He's talking to you: De Niro delivers commencement speech
Notorious for his blunt attitude and impeccable acting, Academy Award winner Robert De Niro recently delivered a commencement speech to a small liberal arts school in Maine. Even though he didn't finish high school, De Niro was given an honorary doctorate for his work in fine arts during the graduation ceremony.
After throwing around a few jokes about his lack of higher education and how he's saved a quarter of a million dollars by skipping college, De Niro's tone got more serious as he provided the recent graduates with Oscar-worthy advice.
"My mother would be so proud to see her son, who never graduated high school, standing up here, receiving this honorary doctorate of fine arts," he told the 463 graduates and 5,000 spectators. "If you're an actor, always be true to your character. If you're not an actor, always have character and always be true to yourself."
De Niro can now add an honorary degree to his lengthy list of accolades, which already includes Oscars for his performances in "Raging Bull" and "The Godfather, Part II."
