Personal details
- Birth Date: 1939-05-13
- Height: 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
- Birth Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Children: (1 child) Stella Keitel
- Parents: Miriam Klein
- Professions: Actor, Producer, Soundtrack
Harvey Keitel, born in Brooklyn back in ‘39, has had one wild ride through Hollywood. The guy’s basically a living legend, popping up in all the gritty classics—Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Reservoir Dogs, you name it. Yeah, he’s not just some background player, either. Keitel’s that intense, magnetic dude who somehow makes every scene feel a little more dangerous, like you never really know what he’s gonna do next. He’s snagged Oscar and Golden Globe noms, and honestly, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call him one of the best method actors to ever hit the screen. Keitel didn’t just stumble into the biz. He actually put in the work, studying with absolute legends like Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, and cutting his teeth in Off-Broadway productions before catching Scorsese’s eye. Their first collab was I Call First, and after that, it was off to the races. He starred in Mean Streets—a movie that pretty much launched both his and De Niro’s careers—then popped up in all kinds of roles: villains, cops, sleazebags, you name it. Taxi Driver? Yeah, he’s the creepy pimp who tries to mess with De Niro and Jodie Foster. He’s worked with everyone from Tarantino to Jane Campion, and he’s still going, still putting out work that grabs your attention. Oh, and he’s co-president of the Actors Studio with Pacino and Ellen Burstyn, which is just wild.
This guy hustled as a court stenographer in NYC for almost a decade, all while chasing his acting dream. Imagine juggling transcripts and auditions, probably running from the courthouse to some dingy off-Broadway rehearsal, just hoping the subway didn’t screw him over. Ten years is no joke—that’s a long grind, typing out legal drama by day, living the starving artist life by night. It’s wild to think about how many actors have side gigs, but court reporting? That’s a whole other level of multitasking. Plus, you gotta have nerves of steel to sit through endless cases and still have the energy to memorize lines later. Honestly, respect. Most people would’ve packed it in way sooner. But nope, he stuck with it, typing away in the city that supposedly never sleeps, just waiting for his big break. Makes you wonder how many future stars are out there, stuck in “real” jobs, just biding their time.
referencennEverybody wants to pick up something new, right? It’s just that most folks bail before they even start, especially when that creeping self-doubt shows up. Man, I remember being a kid in Brooklyn, doing everything I could to cover up what I didn’t know—like, fake it till you make it, but mostly just faking it. Thing is, if you don’t admit you don’t know stuff, you’re just stuck. No progress, just spinning your wheels. I got a wake-up call with Ridley Scott, actually. My agent kept nagging me to check out this commercial director’s showreel and I kept blowing him off. I mean, a commercial director? Seriously? But, finally, I caved and watched it. Holy crap, it was incredible. Changed my whole perspective. Sometimes you just gotta swallow your pride and admit you don’t know everything. Wild, huh?
May 13, 1939
5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Yes, Stella Keitel
Miriam Klein and Surekha
86 years old