Happy Birthday August 17

Robert Anthony De Niro was born in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan, New York on August 17, 1943. His father, Robert De Niro Sr. was a noted abstract Expressionist artist, and his mother was a painter. Later, his father came out as gay. As a boy his nickname was 'Bobby Milk', after his pale skinny frame. At the age of 10, Robert De Niro played the Lion in a local production of the Wizard of Oz.

For more August 17 anniversaries, including the only baseball player to die from an injury received at a MLB game, The Battle of Tannenberg, and the proclamation of Indonesia's independence, check out OnThatDay.