Incredibly, it has been fifty years since the release of Taxi Driver, one of Martin Scorsese’s first major hits, three years after directing his breakthrough film Mean Streets.
Taxi Driver filmed in the summer of 1975 with a low budget of $1.9 million (roughly $11 million today), and featured Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Albert Brooks, Peter Boyle, and Jodie Foster, who was only 12 years old at the time.
The film, which was nominated for Best Picture at the 1976 Academy Awards (a nod that ultimately went to Rocky), is set in a decaying New York City following the Vietnam War, and follows Travis Bickle (De Niro), a morally ambiguous, increasingly alienated, veteran Marine and taxi driver with a deteriorating mental state.
The film also features a haunting (and his final) score by Bernard Herrmann, who died hours after finishing the recording of the soundtrack, from an apparent heart attack on Christmas Eve, and to whom the film is dedicated.
In honor of the milestone anniversary, see then-and-now photos of the main cast, and where they are now.
Jodie Foster as Iris
Jodie, 63, was 12 years old when she starred as a child prostitute in Taxi Driver. During her freshman year at Yale in 1980, she became the subject of John Hinckley Jr.’s obsession and stalking, inspired by Taxi Driver, and he went on to try to murder Ronald Reagan, in an attempt to allegedly impress Jodie. She also received an Oscar nomination for Taxi Driver, the first of five total nominations. Her most recent film was 2025’s A Private Life.
Cybill Shepherd as Betsy
Cybill, 75, was 25 years old when she filmed Taxi Driver, ten years before she appeared opposite Bruce Willis on their comedy series Moonlighting, for which she won two Golden Globes for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy. Her most recent film was the 2023 TV movie How to Murder Your Husband.
Harvey Keitel as Sport
Harvey, 86, was 36 years old when he filmed Taxi Driver. He also appeared on Scorsese’s Mean Streets three years prior, and among his nearly 200 acting credits are also Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. His most recent film was Hellfire, which releases February 17, 2026.
Albert Brooks as Tom
Albert, 78, was 28 years old when he filmed Taxi Driver. His other notable roles include Lost in America (1985), Defending Your Life (1991), Drive (2011), and Broadcast News (1987) for which he was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Oscars. His most recent film role was in 2025’s Ella McCay.
Peter Boyle as Wizard
Peter was 40 years old when Taxi Driver was filmed. After Taxi Driver, one of his most famous roles was as Frank Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond, which filmed from 1996 to 2005. Peter’s last film role was in 2008’s All Roads Lead Home, which came out two years after his death aged 71 in 2006, after suffering from multiple myeloma and heart disease.
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