Harvey Keitel is an American actor renowned for his performances in landmark Hollywood films such as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, The Piano, Little Nicky, and From Dusk Till Dawn. He received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his portrayal of Mickey Cohen in Bugsy (1991).

Harvey Keitel was born on March 13, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York, to a Polish immigrant Jewish family. He was the first child of the family and grew up in Brooklyn alongside his sister. After graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School, he joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of sixteen. He was deployed to Lebanon during Operation Blue Bat before returning to the United States, where he briefly worked as a court reporter to support himself.

Keitel began his acting career by appearing in Broadway productions associated with the HB Studio. During this period, he met a young film student named Martin Scorsese. Their collaboration began with the independent film Who’s That Knocking at My Door, which was Scorsese’s university graduation project. The success of this film marked the beginning of a long creative partnership that would later include acclaimed works such as Mean Streets and Taxi Driver.

Throughout the 1980s, although he appeared in numerous films, Keitel did not achieve consistent mainstream success. He became known primarily for portraying tough, dangerous, and morally ambiguous characters. His career reached a turning point in 1992 with his role as Mr. White in Reservoir Dogs, directed by Quentin Tarantino. The performance marked his transition from respected character actor to major Hollywood star.

In the early 1990s, Keitel entered the most successful period of his career. He received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his role in Bugsy, and went on to appear in a series of influential films including Bad Lieutenant, The Piano, Pulp Fiction, and From Dusk Till Dawn. These performances firmly established him as one of the defining actors of the decade.

Keitel later demonstrated his versatility by taking on comedic roles, notably portraying Satan in Little Nicky. Although his mainstream popularity declined in the 2000s, he continued to appear regularly on screen, often starring in multiple films per year. Notable projects from this period include National Treasure, Be Cool, and National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

Over a career spanning more than forty years and encompassing over fifty feature films, Harvey Keitel developed a distinctive acting style through repeated collaborations with a select group of directors. The filmmakers he worked with most extensively include Martin Scorsese, Paul Auster, Quentin Tarantino, and Ridley Scott.

Since 2001, Harvey Keitel has been married to actress Daphna Kastner. He is the father of three children and remains one of the most recognizable and influential character actors in American cinema.

Source: Biyografiler.com