Scorsese to De Niro: 10 Hollywood Greats Who Got Their Start with Roger Corman

Bloody Mama (1970)

Before he would become the second coming of Marlon Brando, De Niro landed a role in Corman’s caffeinated gangster pic, thanks to a recommendation from costar Shelley Winters—a mentor of sorts to De Niro from their time together in the Actor’s Studio. As one of the crime-addled sons of Winters’ Ma Barker, the fresh-faced De Niro gives a performance of smoldering intensity and authenticity. It was only a hint of what would come next in his career.

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