10 Hollywood Actors Who Had Their Breakthrough In A Martin Scorsese Movie

Martin Scorsese has directed some of the greatest films of all time and served as the catalyst for countless astounding acting careers. While viewers will be well aware of Scorsese’s incredible collaborations with actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, this barely scratches the surface when it comes to the litany of famous names who have performed across the vast spectrum of his filmography. While Scorsese has worked with many established stars, he’s never shied away from taking a chance on an unknown and giving them their big break.

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Several of Scorsese’s best films boasted breakout performances from actors who went on to become major names in Hollywood. From child stars like Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver right through to those who came to acting much later, such as Joe Pesci in Raging Bull, it was Scorsese’s unmatched direction that helped them carve out their now esteemed careers and impressive acting legacies. Despite having already entered his 80s, Scorsese has shown no signs of slowing down, and it’s even possible that the next generation of Hollywood stars could get their start in upcoming Scorsese movies.

10 Cathy Moriarty

Raging Bull (1980)

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Cathy Moriarty earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her phenomenal acting debut in Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull. As the teenage girlfriend and eventually wife of the up-and-coming boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro), Moriarty played Vickie, a woman whose captivating beauty and effortless confidence were brought down by Jake’s insecurity and volatile nature. With a powerful performance, it was the same outgoing personality and sociability that Jake was attracted to that caused him to turn paranoid, violent, and possessive toward his wife.

With a nuanced and complex performance, Moriarty’s role in Jake’s life was central to the power of Raging Bull. With an astounding debut performance, Moriarty went on to work for major directors such as Sidney Lumet, Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis, and James Mangold in independent and major studio films. With subsequent appearances in everything from Cop Land to Analyze That, Moriarty never became a household name, but her astounding debut helped her carve out a successful Hollywood career.

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9.5/10 Raging Bull RBiographySportDrama

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Raging Bull is a 1980 sports drama based on the rise and fall of real-life boxer Jake LaMotta as he strives for success while dealing with his inner demons and his violent temper. Robert De Niro stars as the middleweight champion, with Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, and Nicholas Colasanto in supporting roles.

Director Martin Scorsese Release Date December 19, 1980 Studio(s) United Artists Distributor(s) United Artists Writers Mardik Martin , Paul Schrader Cast Robert De Niro , Theresa Saldana , Nicholas Colasanto , Joe Pesci , Cathy Moriarty Runtime 129 minutes Budget $18 million Main Genre Biography Expand

9 Ray Liotta

Goodfellas (1990)

The late, great Ray Liotta will always be remembered for his defining role as Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. While Scorsese had tackled the gangster genre many times before, this stylized true story represented a high point in the latter part of Scorsese’s career that proved, even as he inched close to his 50s, his filmmaking still had the same urgency as in his younger days. Liotta had some minor roles before Goodfellas, like Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams, but this was a firm showcase of his leading man potential.

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While Liotta and Scorsese never worked together again after Goodfellas, its incredible success and classic status afforded him major opportunities. From more crime-related films like Blow and The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, Liotta could play a tough guy like no other, although his range extended far beyond just that. With memorable performances in everything from Bee Movie to Marriage Story, Liotta was a major name who acted in esteemed productions right up until his death in 2022 at age 67.

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10/10 Goodfellas RBiographyCrimeDrama

Goodfellas is a 1990 crime film starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and outlines the life and times of mobster Henry Hill. It’s based on the book Wiseguy, written by Nicholas Pileggi.

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*Availability in US Director Martin Scorsese Release Date September 21, 1990 Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers Nicholas Pileggi , Martin Scorsese Cast Robert De Niro , Ray Liotta , Joe Pesci , Lorraine Bracco , Paul Sorvino , Frank Sivero Runtime 145 Minutes Budget $25 million Main Genre Crime Expand

8 Ellen Burstyn

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

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Over the past 50 years, Ellen Burstyn has quietly carved out one of the most impressive careers in Hollywood, filled with classic roles in major movies. While Burstyn gained widespread recognition for her role as the fearful mother Chris MacNeil in The Exorcist in 1973, it was one year later in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore that she proved her undeniable leading star talent. As the only Scorsese movie with a female protagonist, Burstyn’s role as Alice Hyatt was a fantastic anomaly that makes one wonder why the director doesn’t have more women-centric movies.

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore was a tragic story about a widowed mother traveling the U.S. with her teenage son in search of a better life and the often cruel but occasionally kind men who entered and left her life along the way. With an Oscar-winning performance, this role put Burstyn on the map in Hollywood, and she’s kept the quality of her work high ever since. From her memorable and tragic role in Requiem for a Dream through to TV work on shows like House of Cards, Burstyn is one of the most underrated actresses working today.

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Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore PGDramaRomance

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is a drama directed by Martin Scorsese, featuring Ellen Burstyn as Alice Hyatt, a widow who embarks on a journey to restart her life. Joined by her son, Alice pursues her dream of becoming a singer while navigating various personal and professional challenges. The film explores themes of resilience and self-discovery in the context of 1970s America.

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*Availability in US Director Martin Scorsese Release Date December 9, 1974 Writers Robert Getchell Cast Ellen Burstyn , Kris Kristofferson , Mia Bendixsen , Alfred Lutter III , Billy Green Bush , Lelia Goldoni , Ola Moore , Harry Northup Character(s) Alice Hyatt , David , Alice – Age 8 , Tommy , Donald , Bea , Old Woman , Joe & Jim’s Bartender Runtime 112 Minutes Main Genre Drama Expand

7 Barbara Hershey

Boxcar Bertha (1972)

While Martin Scorsese’s low-budget second feature film, Boxcar Bertha, isn’t nearly as well-known as the rest of his work during the 1970s, it was still an important experiment in him finding his distinctive style within crime genres. This story about a poor southern girl enacting revenge on railroad management during the Great Depression also featured Scorsese’s first collaboration with Barbara Hershey. As an actress who later received a Golden Globe for her work on Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, the pair have a history that traverses decades.

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Hershey worked consistently throughout the 1970s, and Boxcar Bertha was just one of many movies that helped her build her career. However, it was not until the 1980s that Hershey really broke out and gained widespread acclaim for her work on the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters. During the 1990s, Hershey had another major acting breakthrough when she was nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting role in The Portrait of a Lady in 1997. With a career categorized by a slow and steady rise in Hollywood, Scorsese was an early contributor to Hershey’s success.

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Boxcar Bertha RDramaCrimeRomance

Boxcar Bertha, directed by Martin Scorsese, is a crime drama set during the Great Depression that follows Bertha Thompson, played by Barbara Hershey. She becomes an outlaw traveling by train and engaging in various criminal activities. David Carradine co-stars as union leader Bill Shelly, whose relationship with Bertha adds complexity to the narrative. The film explores themes of survival and rebellion against economic hardship.

Director Martin Scorsese Release Date June 14, 1972 Writers Ben L. Reitman , Joyce Hooper Corrington , John William Corrington Cast Barbara Hershey , David Carradine , Barry Primus , Bernie Casey , John Carradine , Victor Argo , David Osterhout , Grahame Pratt Character(s) Boxcar Bertha , Big Bill Shelly , Rake Brown , Von Morton , H. Buckram Sartoris , McIver #1 , McIver #2 , Emeric Pressburger Runtime 88 Minutes Main Genre Drama Expand

6 Juliette Lewis

Cape Fear (1992)

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While Juliette Lewis had earlier roles in comedies like My Stepmother Is an Alien and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, her role in Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear signaled the dawning of a major new actress in Hollywood. In an Oscar-nominated performance, Lewis proved she had the talent to be a star and could go toe-to-toe against Robert De Niro in perhaps his most unhinged performance as the murderous psychopath Max Cady. This neo-noir story of revenge and violence was a remake of the classic Robert Mitchum movie Cape Fear from 1962 that leaned further into its dark nature.

Lewis gained widespread acclaim for her role as Danny Bowden, the teenage daughter of the public defender who put Max as the killer and was then determined to exact revenge on the Bowden family. As her breakthrough role, Cape Fear soon led to Lewis working with everybody from Oliver Stone to Woody Allen as she showcased her skills in action, comedy, drama, and everything in between. With an esteemed career that’s continued to this day, Cape Fear was just the beginning for Lewis.

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9/10 Cape Fear RCrimeThriller

A remake of the 1962 movie of the same name, which itself was based on a John D. MacDonald novel, Cape Fear tells the story of a convicted rapist who is looking to get even with the lawyer who helped to put him away for 14 years. Many of the cast of the original movies make cameo appearances, including both Martin Balsam and Gregory Peck.

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*Availability in US Director Martin Scorsese Release Date November 15, 1991 Studio(s) Universal Pictures Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Writers John D. MacDonald , James R. Webb , Wesley Strick Cast Robert De Niro , Nick Nolte , Jessica Lange , Joe Don Baker , Robert Mitchum , gregory peck Runtime 128 minutes Budget $35 million Main Genre Thriller Expand

5 Joe Pesci

Raging Bull (1980)

Despite being a true icon of American cinema, Joe Pesci came to acting late and first pursued a musical career, as seen in his 1968 album Little Joe Sure Can Sing! However, Pesci’s talent for performance couldn’t be contained as he formed a comedy duo with his friend and Goodfellas co-star Frank Vincent and even starred in the low-budget crime movie The Death Collector in 1976. With these lesser-known achievements to his name, Pesci agreed to join Martin Scorsese’s upcoming film Raging Bull and made his major movie debut in 1980 alongside Robert De Niro.

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Pesci’s incredible performance as his boxer sibling Jake’s loyal brother and manager Joey, who carefully and often unsuccessfully tried to walk the fine line between his brother’s world-class talents and violent outbursts. As a performance that gained Pesci an Oscar nomination and the BAFTA Film Award for Newcomer to Leading Film Roles, Raging Bull helped kickstart a major career. With later acclaimed roles in Goodfellas, Home Alone, and My Cousin Vinny, Pesci deserves to be spoken about with the same esteem as greats like De Niro, Al Pacino, and Jack Nicholson.

4 Harvey Keitel

Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967)

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While Martin Scorsese has become well-known for his longstanding collaborations with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, there’s another actor who has been around from the very beginning. With his six films together, Harvey Keitel starred in Scorsese’s directorial debut, Who’s That Knocking at My Door, and has remained a consistent cast member right through to modern times, with their most recent film being The Irishman. Keitel’s talent for Scorsese’s particular sense of style was apparent from the beginning as he portrayed a young man struggling to deal with the sexual assault of his girlfriend.

Keitel has played every side of the coin of characters when it comes to his roles in Scorsese pictures, which have included a low-level pimp in Taxi Driver to Jesus’s disciple and betrayer Judas Iscariot in The Last Temptation of Christ. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Keitel’s career, as he’s excellent in Quentin Tarantino movies like Reservoir Dogs and even Wes Anderson films such as The Grand Budapest Hotel. As one of the major talents of the 20th and 21st centuries, Keitel deserves far more acclaim than he generally receives.

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Who’s That Knocking At My Door RDrama

Who’s That Knocking At My Door is Martin Scorsese’s directorial debut. The film stars Harvey Keitel as J.R., a young Italian-American man navigating his life in New York City. Blending elements of romance and drama, the film explores themes of masculinity, religion, and personal conflict. The storytelling juxtaposes traditional values against the backdrop of contemporary challenges, setting the stage for Scorsese’s future works.

Director Martin Scorsese Release Date September 13, 1968 Writers Martin Scorsese , Betzi Manoogian Cast Harvey Keitel , Zina Bethune , Anne Collette , Lennard Kuras , Michael Scala , Harry Northup , Tsuai Yu-Lan , Saskia Holleman Character(s) J.R. , Girl , Girl in Dream , Joey , Sally Gaga , Harry Runtime 90 Minutes Main Genre Drama Expand

3 Margot Robbie

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

As one of the biggest names working in Hollywood today, it’s astounding to witness how Margot Robbie’s career has gone from strength to strength since starring in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. Robbie’s undeniable star talent was on display right from the beginning as she portrayed Naomi Lapaglia, the wife of the morally corrupt stockbroker Jordan Belfort, a part that exuded cinematic charisma and a timeless beauty. However, it was not just Robbie’s striking good looks that led to her breakthrough, as her performance in The Wolf of Wall Street showcased an actress of serious talent.

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Robbie did not waste the recognition her role in Scorsese’s movie afforded her and quickly gained a memorable cameo role in The Big Short and jumped into the world of franchises as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. While Robbie and Scorsese have yet to reunite, she was astounding in her Oscar-nominated turn in I, Tonya and has worked with major auteurs such as Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson. However, Robbie’s leading role in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie signaled her career reaching new heights as she starred in and co-produced the highest-grossing movie of 2023.

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6.5/10 The Wolf of Wall Street RComedyCrimeBiography

Directed by Martin Scorcese, The Wolf of Wall Street tells the true story of stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), based on his memoir of the same name. It chronicles the rise of Belfort and the subsequent corruption of his firm as he engages in a wide assortment of criminal acts while amassing a staggering fortune. Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, and Kyle Chandler also star alongside DiCaprio.

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*Availability in US Director Martin Scorsese Release Date December 25, 2013 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures , Universal Pictures Writers Terence Winter Cast Leonardo DiCaprio , Jonah Hill , Margot Robbie , Kyle Chandler , Matthew McConaughey , Rob Reiner , Jon Bernthal , Jon Favreau Runtime 180 Minutes Budget 100 million Main Genre Crime Expand

2 Jodie Foster

Taxi Driver (1976)

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As a child actress, Jodie Foster quickly gained teen idol status for her roles in Disney productions like Napoleon and Samantha, although it was not long before she showcased her skills in more adult-oriented dramas. Foster first worked with Martin Scorsese in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, but it was as the teenage prostitute Iris Steensma in Taxi Driver that signaled her breakthrough in Hollywood. This challenging role saw Foster acting alongside Robert De Niro, and even at just 12 years old at the time of her casting, it was clear she had the potential to be a major star.

Foster earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for her part in Taxi Driver and continued to excel in the subsequent years right through to her eventual two Oscar wins for The Accused in 1988 and The Silence of the Lambs in 1991. As not just a talented actress but also an acclaimed filmmaker in her own right, Foster’s lifetime of moviemaking has turned her into one of the most successful names in Hollywood. While some of her earliest works may have been with Scorsese, Foster has truly carved her own path in the years since.

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8/10 Taxi Driver RDramaCrime

Martin Scorsese’s classic 1976 film stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle, a Vietnam veteran turned New York City cab driver whose increasingly disturbed mental state due to his PTSD begins to drive him to more and more violent actions as he attempts to rid the city of what he sees as the “scum” on the streets. Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, Cybill Shepherd, and Albert Brooks also star in the film. 

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*Availability in US Director Martin Scorsese Release Date February 9, 1976 Studio(s) Bill/Phillips Productions Distributor(s) Columbia Pictures Writers Paul Schrader Cast Robert De Niro , Jodie Foster , Cybill Shepherd , Albert Brooks , Harvey Keitel , Victor Argo , Peter Boyle Runtime 114 Minutes Budget $1.9 Million Main Genre Drama Expand

1 Robert De Niro

Mean Streets (1973)

Although Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro had both been involved in moviemaking before they worked together, their first collaboration with Mean Streets was a revelation for both of their careers. It was clear right from the beginning that the duo represented the perfect combination of actor and director as the pair continued to work together for the rest of their careers. As Johnny Boy in Mean Streets, De Niro acted as the perfect vehicle for Scorsese’s unique style, as his chaotic behavior, charismatic yet self-destructive nature, and defiant immaturity helped contain Scorsese’s themes of crime, faith, and growth.

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Both Scorsese and De Niro recognized they hit on a good thing and continued to work together on classics like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and The Irishman. Although De Niro has carved out an equally impressive career away from his most consistent collaborator, the duo have always reunited with one another, as evident by De Niro’s Oscar-nominated performance in Killers of the Flower Moon in 2023. As one of the greatest directors of all time, with one of the best actors ever, Martin Scorsese and De Niro are one of the all-time great cinematic partnerships.

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8/10 Mean Streets RCrimeDramaThriller

Mean Streets is a crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese, following the lives of small-time criminals in New York City’s Little Italy. Starring Harvey Keitel as Charlie and Robert De Niro as the reckless Johnny Boy, the film explores themes of guilt, redemption, and the harsh realities of street life. Mean Streets is noted for its gritty portrayal of urban corruption and the dilemmas faced by those entangled in it.

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*Availability in US Director Martin Scorsese Release Date October 14, 1973 Writers Martin Scorsese , Mardik Martin Cast Robert De Niro , Harvey Keitel , David Proval , Amy Robinson , Richard Romanus , Cesare Danova , Victor Argo , George Memmoli Runtime 112 Minutes Main Genre Crime Expand

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