Martin Scorsese is an American filmmaker widely considered one of the greatest and most influential directors in the history of cinema. Born Martin Charles Scorsese on November 17, 1942, in Queens, New York City, he is 83 years old as of November 2026 — he turns 84 on November 17, 2026. At 5 feet 4 inches tall, Scorsese has made some of the most acclaimed films ever made, including Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), and The Departed (2006), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director. He is married to Helen Morris Scorsese, and his net worth is approximately $200 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2025).
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Martin Charles Scorsese |
| Born | November 17, 1942 (age 83) |
| Birthplace | Queens, New York City, United States |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) |
| Occupation | Film Director, Producer, Screenwriter |
| Wife | Helen Morris Scorsese (married 1999) |
| Children | 3 (Cathy, Domenica, Francesca) |
| Net Worth | Approx. $200 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2025) |
| Nationality | American |
Who Is Martin Scorsese?
Martin Scorsese is one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, a director whose films have shaped American cinema for more than five decades. He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director 10 times — more than any other living director — and won once, for The Departed (2006). His many honors include an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and three Golden Globe Awards, along with the AFI Life Achievement Award (1997), the Kennedy Center Honor (2007), the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2010), and the BAFTA Fellowship (2012). Five of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Scorsese is also one of cinema’s great collaborators and preservationists. He has made 10 films with Robert De Niro and six with Leonardo DiCaprio, and he founded The Film Foundation in 1990, an organization dedicated to preserving and restoring motion pictures. His films are known for their vivid use of popular music, long tracking shots, and unflinching explorations of guilt, faith, and redemption in American life.
Early Life & Background
Martin Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942, in Queens, New York City, to Sicilian immigrant parents Luciano Charles Scorsese and Catherine Cappa, and raised in the Little Italy neighborhood of Manhattan. As a child, he suffered from severe asthma and could not play sports, so he spent his time at the movies with his father and older brother — an experience that sparked his lifelong love of cinema. He attended Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx and briefly considered the priesthood, studying at a seminary for a year before leaving.
Scorsese went on to study film at New York University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1964 and a Master of Fine Arts in 1968. His early short films included What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (1963), and his feature debut was Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967), made with Harvey Keitel. His breakthrough feature, Mean Streets (1973), paired Keitel with Robert De Niro and established the gritty, music-driven style that would define his work.
Career
Scorsese’s first masterpiece was Taxi Driver (1976), written by Paul Schrader and starring Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle, a disturbed New York cab driver. The film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He followed it with Raging Bull (1980), the story of boxer Jake LaMotta, for which De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Actor and Scorsese earned his first Best Director nomination. The King of Comedy (1982) and The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), the latter earning him another Best Director nomination, cemented his reputation as one of the boldest filmmakers of his generation.
Goodfellas (1990), his epic of mob life starring De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta, received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, with Pesci winning Best Supporting Actor. Scorsese reunited with De Niro for Casino (1995) and then began his long collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio in Gangs of New York (2002) and The Aviator (2004). Their third film together, the Boston crime drama The Departed (2006), won Best Picture, and Scorsese finally won the Academy Award for Best Director on his sixth nomination in the category.
Scorsese’s later career brought new triumphs. Hugo (2011) received 11 Academy Award nominations and won five, and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), starring Leonardo DiCaprio as stockbroker Jordan Belfort, grossed more than $407 million worldwide. Silence (2016), his long-planned drama about Jesuit missionaries in Japan, was followed by the epic crime saga The Irishman (2019), which reunited De Niro with Al Pacino and Joe Pesci and earned 10 Academy Award nominations. He then directed Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), about the Osage murders in 1920s Oklahoma, which also received 10 Academy Award nominations. Scorsese is also one of the great documentary filmmakers, known for The Last Waltz (1978), about The Band, and films about Bob Dylan and George Harrison.
Facts About Martin Scorsese
- He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director 10 times — more than any other living director — and won once, for The Departed (2006).
- Five of his films — Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and The Last Waltz — have been inducted into the National Film Registry.
- He founded The Film Foundation in 1990, which has preserved and restored hundreds of films from around the world.
- As a child, he suffered from severe asthma and could not play sports; he spent his time at the movies with his father, which sparked his love of cinema.
- He has made 10 films with Robert De Niro and six films with Leonardo DiCaprio.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Martin Scorsese?
As of November 2026, Martin Scorsese is 83 years old. He was born on November 17, 1942, in Queens, New York City. He turns 84 on November 17, 2026.
How tall is Martin Scorsese?
Martin Scorsese is 5 feet 4 inches tall (163 cm).
Who is Martin Scorsese’s wife?
Martin Scorsese is married to Helen Morris Scorsese. They married in 1999, and she is his fifth wife. He has three children: Cathy, Domenica, and Francesca.
What is Martin Scorsese’s net worth?
Martin Scorsese’s net worth is approximately $200 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2025), earned through his directing and producing career, including Goodfellas, The Departed, and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Has Martin Scorsese won an Oscar?
Yes. Martin Scorsese won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed (2006), which also won Best Picture. It was his sixth nomination in the category; he has been nominated for Best Director 10 times in total.