Who would’ve thought that the pale little boy with the childhood nickname “Bobby Milk” would one day become the very symbol of mafia toughness on screen? Life works in mysterious ways, and young Robert De Niro’s photos are like a true time machine—back when the future Hollywood legend had no idea he’d one day ruin his own teeth for the sake of art.
At just 10 years old, little Robert made his stage debut… as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. The irony, right? The boy who played the weakest character in the story would later embody some of the most brutal roles in cinema.
As a teenager, De Niro was so shy and withdrawn that he decided to become an actor in order to… overcome his shyness. Just think about that logic! Most people would avoid the spotlight, but he ran straight into drama school.
And here’s one of the funniest stories from his early years (though by then he was no longer a teenager): for his role in Cape Fear, De Niro paid a dentist $5,000 to ruin his teeth—sharpening, deforming, and making them truly terrifying.
📸 Young Robert De Niro in rare photos
Do you like the photos?
