There's a new role for Robert De Niro: cancer patient.
The Oscar-winning actor, hailed as the best of his generation, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, De Niro's publicist Stan Rosenfield said in a statement Monday.
A full recovery is expected.
"Doctors say the condition was detected at an early stage because of regular checkups, a result of his proactive personal health-care program," Rosenfield said.
An estimated one in six American males will face prostate cancer in his lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. This year alone, the organization expects nearly 221,000 new diagnoses. The good news is that the mortality rate is shrinking--one in 32 men will die of the disease.
Other celebs who have braved, and survived, prostate cancer include actor Charlton Heston, singer Harry Belafonte and New York Yankees manager Joe Torre. Rocker Frank Zappa was among those who lost the battle, dying in 1993, at age 52.
The risk for the disease increases substantially after a man's 50th birthday. The twice-divorced De Niro turned 60 in August.
According to IMDb.com, the always-in-demand actor has six films in various stages of production, including the family friendly Shark Tale, a CGI 'toon due in 2004, in which he voices a mobster fish.
De Niro was last seen onscreen in Analyze That, the underperforming 2002 sequel to his 1999 hit Analyze This. In that movie, as in Shark Tale and several others, he played a crime kingpin.
In addition to his film work, De Niro has plenty of other business ventures on his plate, including the TriBeCa Film Center in Manhattan and West Hollywood's trendy restaurant Ago.
De Niro is a six-time Academy Award nominee and a two-time winner, claiming a Best Actor trophy for Raging Bull and Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II.