Joe Pesci Thomas DeSimone) in "Goodfellas"; he had been previously nominated for the same award for his role as Joey LaMotta in "Raging Bull". Also a comedian, Pesci has starred in a number of other high-profile films, including "Easy Money" (1983), "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984), "Moonwalker" (1988), "JFK" (1991), and "A Bronx Tale" (1993). He announced his retirement from acting in 1999, and since then he has appeared only occasionally in films, including a cameo appearance in the 2006 spy thriller "The Good Shepherd", directed by De Niro, and in the biographical crime film "The Irishman". He is also
Robert De Niro successful at the box office. De Niro had to turn down a role in "The Departed" (2006) due to commitments with preparing "The Good Shepherd" (2006). He said: "I wanted to. I wish I could've been able to, but I was preparing "The Good Shepherd" so much that I couldn't take the time to. I was trying to figure a way to do it while I was preparing. It just didn't seem possible." In June 2006, it was announced that De Niro had donated his film archive (including scripts, costumes, and props) to the Harry Ransom Center at the University