Top 10 Interesting Facts About Harvey Keitel   

Actor Harvey Keitel. Photo By Edwin L. Wriston – Wikimedia

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Harvey Keitel   

Harvey Keitel is a Jewish American actor and producer, best known for acting in tough guy roles in many movies. He is a Hollywood Icon, having acted for many decades. This award-winning actor started acting in the 1960s and does both stage and screen. 

Harvey mostly stars in Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino movies and even acted in their first films before they made names for themselves in the film industry. Known for his Brooklyn accent and the intensity of his performances, this actor has also starred severally in films featuring his friend Robert de Niro, another Hollywood Icon. 

At just 5 feet and 7.5 inches tall, Harvey may not be very tall but he has a long list of film credits both as an actor and as a producer. Here are the top 10 interesting facts about Harvey Keitel. 

1. Harvey’s Parents Were Immigrants And They Owned A Luncheonette   

Harvey Keitel was born on 13th May 1939 in Brooklyn, New York City to Miriam and Harry Keitel. The couple had three children and Harvey was their youngest. Harvey had two older siblings, his sister Renne and his brother Jerry.  

His mum had migrated from Romania and his dad from Poland, before settling in New York. They raised their children in Brighton Beach, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. The family spoke English and tried their best to fit in.  

To sustain his family, Harvey’s dad had a job as a hatmaker. The family had a small restaurant business that was run by his mum with help from her husband and children whenever they were available. When he was younger, he was either fixing a burger and shake or eating one. 

2. He Served In The U.S Marine 

Harvey Keitel. Photo By David Shankbone – Wikimedia Commons

Harvey went to Abraham Lincoln High School when Dr. Gabriel R. Mason was the principal. He is listed as one of their notable alumni. After graduating from school, he joined the US Marine Corps in 1956 when he was just 17 years old. 

He was part of the U.S. team that invaded Lebanon, in 1958. The mission was called “Operation Blue Bat” and he even won a medal for his service as a fire team leader. He left the service in 1959, after working for 3 years. Harvey says his service in the military was an important part of his life and helped shape the man he is today. 

Here are facts about R. Lee Ermey, an actor who served as a Marine too. 

3. Harvey Worked As A Court Stenographer And Shoes Salesman 

After his discharge from the United States Marine Corps, Harvey went on to work as a salesman at a store that specialized in women’s shoes, and he also worked as a court stenographer for a while before he began his acting career.  

His job in court entailed typing the proceedings using a stenographic machine, thereby transforming the proceedings into an official certified transcript. His experience in all his previous jobs gave him a unique insight into the different fields, which came in handy when he started acting. 

4. He Took Acting Classes  

Harvey developed an interest in acting and he decided to take acting classes. He enrolled at the HB Studio in New York to learn the craft. At the prestigious studio, he was lucky to be trained by two of the best and most influential acting teachers, Stella Adler and Frank Corsaro.  

Adler was a well-known acting coach with a unique acting technique, while Corsaro was a director and teacher who was instrumental in developing the Method Acting technique. The training helped him become a successful actor. It was while at the studio that he met his lifelong friend Robert De Niro when they were both students under Stella Adler. 

5. Harvey And Robert De Niro Have Acted Together In Many Films 

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From the first time Harvey met Robert, he knew it was going to be a lifetime friendship. When De Niro was offered a supporting role in “Mean Streets” the 1973 film, he wasn’t sure if he should take it but Harvey talked him into it.  

It was through that movie that Robert De Niro met Martin Scorsese and together with Harvey, the three went from coworkers to life-long friends, leading to roles in many other incredible films and monumental careers. 

Taxi Driver, Little Fockers, Cop Land, Mean Streets, Falling In Love, The Comedian, The Vault, and Irish Man among others are some of the films in that Harvey and Robert have acted together. They are as thick as thieves.  

Did you know Harvey met his wife Daphna for the first time at a party hosted by De Niro? The two lost touch for 17 years before reconnecting again at yet another De Niro party and they got married two weeks later. 

Here are outstanding facts about Robert De Niro.

6. He Has Worked With First Time Directors, Helping Launch Their Careers 

Harvey has starred in debuts for different directors of different generations. He also acted in movies that would launch their careers, and some of these directors turned out to be the most talented in American cinematic history.  

Some of the movies he did when the directors were new in the industry and just starting are ‘Who’s That Knocking at My Door’ by Martin Scorsese in 1967, ‘The Duellists’ in 1977 by Ridley Scott, ‘Fingers’ by James Toback in 1978 and Reservoir Dogs by Quentin Tarantino in 1992.   

Harvey also featured in Martin Scorsese’s ‘Mean Streets’ in 1973 and Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction’ in 1994. These movies were so successful they changed the lives of young directors, and these two continually defy expectations with every film they make. 

Here is a list of the 35 best mafia movies to watch that includes some of Harvey’s best works.

7. Harvey Is An Honorary Romanian 

Actor Harvey Keitel. Photo By Edwin L. Wriston – Wikimedia  

In 2017, during a work trip to Cluj-Napoca in Romania, Harvey took some time to visit his mother’s birthplace in Leordina, Maramures county of northern Romania. He grew up there, living in a commune until she was 12 years old. After visiting his mother’s house, he went to the Jewish cemetery where his ancestors are buried.  

The community welcomed the actor with traditional food plus drinks, and they gave him a traditional costume. The authorities named him an honorary citizen of the commune and promised to restore his mother’s old house. 

8. He Is A Father Of Three 

Harvey Keitel and wife Daphna Kastner. Photo By David Shankbone – Wikimedia

Stella Keitel, Hudson Karmazin Keitel, and Roman Keitel are Harvey’s 3 children from different mothers. The actor was in a long-term relationship from 1982 to 1993 with actress Lorraine Bracco. They got a daughter, Stella Keitel, who was born on 10th December 1985 and is now an actress. Their relationship had a bitter ending where they got into a prolonged battle over their daughter’s custody. 

Later, in 2000, he got into a brief relationship with Lisa Karmazin, a San Diego-based potter. She got pregnant and gave birth to a son, Hudson Keitel, in 2001. Lisa also engaged him in a lengthy court battle over child-support payments for their son.   

Harvey secretly married his current wife, Daphna Kastner, a Canadian actress in October 2001 and they got a child Roman Keitel in August 2004. 

9. Harvey Was A President Of The Actors Studio 

Harvey Keitel was co-president of the Actors Studio alongside Ellen Burstyn and Al Pacino from 1995 to 2017. He was replaced by Alec Baldwin.  

The Actors Studio is both a place and a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors, and playwrights. It has two locations, one in New York City and the other in West Hollywood. 

10. He Is A Seasoned Award-winning Actor 

Harvey Keitel. Photo By David Shankbone – Wikimedia Commons

Harvey Keitel first appeared in the American television sitcom ‘Hogan’s Heroes’ in 1966. Over the years, he has acted in 5 theater shows, 21 tv shows, and close to 130 films. He has been nominated severally over the years for different awards and he has won a good number of these and taken second place in others. 

Harvey Keitel has made a name for himself over the years, overcoming many challenges. 

Check out America’s most popular actors here.