Robert De Niro, as an actor, has created some of the most memorable scenes in cinematic history, but he isn't the only artist from his New York based family.

The 70 year-old is bringing the story of his late father Robert De Niro Sr., an abstract expressionist painter, whose work was part of the post WWII art scene, to the small screen.

De Niro's father, who died in 1993 from prostate cancer (71), was successful in the 1940s and 50s but as time passed, so did the style, and as the pop-art of the 60s rolled in, De Niro Sr., began to struggle.

The Oscar winner displayed some of his father's paintings at the Sundance Film Festival, where the documentary premiered, in the Julie Nestor Gallery in Park City, and hosted a reception to discuss its purpose.

De Niro stated, "I wanted to make a documentary about my father with footage, whatever footage we had; people, whoever was around that were still with us."

"I wanted to have them interviewed and talk about him and have it for the family, for my kids, the grandkids," he said, according to the Associated Press.

Adding, "And then it went this way that HBO picked it up which is really great."

The 'Raging Bull' actor also commented on what he what his father's opinion of the documentary might be.

"He would be flattered on the one hand and say, 'Well, I don't know, that's not accurate' or this or that," he continued.

The documentary is a surprising look into the personal life of De Niro, who is known for being very private, and depicts his father's depression, his struggles to get along with art gallery owners and refusal to conform to other styles.

The 'Silver Linings Playbook' actor is also featured in the HBO doc, reading out of his father's journals which reveal he left De Niro's mother when realising he was gay.

The documentary will premiere on HBO this June and it is called 'Remembering the Artist Robert De Niro Sr'.

Robert De Niro
De Niro honors father in documentary