Individual moments of De Niro's seething, searing portrayal of Travis Bickle -- a character name that has come to define not just a character type, but an enduring strand of American masculinity -- have become such pop-culture fixtures that many might forget the sustained, subtly evolving personality the actor weaves around that speech in the mirror. For all the iconography tied into his image, however, Bickle is one of his most humble, humane characterizations, an unremarkable man driven by desire and deprivation to something more sadly significant. 

Awards: Best Actor, New York Film Critics' Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics' Association, National Society of Film Critics

Nominations: Best Actor, Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards; Best Actor (Drama), Golden Globes