Robert De Niro. Photo: David Shankbone.

JNS.org – Famed Actor Robert De Niro, known for his toughness and aggressive personality on the big screen, said he appreciates a similar quality in the Israeli people.

“I always enjoy coming to Israel. Israelis are warm, they’re energetic people. Forthright. Very smart. I always like smart people. They’re nice people, you know. Aggressive, and I respect that aggressiveness because you need it in their situation,” De Niro said June 19 at the President’s Conference in Jerusalem, the Times of Israel reported.

De Niro—who was born to a Catholic father and Presbyterian mother, and whose grandparents had him baptized while he was living with them during his parents’ divorce—has played a number of Catholic roles in his movies, including “The Godfather Part II” and “The Mission” (in which he played a priest). De Niro’s signature toughness is perhaps best portrayed in the famous “You talkin’ to me?” exchange from the movie “Taxi Driver.”