Turns out, De Niro is indeed a king of comedy

With an uncanny ability to disappear into varied roles, Robert De Niro has built a career as a serious actor, often playing frightening and complex characters, whether it’s a brooding young mafia don in “The Godfather Part II” or a psychopath in “Cape Fear.”

Yet, early on, De Niro proved he also had uncanny comic timing when he played the charmingly delusional fan pestering a popular late-night talk show host (Jerry Lewis) in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed 1983 black comedy, “The King of Comedy.” In the 1988 hit “Midnight Run,” De Niro has a hilarious turn as a bounty hunter first trying to capture and later trying to protect accountant Charles Grodin.

But it’s only in recent years that De Niro’s talent as a comedian has rivaled the serious roles that made him an international movie star.

The turning point came in the 1999 gangland comedy, “Analyze This,” where De Niro plays mob boss Paul Vitti, who, suffering a nervous breakdown, seeks counseling from a psychotherapist played by Billy Crystal. Watching De Niro cock his head and wag his finger at Crystal and tell him, “You, you ... you’re good, you” had audiences howling. The film grossed $106.7 million in North America.

The next year, De Niro teamed with Ben Stiller in the blockbuster comedy “Meet the Parents,” which grossed $166.2 million. To be sure, not all his comedies have been hits--witness “Showtime” with Eddie Murphy ($37.9 million) and “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle” ($26 million)--but De Niro has managed to cross over into comedy with more success than most serious actors.

This Friday, De Niro returns to the screen opposite Crystal in the sequel, “Analyze That.” This time around, mob boss Vitti, apparently suffering a nervous breakdown, is released from prison into the custody of his former psychotherapist.

“De Niro has had a real renaissance in his career by doing comedy,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. “He has gained a whole new generation of fans from people who would not necessarily want to see his earlier films like ‘Raging Bull’ or ‘Taxi Driver.’ ”