony on the set."
Links to other cast members: