Martin Scorsese

Biography

Martin Scorsese is an American filmmaker and a leading figure of the New Hollywood era. Born in Queens and raised in Manhattan's Little Italy, he drew on his Italian-American background for films about crime, machismo, and guilt and redemption. He received a master's degree from New York University in 1968. Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967), his directorial debut, was accepted into the Chicago Film Festival. Mean Streets (1973) was his breakthrough, establishing a style marked by voice-over, slow motion, and graphic violence. He directed Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), and The Departed (2006), for which he received the Academy Award for Best Director. His other work includes the documentaries Italianamerican (1974) and A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995), as well as television episodes for Boardwalk Empire. He has received numerous honors, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Awards, and Emmy Awards.

83years old

Turns 84 on November 17in 36 days

Born November 17, 1942Queens
Star sign: ScorpioThe sign runs October 23 to November 21
Martin Charles Scorsese (birth name)

Movie Career

Films: 43
Career span: 59 years1967 to 2026

Genres

Documentary65%, 28 films
Biography21%, 9 films
Drama21%, 9 films
Music16%, 7 films
Comedy14%, 6 films

First and latest

Photos

Did you know?!

First role
Scorsese's first professional job came while he was a student at NYU, serving as assistant cameraman to Baird Bryant on John G. Avildsen's short film Smiles. He later admitted he was terrible at it because he could not judge focus distances.
Early training
At New York University, Scorsese was greatly inspired by Haig P. Manoogian, an Armenian-American film professor. Scorsese described the teachings of Manoogian as "the most precious gift I have ever received".
Big break
In the 1970s, Scorsese formed friendships with the "movie brats": Brian De Palma, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. De Palma was the one who introduced Scorsese to Robert De Niro.
A first
Scorsese's first big-budget project was the musical New York, New York, a tribute to his home town and classic Hollywood musicals that became a box-office failure.

Martin Scorsese movies on Netflix

In the Hand of Dante2026IMDb rating 4.9as Isaiah
Outcome2026IMDb rating 4.5as Richie 'Red' Rodriguez
The Mandalorian and Grogu2026IMDb rating 6.8as Hugo Durant (voice)
Breakdown: 19752025IMDb rating 6.8as Himself
Beatles '642024IMDb rating 7.2as Himself
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger2024IMDb rating 7.9as Himself
El Planeta2021IMDb rating 6.4as Himself
I Am Alfred Hitchcock2021IMDb rating 7.4as Himself
Crazy, Not Insane2020IMDb rating 6.9as Himself
Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams2020IMDb rating 6.6as Himself
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band2019IMDb rating 7.4as Himself
King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen2018IMDb rating 7.4as Himself
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World2017IMDb rating 7.8as Himself
Spielberg2017IMDb rating 7.7as Himself
Campus Code2015IMDb rating 2.6as Doctor
Hitchcock/Truffaut2015IMDb rating 7.3as Himself
Mifune: The Last Samurai2015IMDb rating 7.2as Self - Filmmaker
The Audition2015IMDb rating 6.6as Himself
Alfonso Sansone: Producer by Chance2014IMDb rating 8.9as Himself
Life Itself2014IMDb rating 7.8as Himself
Milius2013IMDb rating 7.4as Himself
One Direction: This Is Us2013IMDb rating 4.5as Himself
Seduced and Abandoned2013IMDb rating 6.6as Himself
Bad 252012IMDb rating 7.9as Himself
Side by Side2012IMDb rating 7.6as Himself
Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel2011IMDb rating 7.5as Self - Filmmaker
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff2010IMDb rating 7.6as Himself - Interviewee
Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies2008IMDb rating 6.7as Himself
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts2007IMDb rating 7.3as Himself
Shark Tale2004IMDb rating 6.0as Sykes (voice)
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing2004IMDb rating 7.7as Himself
The John Garfield Story2003IMDb rating 7.5as Himself
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows2000IMDb rating 7.6as Himself
Bringing Out the Dead1999IMDb rating 6.8as Dispatcher (voice)
With Friends Like These...1998IMDb rating 5.9as Martin Scorsese
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies1995IMDb rating 8.5as Himself - Narrator / Host
Search and Destroy1995IMDb rating 5.3as The Accountant
Guilty by Suspicion1991IMDb rating 6.6as Joe Lesser
Round Midnight1986IMDb rating 7.4as Goodley
Italianamerican1974IMDb rating 7.6as Himself
Boxcar Bertha1972IMDb rating 6.0as Brothel Client
Directed by John Ford1971IMDb rating 7.7as Self (2006)
Who's That Knocking at My Door1967IMDb rating 6.5as Gangster

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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Bringing Out the Dead1999 Drama, Thrilleras Dispatchervoice
IMDb rating 6.882K votes
Shark Tale2004 Adventure, Animation, Comedyas Sykesvoice
IMDb rating 6.0216K votes
Boxcar Bertha1972as Brothel Client
IMDb rating 6.013K votes
Who's That Knocking at My Door1967as Gangster
IMDb rating 6.511K votes
The Mandalorian and Grogu2026as Hugo Durantvoice
IMDb rating 6.8109K votes
Side by Side2012as Himself
IMDb rating 7.614K votes
Spielberg2017as Himself
IMDb rating 7.79.2K votes
The Audition2015as Himself
IMDb rating 6.65.4K votes

Most often with

Three actors appear in five of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Robert De Niro

Steven Spielberg

Francis Ford Coppola

Clint Eastwood

Keanu Reeves

Richard Dreyfuss

Films together

Robert De Niro5 films together, 1991 to 2020
Robert De Niro's page
- Crazy, Not Insane2020IMDb rating 6.9Scorsese as HimselfNiro as Himself
- The Audition2015IMDb rating 6.6Scorsese as HimselfNiro as Himself
- Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel2011IMDb rating 7.5Scorsese as Self - FilmmakerNiro as Himself
- Shark Tale2004IMDb rating 6.0Scorsese as SykesvoiceNiro as Don Linovoice
- Guilty by Suspicion1991IMDb rating 6.6Scorsese as Joe LesserNiro as David Merrill
Steven Spielberg5 films together, 1971 to 2017
Steven Spielberg's page
- Spielberg2017IMDb rating 7.7Scorsese as HimselfSpielberg as Himself
- Mifune: The Last Samurai2015IMDb rating 7.2Scorsese as Self - FilmmakerSpielberg as Self - Filmmaker
- Milius2013IMDb rating 7.4Scorsese as HimselfSpielberg as Himself
- The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing2004IMDb rating 7.7Scorsese as HimselfSpielberg as Himself
- Directed by John Ford1971IMDb rating 7.7Scorsese as Self (2006)Spielberg as Self (2009)
Francis Ford Coppola5 films together, 1995 to 2017
Francis Ford Coppola's page
- Spielberg2017IMDb rating 7.7Scorsese as HimselfCoppola as Himself
- Alfonso Sansone: Producer by Chance2014IMDb rating 8.9Scorsese as HimselfCoppola as Himself
- Milius2013IMDb rating 7.4Scorsese as HimselfCoppola as Himself
- Seduced and Abandoned2013IMDb rating 6.6Scorsese as HimselfCoppola as Himself
- A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies1995IMDb rating 8.5Scorsese as Himself - Narrator / HostCoppola as Himself
Clint Eastwood4 films together, 1971 to 2013
Clint Eastwood's page
- Milius2013IMDb rating 7.4Scorsese as HimselfEastwood as Himself
- Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows2000IMDb rating 7.6Scorsese as HimselfEastwood as Himself
- A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies1995IMDb rating 8.5Scorsese as Himself - Narrator / HostEastwood as Himself
- Directed by John Ford1971IMDb rating 7.7Scorsese as Self (2006)Eastwood as Self (2006)
Keanu Reeves3 films together, 2012 to 2026
Keanu Reeves's page
- Outcome2026IMDb rating 4.5Scorsese as Richie 'Red' RodriguezReeves as Reef Hawk
- Mifune: The Last Samurai2015IMDb rating 7.2Scorsese as Self - FilmmakerReeves as Self - Narratorvoice
- Side by Side2012IMDb rating 7.6Scorsese as HimselfReeves as Self / Host
Richard Dreyfuss3 films together, 2003 to 2017
Richard Dreyfuss's page
- Spielberg2017IMDb rating 7.7Scorsese as HimselfDreyfuss as Himself
- Milius2013IMDb rating 7.4Scorsese as HimselfDreyfuss as Himself
- The John Garfield Story2003IMDb rating 7.5Scorsese as HimselfDreyfuss as Himself
Also three films together3 more actors
- Jodie FosterBreakdown: 1975 (2025), The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004) and A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)
- Peter BogdanovichHitchcock/Truffaut (2015), Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) and Directed by John Ford (1971)
- George LucasMilius (2013), The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004) and A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.

Box office

What Martin Scorsese's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$818 million

9 of the 43 films have a worldwide figure.

9Worldwide figure
10US gross only
10Never in cinemas
13Figure not found
1Too new to count

Top grosser

Shark Tale2004Sykes$367 million

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

1
Shark Tale2004as Sykes (voice)
$367M44.9% of the total
2
The Mandalorian and Grogu2026as Hugo Durant (voice)
$345M42.2% of the total
3
One Direction: This Is Us2013as Himself
$69M8.4% of the total
4
Bringing Out the Dead1999as Dispatcher (voice)
$17M2.1% of the total
5
Round Midnight1986as Goodley
$10M1.2% of the total
6
Guilty by Suspicion1991as Joe Lesser
$9.5M1.2% of the total
7
Search and Destroy1995as The Accountant
$390K0.0% of the total
8
Hitchcock/Truffaut2015as Himself
$302K0.0% of the total

$10,422from the other 1 film with a worldwide figure, 0% of the total

Awards

Eighteen awards and honors from 1976 to 2024, thirteen of them major.

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Martin Scorsese's awards and nominations, grouped by award
Year	Award	Film	Result
Academy Awards
2007	Best Director	The Departed	Won
Golden Globes
2011	Best Director	Hugo	Won
2010	Cecil B. DeMille Award		Won
2006	Best Director	The Departed	Won
2003	Awards	Gangs of New York	Won
BAFTA
1991	Best Adapted Screenplay	Goodfellas	Won
1991	Best Direction	Goodfellas	Won
1991	Best Film	Goodfellas	Won
Emmy Awards
2011	Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series	Boardwalk Empire	Won
Cannes Film Festival
1986	Best Director Award	After Hours	Won
1976	Palme d'Or	Taxi Driver	Won
Berlin Film Festival
1995	Golden Bear		Won
Grammy Awards
2005	Best New New Jack Swing Artist	No Direction Home	Won
Other honors
2024	Honorary Golden Bear		Honorary
2000	Honorary César		Honorary
1997	AFI Life Achievement Award		Won
1990	Silver Lion	Goodfellas	Won
	Kennedy Center Honors		Won

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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