Cannes (Paris) [France], May 14: Veteran actor Robert De Niro was awarded the prestigious honorary Palme d’Or for Lifetime Achievement at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 during the opening ceremony on Tuesday evening (midnight IST).
The accolade was presented by long-time collaborator and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, according to Deadline. De Niro received a standing ovation from the audience, including jury members, as he took the stage to accept the award. The moment was described as both emotional and historic, with tributes pouring in for the cinematic icon.
De Niro, a two-time Academy Award winner, won Best Supporting Actor for playing young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II (1974) and Best Actor for Raging Bull (1980), directed by Martin Scorsese. He has also received Oscar nominations for iconic roles in Taxi Driver (1976), The Deer Hunter (1978), Awakenings (1990), Cape Fear (1991), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).
De Niro and DiCaprio first appeared together in the 1993 film This Boy’s Life and were recently seen together in Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which was part of the Cannes official selection in 2023.
Speaking about the honour, De Niro had earlier expressed his affection for the festival:
“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,” he said, as quoted by Variety.
The Cannes Film Festival described De Niro as a cinematic legend, stating:
“There are faces that stand in for the seventh Art, and lines of dialogue that leave an indelible mark on cinephilia. With his interiorized style, which surfaces in a gentle smile or a harsh gaze, Robert De Niro has become a cinematic legend.”
The tribute underscores De Niro’s lasting influence on global cinema and his profound impact as both an actor and a storyteller.