In response, the heads of the movie studios adopted a voluntary 'code', hoping to head off legislation. The public - and government - had felt that films in the '20's had become increasingly risque and that the behavior of its stars was becoming scandalous. In 1930, when he was only 9 years old, as head of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, William Hays established a code of decency that outlined what was acceptable in films. His films were at first banned - the ban was lifted after a year - and he was mostly ostracized by the community. He was acquitted after three trials and the jury wrote a formal letter apologizing for the charges, but his career never recovered. In 1921, in the year that Giacobbe 'Jake' LaMotta was born, hugely popular Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, silent film star, was arrested for rape and manslaughter after an actress died following a party at his house. “It had heart,” he said.Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Giacobbe's lifetime. In a 2013 interview with Time, the actor recalled reading La Motta’s memoir for the first time and being moved by his story. Though Scorsese directed the movie, it was De Niro’s idea to make the film-to the point where it became his obsession. To boxing and film fans, La Motta will forever be known as the Raging Bull, an unforgettable fighter and subject of the eponymous black-and-white drama, which starred a young De Niro as the hotheaded champ.

In a short statement, Robert De Niro acknowledged La Motta’s passing: “Rest in Peace, Champ.” “I just want people to know, he was a great, sweet, sensitive, strong, compelling man with a great sense of humor, with eyes that danced,” she told the outlet. TMZ first reported the news on Wednesday, revealing that the boxer’s wife said he died in a nursing home due to complications from pneumonia. Jack La Motta, the fiery boxer whose life story was immortalized in the 1980 Martin Scorsese-directed film Raging Bull, has died.

Jake lamotta biography