Harvey Keitel

PHOTO GALLERY
Date of Birth : May 13th 1939

At the age of sixteen, he decided to join the United States Marine Corps, a decision that took him to Lebanon. After his return to the United States, he was a court reporter and was able to support himself before beginning his acting career.

As a younger adult in New York City, before becoming a famous actor, Harvey Keitel was a free-lance court reporter. Keitel studied under both Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, eventually landing roles in some off-Broadway productions. During this time, Keitel met another struggling filmmaker named Martin Scorsese and gained a part in Scorsese’s student production, Who’s That Knocking at My Door. Since then, Scorsese and Keitel have worked together on numerous projects. Keitel had the starring role in Scorsese’s Mean Streets but this proved to be Robert De Niro’s breakthrough film. He later appeared with De Niro in Taxi Driver, playing the pimp Sport for Jodie Foster’s character Iris.

He also appeared in the Steinlager Pure commercials in New Zealand in 2007. Unlike many American male actors who either never appear nude in film or only do so once, Keitel has appeared in several films nude, including full frontal nudity.

Keitel was formerly in a long-term relationship to actress Lorraine Bracco. He married actress Daphna Kastner in 2001. Keitel is the father of three children: daughter Stella (born 1985) from his relationship with Bracco; son Hudson (born 2001) from his relationship with Lisa Karmazin; and son Roman (born 2003) from his marriage to Kastner.