Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest directors in movie history, having created a string of widely praised and incredibly popular films. Many of his most popular films belong to the gangster/crime genre, but his filmography is also peppered with dark comedies, sports dramas, biopics, historical romances, and even a musical.
While not every Scorsese movie is a winner, he has enjoyed a stellar ratio of good-to-bad movies. All of his movies, even the weaker ones, are worth watching to some degree. And when Scorsese is on, he is really on. This incredible talent also has an amazing personal story.
His Surname Is Due To A Transcription Error
If it wasn't for a particular transcription error, then Martin Scorsese's name would be Martin Scozzese. His paternal grandparents were named Francesco Paolo and Teresa Scozzese, and they emigrated from a town in Palermo, Italy, called Polizzi Generosa.
Upon emigration, a transcription error officially changed the family name from Scozzese to Scorsese. Martin's father was born Charles Scorsese in New York City following his parent's emigration, and his son, Martin, carried on the "Scorsese" name.
He Watched Movies Because He Couldn't Play Sports
Martin Scorsese suffered from horrible asthma as a child, and it often prevented him from playing with the neighborhood children. In a New York Times piece, Scorsese's mother, Catherine, said, "Marty was always the quiet type because of the asthma and the breathing problems. You know, he was excused from playing ball, so he just watched the others."
Instead of playing sports or games with the neighborhood kids, Scorsese would instead go to the movies. He quickly developed an intense love of film, and the rest is history.
Black Narcissus
Released in 1947, Black Narcissus is a psychological drama about nuns trying to establish a convent in the Himalayas. Over time, the isolation and stress drive them mad. At the time, the movie received widespread praise for its technical filmmaking and use of color, and it had a profound effect on the young Martin Scorsese (who was just four years old when the movie was released).
On the movie's Criterion DVD commentary, Scorsese admitted that Black Narcissus served as a major influence on his future movies.
He Failed Priest School
Despite harboring a love of movies, filmmaking was not Scorsese's original passion. Rather, he had actually trained to become a priest and attended a school of theology after graduating from high school. However, he failed and dropped out after just one year.
During an interview with Jesuit Fr. Antonio Spadaro, Scorsese said, "When I was younger, I was thinking of making a film about being a priest. I myself wanted to follow in Fr. Principe's footsteps, so to speak, and be a priest. I went to a preparatory seminary but I failed out the first year."
He Met Longtime Collaborators In University
Following his failure in the preparatory seminary, Scorsese went on to study film in college. He earned a B.A. from Washington Square College and later embarked on earning a master's degree from New York University's School of the Arts - which is now more famously known as Tisch School of the Arts.
While there, he met both Harvey Keitel and Thelma Schoonmaker, both of whom worked on Scorsese's debut movie, Who's That Knocking at My Door. Both would become longtime collaborators, with Keitel acting in and Schoonmaker editing his films.
He Was Introduced To Robert De Niro Through Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma is quite a popular and influential director, having directed a variety of highly acclaimed gangster and crime films. Scorsese became friends with De Palma in the early 1970s, and De Palma eventually introduced Scorsese to Robert De Niro.
It would prove one of the most important meetings in movie history, as De Niro and Scorsese became longtime collaborators. De Niro would later win the Academy Award under Scorsese's direction for Raging Bull.
He Was Greatly Inspired By John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes was both an acclaimed actor (having received an Oscar nomination for The Dirty Dozen) and a pioneer of independent filmmaking. Most of his movies were made for very little money, and the budgets were mostly paid by Cassavetes himself.
Scorsese met Cassavetes in the early 1970s, and Cassavetes quickly became a mentor figure for the budding filmmaker. He inspired Scorsese to make his own movies, and this eventually led to the release of Mean Streets in 1973 - which was made for a paltry $500,000.
His First Big Budget Movie Was A Bomb
Mean Streets was released in 1973. This was followed by the dramedy Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, which was made for $1.8 million. This in turn was followed by Taxi Driver in 1976, which was made for $1.9 million.
Taxi Driver proved a huge success, winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes and being nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. This led to his next film, the Liza Minnelli-led musical New York, New York, being made for $14 million. Unfortunately, the film did not perform well - either critically or commercially.
The Failure Led To Depression
Unfortunately, the critical and commercial failure of New York, New York led Martin Scorsese into a depressive state. He was greatly upset over the movie's failure, and he quickly spiraled into unhealthy habits and obsessions. He developed a significant cocaine addiction, and this addiction eventually landed Scorsese in the hospital.
In a piece for The New Yorker, journalist Mark Singer wrote, "Scorsese was more than mildly depressed. Drug abuse, and abuse of his body in general, culminated in a terrifying episode of internal bleeding."
He Has Been Married Five Times
Scorsese has been married five times since 1965, first getting married when he was just 23 years old. His first marriage was to a woman named Laraine Marie Brennan, whom he divorced in 1971. Then came Julia Cameron, whom Scorsese was married to for just one year between 1976 and 1977.
His third wife was Italian-American actress Isabella Rossellini, whom he married in 1979 and divorced in 1982. This was followed by a marriage to film producer Barbara De Fina, and they stayed together from 1985 to 1991. He married his fifth wife, Helen Schermerhorn Morris, in 1999 and they remain married to this day.