Background

Ethnicity: Martin Scorsese's parents, Catherine (Cappa) and Luciano Charles Scorsese, were both of Sicilian descent.

Martin Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942, in New York City, New York, the United States, to Catherine Scorsese (née Cappa) and Charles Scorsese, who both worked in Manhattan's garment district, and whose families both came from Palermo, Sicily. He was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which later provided the inspiration for several of his films.

Scorsese had asthma as a child, and he often spent time alone unable to participate in neighborhood activities. He was fascinated with movies and watched films on television, and his father took him to local theaters frequently while his healthier peers engaged in sports and more social activities. Scorsese was able to find in movies the thrills and excitement that did not exist for him in reality. At a young age, he became an expert on the Hollywood movies of the 1940s and 1950s.

Scorsese was recognized as an Italian citizen by jus sanguinis in 2018.

Education

Originally, Scorsese wanted to become a priest. He attended a Catholic grade school and entered a junior seminary but left after one year. While he was attending Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, he decided that his real passion was cinema.

Although his parents "didn't get" his mania for movies, Scorsese felt he was headed in the right direction when a 10-minute comedy short earned him a $500 scholarship to New York University. In 1964 he received a bachelor's degree in English. He went on to earn his Master of Fine Arts in 1966.

His student films showed a wide range of influences, from foreign classics to Hollywood musicals. Among them were shorts such as What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place like This? (1963) and It’s Not Just You, Murray! (1964). Scorsese's It's Not Just You Murray! won the Producer's Guild Award for best student film in 1964. He also received awards for other short films that he made as an undergraduate.

Career

After graduating, Scorsese remained at New York University as an instructor in basic film technique and criticism while beginning his career as a director. His first feature film, Who's That Knocking at My Door, was shown in 1969. It introduced the actor Harvey Keitel, whom he would go on to cast in many future projects, as well as Thelma Schoonmaker, an editor with whom he would collaborate for more than 50 years.

Outraged by the killing of four Kent State Student protesters and the Vietnam War in general, Scorsese and some of his students formed the New York Cinetracts Collective in 1969 as a means to film student protests against the conflict. The result was Street Scenes, screened at the 1970 New York Film Festival, which called for a withdrawal of United States troops from Vietnam as well as an end to military ROTC activities on all American college campuses.

Scorsese worked as a film editor before his directing career was established, most notably as a co-supervising editor of the documentary Woodstock in 1970. (Many years later his interest in music would lead him to direct a music video for pop legend Michael Jackson's "Bad.") He also had a brief stint with the CBS television unit covering Hubert Humphrey during the 1972 presidential election. In the early 1970s, he moved to Hollywood and met the producer/ director Roger Corman, who asked him to direct a sequel to his Bloody Mama. Instead, Scorsese directed Corman's Boxcar Bertha, a 1972 gangster film somewhat resembling Bonnie and Clyde.

In 1973, Scorsese directed Mean Streets, his first film to be widely acknowledged as a masterpiece. Revisiting characters from Who's That Knocking at My Door?, the film showcased elements that have since become trademarks of Scorsese's filmmaking: dark themes, unsympathetic lead characters, religion, the Mafia, unusual camera techniques, and contemporary music. Directing Mean Streets also introduced Scorsese to Robert De Niro, sparking one of the most dynamic filmmaking partnerships in Hollywood history.

Over the course of the 1970s and 1980s, Scorsese directed hard-hitting films that helped define a generation of cinema. His gritty 1976 masterpiece, Taxi Driver, won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and fixed De Niro's status as a movie legend. Apparently, it also inspired an unstable John Hinckley to attempt to assassinate President Ronald Reagan five years later. "I never thought in a million years there was a connection with the film," Scorsese later recalled. "It turned out even my limo driver was FBI."

Scorsese and De Niro struck gold together once more in their 1980 picture Raging Bull, based on the life of troubled boxer Jake LaMotta. Expecting it to be his last feature film, Scorsese decided to "pull out all the stops and then find a new career." Although initial reactions were mixed due to the picture's violent nature, Raging Bull is now widely considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.

Abandoning thoughts of leaving the industry, Scorsese continued to make films through the 1980s, directing his first huge box-office success, The Color of Money, in 1986.

The 1990s saw the release of two of Scorsese's most important Mafia movies: GoodFellas, a 1990 film based on the life of former gangster Henry Hill, and Casino, a 1995 film about the rise and fall of the gambling underworld during the 1970s. Although he joked that he should make "another film about Italian Americans where they're not gangsters," Scorsese also said he believes that "there is no such thing as pointless violence" on-screen. "Deep down you want to think that people are really good - but the reality outweighs that."

In an American Express print ad, Scorsese once revealed that his "wildest dream" was to write music. While he seems unlikely to become a rock star or conduct an orchestra, he did use his filmmaking talents to make his mark on the music industry. In 1978, Scorsese made an acclaimed documentary called The Last Waltz, showcasing the farewell performance of The Band, with guest performances by Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, and Muddy Waters. In addition to being hailed as one of the greatest concert movies of all time, The Last Waltz was then spoofed in Rob Reiner's landmark 1984 mockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap.

Since the turn of the millennium, Scorsese has renewed his on-screen exploration of his musical passions. In 2003, he completed an ambitious, seven-part documentary series called The Blues; the accompanying box set won two Grammys. Two years later, his Bob Dylan documentary, No Direction Home, aired on PBS as part of the American Masters series. Using archive footage from a 2006 concert, Scorsese then directed a Rolling Stones documentary in 2008 called Shine a Light.

The past two decades have also brought a renewed vigor for Scorsese's feature-film offerings. Leonardo DiCaprio became Scorsese's go-to actor for lead roles, starring in Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006) - which won Scorsese his first Best Director Oscar - and Shutter Island (2010).

Many have drawn parallels between the pair's film dynamic and the one Scorsese once had with De Niro - and audiences aren't the only ones who are grateful. "He saved me," DiCaprio said. "I was headed down a path of being one kind of actor, and he helped me become another one. The one I wanted to be." Scorsese worked with DiCaprio once again in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), which gained the iconic director another Oscar nomination.

In 2011, Scorsese released his first film shot in 3D, the fantasy adventure epic Hugo. Although not a huge box-office hit, the beautifully rendered feature wowed critics, garnering 11 Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe for Best Director. He followed with the acclaimed historical drama Silence (2016).

In 2019, Scorsese rekindled his screen partnership with De Niro - along with other old collaborators like Keitel and Joe Pesci - for the Netflix feature The Irishman, based on the confession of the alleged murder of union boss Jimmy Hoffa by hitman Frank Sheeran. The project reportedly torpedoed Netflix's budget with production costs of over $150 million, due in part to the expensive special effects used to de-age many of its actors, although the final product was widely praised.

Achievements

• 

  Martin Scorsese is a director and writer of highly personal films. While many of his works reflect his experience as an Italian American growing up in New York City, he has also made highly regarded movies of great works of literature.
  
  On October 9, 1996, the American Film Institute announced that Scorsese would be awarded its 1997 Life Achievement Award, which he accepted on February 21, 1997. In addition, he received the prestigious Wexner Prize in March 1997, for originality in the arts.
  
  He is also a recipient of an Academy Award, a Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival Best Director Award, Silver Lion, Grammy Award, Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Directors Guild of America Awards.
  
  He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 28, 2003. Scorsese was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Oxford on June 20, 2018.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Taxi Driver

    (Paul Schrader's gritty screenplay depicts the ever-deepen...)

    1976
  • Gangs Of New York

    (Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, and Daniel Day-Lewis sta...)

    2002
  • The Last Temptation of Christ

    (The carpenter Jesus of Nazareth, tormented by the temptat...)

    1988
  • Cape Fear

    (Martin Scorsese brings heart-pounding suspense to this th...)

    1991
  • The King of Comedy

    (Oscar-winner Robert De Niro stars in Martin Scorsese's da...)

    1982
  • Who's That Knocking at My Door?

    (American legend Martin Scorsese made his feature director...)

    1967
  • Casino

    (Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci star in direct...)

    1995
  • The Departed

    (Martin Scorsese's crime drama "The Departed" is set in So...)

    2006
  • After Hours

    (Heading a star-studded cast, Griffin Dunne ("My Girl, " "...)

    1985
  • Raging Bull

    (Robert De Niro won a Best Actor Oscar in this acclaimed m...)

    1980
  • Silence

    (Martin Scorsese's Silence tells the story of two missiona...)

    2016
  • Boxcar Bertha

    (An orphaned farm girl (Barbara Hershey finds romance and ...)

    1972
  • GoodFellas

    (Based on the bestselling biography, Henry Hill is a small...)

    1990
  • The Aviator

    (An epic biopic depicting the early years of legendary dir...)

    2004
  • Hugo

    (Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a...)

    2011
  • The Age Of Innocence

    (Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer star in a ravishin...)

    1993
  • Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

    (A recently widowed woman on the road with her precocious ...)

    1974
  • Bringing Out the Dead

    (Nicolas Cage stars as Frank Pierce, a paramedic on the br...)

    1999
  • Mean Streets

    (Robert De Niro stars in Martin Scorsese's drama of young ...)

    1973
  • A Letter To Elia

    (Academy Award Winner Martin Scorsese's tribute to the fil...)

    2010
  • The Last Waltz

    (On Thanksgiving Day, 1976, The Band gave its farewell con...)

    1978
  • No Direction Home: Bob Dylan

    (He is one of the most influential, inspiration and ground...)

    2005
  • The Color of Money

    (A pool shark's greed gets him into trouble when he loses ...)

    1986
  • Shutter Island

    (When U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels arrives at the asylum for...)

    2010
  • The Wolf Of Wall Street

    (Sex. Money. Power. Drugs. Brace yourself for an outrageou...)

    2013

• mvie

  • George Harrison - Living In The Material World

    (Directed by Martin Scorsese, George Harrison - Living in ...)

    2011

Religion

Scorsese was raised a devout Catholic and even entertained the idea of entering the priesthood before deciding to pursue filmmaking instead. He also commented: "I'm a lapsed Catholic. But I am Roman Catholic; there's no way out of it."

Politics

Martin Scorsese has compared United States President-elect Donald Trump to Gangs Of New York character Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting - a violent hatchet-wielding gang leader.

Martin Scorsese donated to Obama's campaign in 2008 and 2012 and has donated to other Democratic campaigns as well.

Views

In 2009, Scorsese signed a petition in support of director Roman Polanski, calling for his release from custody after he was detained in relation to his 1977 sexual abuse charges.

Quotations: "I'm not a Hollywood director. I'm an in-spite-of-Hollywood director."

"A painting can't turn. If you look closely at some of the portraits from cubism at the time, you'll find a portrait of a woman that is really a projector."

"My whole life has been movies and religion. That's it. Nothing else."

"You can hardly say anything about minorities now. It has made it extremely difficult to open your mouth."

Personality

Scorsese has long had a reputation for defending the practice of shooting movies on film rather than digital. Eventually, however, Scorsese would concede that the battle against technological progress was “impossible to fight” and has switched to digital for his more recent films.

Being such a famous and successful filmmaker naturally resulted in Scorsese being offered the chance to direct several films which he would turn down for various reasons. One such film was the gangster flick Clockers, for which he would instead suggest his former student Spike Lee to direct (Scorsese would remain attached to the project as a producer). When Francis Ford Coppola was reluctant to direct The Godfather: Part II, he suggested that Scorsese take the directing job instead, but Paramount Pictures remained firm on getting Coppola back.

Scorsese was once asked by Sight & Sound to name the ten films which he considered to be the best ever made. Scorsese was unable to pick just ten, choosing twelve instead. His choices were Vertigo, Paisa, The Red Shoes, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Citizen Kane, 8 ½, The Leopard, The River, Ugetsu, The Searchers, and Salvatore Giuliano.

One peculiar eccentricity that Scorsese has is a fear of the number 11. As a result, Scorsese allegedly avoids staying in hotel rooms numbered 11.

Scorsese has long been a fan of British film company Hammer’s horror movies, which they would produce for cheap and in great numbers. These films often starred renowned thespian Christopher Lee, and Scorsese would eventually befriend Lee. Despite that, however, it wasn’t until Scorsese’s 2011 film Hugo that he cast Lee in one of his films. When Scorsese approached Lee about making the film, Lee reportedly declared “It’s about time!”

Interests

• history

• Politicians

  Barack Obama

• Writers

  Silence by Shūsaku Endō

• Artists

  Michael Powell

• Sport & Clubs

  boxing

• Music & Bands

  The Rolling Stones, The Ronettes, Eric Clapton

Connections

Scorsese has been married five times. His first wife was Laraine Marie Brennan. Together they had one daughter Catherine. His second wife was Julia Cameron, a famous American playwright and novelist. During this short-lived marriage, Cameron gave birth to their daughter, Domenica Cameron-Scorsese.

For three years Scorsese was married to Isabella Rossellini, a highly acclaimed Italian actress. He then married producer Barbara De Fina in 1985; their marriage ended in divorce in 1991, as well.

In 1999, Scorsese married his fifth wife, Helen Schermerhorn Morris, who gave birth to their daughter, Francesca.

Father:

Charles Scorsese

Charles was an actor, but he only found place on the big screen when his youngest son Martin became a famous director. Scorsese appeared in Martin’s several films including Taxi Driver (1976), and Cape Fear (1991).

Mother:

Catherine Scorsese

Catherine worked as a machinist when she was young because she grew up in a big and poor family of eight children. She also became an actress once Martin started making movies of his own. She appeared in the following of her son’s films: Mean Streets (1973), Casino (1995), and a few others.

She also published a cookbook of Scorsese family recipes, which focuses on the fusion of American and Italian cuisine.

Spouse:

Helen Schermerhorn Morris

Helen is officially Martin Scorsese’s longest relationship. The TV producer was able to tame the famous director and build a strong family with him. Helen and Martin got married in 1999 and had their daughter Francesca that same year.

Brother:

Frank Scorsese

ex-wife:

Laraine Marie Brennan

ex-spouse:

Julia Cameron

Julia is a famous American playwright and novelist. She used to write for such renowned publications as The Washington Post and Rolling Stone magazine. Over the course of her career, she has written over thirty novels, three musicals, three plays, and four poetry books.

Julia and Martin met during the director’s interview for Rolling Stone, where Cameron used to work in the 1970s. They quickly got married but divorced just as fast. They have a daughter Domenica.

ex-wife:

Isabella Rossellini

Isabella is a highly acclaimed Italian actress. Her mother was a Hollywood actress Ingrid Bergman, known for playing the lead female role in Casablanca (1942). Rossellini is best known for her roles in Blue Velvet (1986), Death Becomes Her (1992), and Joy (2015).

Martin and Isabella divorced only three years after getting married. They had no children together. After Scorsese, Rossellini had only one more marriage, which also didn’t work out.

ex-wife:

Barbara De Fina

Barbara is a successful producer and closely worked with Scorsese on several films. They met during the production of his movie The Color of Money (1986). Barbara is also responsible for much of Scorsese’s famous films as The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and GoodFellas (1990). They continued to work together even after their divorce.

Barbara and Martin share no children together.

Daughter:

Catherine Scorsese

Catherine, often referred to as Cathy, is Scorsese’s first child. She appeared in three of his films when she was younger and is currently working in the art department tending to many of Martin’s most famous movies.

Daughter:

Domenica Cameron-Scorsese

Domenica is Martin’s second daughter she also used her father’s fame to her advantage and even managed to star in several of his movies, including Cape Fear (1989) and The Age of Innocence (1993). Over the years, she has graduated to directing and had her debut feature-film Almost Paris shown at a 2017 international film festival.

Daughter:

Francesca Scorsese

Just like the rest of her half-sisters, Francesca is an aspiring actress. Her debut was in Martin’s film Hugo (2011), and she also closely worked with Scorsese’s oldest daughter Catherine on her directorial debut Almost Paris.

colleague:

Willem Dafoe

colleague:

Jessica Lange

colleague:

Winona Ryder

colleague:

Sharon Stone

colleague:

Nicolas Cage

colleague:

Leonardo DiCaprio

colleague:

Alec Baldwin

colleague:

Vera Farmiga

colleague:

Mark Ruffalo

colleague:

Michelle Williams

colleague:

Adam Driver

References

• Martin Scorsese on Facebook