Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese Makes History with 2024 Oscar Nomination

Legendary director Martin Scorsese has once again made cinematic history, earning Oscar nominations for his latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon. Scorsese, now 81, has become the oldest person ever nominated for the prestigious Best Director award, marking his 10th career nomination in the category. This achievement cements his status as the most nominated living director, second only to the late William Wyler, who holds a total of 12 Best Director nominations.

In a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Scorsese expressed his surprise at the milestone. “It’s so exciting. Ten nominations over the years—I honestly don’t know how that happened,” he said. “You don’t make films for awards. You make the films the best way you can.”

Despite his long-standing presence at the Academy Awards, Scorsese has won the Best Director Oscar only once, for The Departed. His latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, which portrays the true story of a series of murders on the Osage Nation Reservation in 1920s Oklahoma, is among the most recognized films at the 96th Academy Awards, securing multiple nominations. It is also Scorsese’s fourth Best Picture nod, following Hugo (2011), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and The Irishman (2019).

With this nomination, Scorsese’s enduring influence on cinema and his remarkable career continue to be celebrated on the world’s biggest stage.

Who Is Martin Scorsese?

Martin Scorsese is widely regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Known for his gritty, authentic style and deep passion for storytelling, Scorsese has created some of the most celebrated films in American history. His career took off with the critically acclaimed Mean Streets (1973), and he went on to direct iconic films such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas, which are often hailed as cinematic masterpieces. Scorsese is also well-known for his long-standing collaborations with actors Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. His films with De Niro include The King of Comedy, Cape Fear, and The Irishman, while his work with DiCaprio spans Gangs of New York, The Aviator, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Scorsese has been nominated for 16 Academy Awards, winning Best Director in 2006 for The Departed, which also took home the award for Best Picture.

Early Life

Martin Charles Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942, in the Flushing neighborhood of New York City. Raised by Italian American parents in Manhattan’s Little Italy, Scorsese later likened the area to “a village in Sicily.” His parents, Charles and Catherine, both part-time actors, helped foster his early interest in cinema. Due to severe asthma, Scorsese was limited in physical activities during his childhood, leading him to spend hours watching television and films. He developed a particular affinity for stories centered on the Italian-American experience and the works of directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

By the age of 12, Scorsese was already sketching storyboards and dreaming of directing. Though raised in a devout Catholic family and even considering the priesthood at one point, his love for filmmaking won out. A 10-minute short film he created earned him a $500 scholarship to New York University, solidifying his path toward a legendary career in cinema.

Early Career: NYU Instructor and the Beginnings of a Legacy

Martin Scorsese completed his Master of Fine Arts at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, specializing in film directing. During his time at NYU, he created several films and briefly returned as a film instructor post-graduation, where he taught future luminaries like Jonathan Kaplan and Oliver Stone.

In 1968, Scorsese directed his first feature-length film, Who’s That Knocking at My Door?, marking the start of two pivotal collaborations—with actor Harvey Keitel and editor Thelma Schoonmaker. These relationships would prove vital to his career, with Schoonmaker remaining a key collaborator for over 50 years. Film critic Roger Ebert, one of Scorsese’s early admirers, praised his work as “artistically satisfying and technically comparable to the best films being made anywhere.” His breakthrough came in 1973 with Mean Streets, released just before his 31st birthday. The film, hailed as a masterpiece, introduced many of the signature themes in Scorsese’s oeuvre, such as dark narratives, morally complex characters, and the use of contemporary music. It also marked the beginning of his legendary collaboration with actor Robert De Niro. Actress Ellen Burstyn, impressed by Mean Streets, advocated for Scorsese to direct Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), which won Burstyn an Oscar for Best Actress. She later described working with Scorsese as “one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.”

Acclaimed ’70s and ’80s Films: Taxi Driver, The Last Waltz, and Raging Bull

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Scorsese directed films that would come to define modern cinema. His 1976 film Taxi Driver starred Robert De Niro as a disturbed Vietnam veteran who spirals into violence amid the urban decay of New York City. Considered one of Scorsese’s greatest works, Taxi Driver not only won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival but also solidified De Niro’s standing as a leading actor. However, its cultural impact was mixed, as the film later became associated with John Hinckley Jr.’s assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

In 1977, Scorsese and De Niro teamed up again for New York, New York, a musical that, despite its artistic ambition, was a box-office disappointment. Shifting his focus to music, Scorsese directed the documentary The Last Waltz (1978), chronicling the final performance of The Band, which featured guest appearances from artists like Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. The film has since been lauded as one of the greatest concert documentaries ever made, and it inspired Rob Reiner’s classic spoof This Is Spinal Tap.

Scorsese returned to feature filmmaking in 1980 with Raging Bull, a biographical drama about boxer Jake LaMotta. Though the film’s violent nature initially divided critics, it is now regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, and De Niro’s performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Following the commercial failure of New York, New York, Scorsese had expected Raging Bull to be his final feature, determined to “pull out all the stops.” Fortunately, its success reinvigorated his career.

During the 1980s, Scorsese continued to push boundaries with films like The King of Comedy (1982), a dark satire starring De Niro as a failed comedian obsessed with a late-night talk show host played by Jerry Lewis. In 1986, he achieved box-office success with The Color of Money, starring Tom Cruise and Paul Newman, with the latter reprising his role as “Fast Eddie” from The Hustler (1961). Scorsese followed this with The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), a controversial reimagining of Jesus’ life that sparked outrage from some religious groups but earned him critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

Crime Films and Continued Success

The 1990s saw Scorsese further solidifying his legacy with two seminal Mafia films: Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995). Goodfellas, based on Nicholas Pileggi’s nonfiction book Wiseguy, chronicled the rise and fall of mobster Henry Hill, with standout performances from Ray Liotta, De Niro, and Joe Pesci, who won an Oscar for his role. Often considered one of the greatest gangster films ever made, Goodfellas earned wide praise, with Roger Ebert calling it “the best mob movie ever.”

In Casino, Scorsese once again drew from Pileggi’s writing to explore the Mafia’s grip on Las Vegas in the 1970s. While less celebrated than Goodfellas, Casino garnered acclaim, especially for Sharon Stone’s Oscar-nominated performance. During this period, Scorsese also directed Cape Fear (1991), a psychological thriller starring De Niro as a menacing ex-convict.

Scorsese’s passion project, Gangs of New York (2002), took 25 years to develop and explored the brutal conflicts between rival immigrant gangs in 1860s New York. The film starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis, marking the beginning of Scorsese’s long-lasting collaboration with DiCaprio, and added another chapter to his storied career in American cinema.

Leonardo DiCaprio Movies: The Aviator, The Departed, and The Wolf of Wall Street

The collaborative dynamic between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio has drawn frequent comparisons to Scorsese’s earlier partnership with Robert De Niro. DiCaprio himself acknowledges the significance of Scorsese’s influence on his career, stating, “He saved me. I was headed down a path of being one kind of actor, and he helped me become another one. The one I wanted to be.”

Following their initial collaboration in Gangs of New York (2002), Scorsese and DiCaprio joined forces again for The Aviator (2004), a film that would become one of Scorsese’s most acclaimed works. DiCaprio portrays the enigmatic aviation pioneer Howard Hughes, while Cate Blanchett takes on the role of Katharine Hepburn. The film achieved both critical and commercial success, earning eleven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, ultimately winning five Oscars.

Their collaboration continued with The Departed (2006), a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. DiCaprio stars as Billy Costigan, an undercover state trooper who infiltrates the gang of Irish mob boss Frank Costello, played by Jack Nicholson. This gripping thriller not only won the Academy Award for Best Picture but also marked a milestone for Scorsese, finally securing him the Oscar for Best Director after five previous nominations. In a humorous acceptance speech, Scorsese noted the public’s longstanding hope for his win, reflecting on the countless encouragements he received from strangers.

After another successful partnership in Shutter Island (2010), Scorsese ventured into a different genre with Hugo (2011), an adventure drama set in 1930s Paris. The film follows a young boy on a quest to unravel a mystery related to his late father’s automaton. This was Scorsese’s first film entirely shot in 3D, a process he described as “liberating.” While not a commercial blockbuster, Hugo garnered critical acclaim, receiving eleven Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe for Best Director.

Scorsese’s next venture was The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), in which DiCaprio portrayed the notorious investment banker Jordan Belfort. The film explores Belfort’s rise and fall amid rampant financial fraud in the 1990s. Despite receiving positive reviews and earning five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for DiCaprio, the film faced criticism for allegedly glorifying Belfort’s unethical behavior. In response, Scorsese emphasized the film’s role in sparking discussion, stating, “It’s about something that people can talk about.”

Latest Films: The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon

Following The Wolf of Wall Street, Scorsese released Silence (2016), a historical drama centered on two Jesuit priests, played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver, who journey to Japan during a period of Catholic persecution. Scorsese expressed a long-standing passion for adapting Shūsaku Endō’s novel, describing it as an “obsession” that had to be realized. Although the film received favorable reviews, it struggled at the box office, earning only $22 million against a $50 million budget.

In 2019, Scorsese reestablished his collaboration with De Niro, along with other longtime associates like Harvey Keitel and Joe Pesci, for the Netflix film The Irishman. This project, which also marked Scorsese’s first collaboration with Al Pacino, chronicles the alleged murder of union leader Jimmy Hoffa. Despite a production budget exceeding $150 million, largely due to advanced de-aging effects, the film received widespread critical acclaim.

Scorsese’s latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, premiered in October 2023 and represents his seventh collaboration with DiCaprio and his eleventh with De Niro. The film examines a series of murders within the Osage Nation Reservation in Oklahoma during the 1920s. DiCaprio plays Ernest Burkhart, a conspirator who marries Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone) to gain her trust. Though filming faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Killers of the Flower Moon received significant praise after its premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. It garnered seven Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, with Scorsese receiving nods for Best Director and Best Screenplay.

After Killers of the Flower Moon, Scorsese and DiCaprio are set to reunite for The Wager, based on David Grann’s nonfiction book. This film narrates the tale of a British ship that wrecks on a South American island while pursuing a Spanish vessel, leading to allegations of mutiny among the surviving crew. While The Wager is still in production and lacks a release date, anticipation remains high.

Personal Life

Martin Scorsese has been married five times, including to Laraine Marie Brennan, Julia Cameron, Isabella Rossellini, and Barbara De Fina. He has been married to his current wife, Helen Schermerhorn Morris, since 1999. Together, they have a daughter, Francesca, who is an actor and filmmaker, having appeared in her father’s films The Departed, Hugo, and The Aviator.

In addition to Francesca, Scorsese has two older daughters: Catherine, from his first marriage to Laraine Marie Brennan, and Domenica, from his marriage to Julia Cameron. Like Francesca, Domenica has pursued acting, featuring in Scorsese’s films Cape Fear and The Age of Innocence.