An American acting icon will get his due at Cannes next month. The Festival de Cannes has revealed that Robert De Niro will receive an honorary Palme d’or for lifetime achievement at the opening ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival. This will occur 14 years after he presided over the festival Jury in 2011.
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The recognition will occur during the festival’s opening ceremony on Tuesday, May 13th. The following day, on Wednesday, May 14, De Niro will take part in a masterclass reflecting on his career on the stage of the Debussy Theatre. A second honorary Palme is expected to be handed out at the festival’s closing ceremony on May 24.
Recent recipients of the honorary Palme d’Or include George Lucas, Studio Ghibli, Meryl Streep, Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Tom Cruise, Forest Whitaker, and Jodie Foster.
In a statement from the festival, De Niro remarked, “I have such close feelings for Festival de Cannes. Especially now when there’s so much in the world pulling us apart, Cannes brings us together — storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends. It’s like coming home.”
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De Niro’s performances began unfurling at Cannes in 1976 when both Bernardo Bertolucci’s “1900” and Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” screened at the festival. The latter won the Palme d’Or that year. Other De Niro films to screen at Cannes include Scorsese’s “The King of Comedy,” Sergio Leone’s last film, “Once Upon A Time In America,” Roland Joffé’s “The Mission” (which also won the Palme that year), and, most recently, “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
De Niro is a two-time Oscar winner for his roles in “The Godfather, Part II” and “Raging Bull.” He’s been nominated seven other times for his work in “The Deer Hunter,” “Awakenings,” “Cape Fear,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” and the aforementioned “Killers.” He also earned a Best Picture nomination as a producer of “The Irishman.”
A founder of the Tribeca Film Festival, De Niro has also directed the films “A Bronx Tale” and “The Good Shepherd.” Other roles on De Niro’s incredible cinematic resume include “Mean Streets,” “Brazil,” “Angel Heart,” “The Untouchables,” “Midnight Run,” “Goodfellas,” “Casino,” “Heat,” “Jackie Brown,” “Ronin,” “Meet the Parents,” “Analyze This,” “Stardust,” and “Joker.” He recently starred in “The Alto Knights” for Barry Levinson and the hit limited series “Zero Day” for Netflix.
The lineup for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival will be announced early Thursday morning.
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