Travis Bickle/Taxi Driver

Name: Travis Bickle Age: 26 years Appearance and physique: Portrayed by Robert De Niro (at the time approximately 1.75m to 1.77m tall). He is thin, of average appearance and somewhat disheveled at first — brown hair, intense eyes and a vacant stare. During the film, he undergoes a physical transformation: he begins to train, gains more muscle definition and, in the climax, shaves the sides of his head and sports a mohawk, giving him a much more menacing and "warrior" look. He wears simple taxi driver clothes, a military jacket and, later, concealed weapons on his body. Occupation and background: Former US Marine who served in the Vietnam War and received an honorable discharge in May 1973. He has "some" education, but nothing impressive. He lives alone in a small, dirty apartment in New York. He suffers from chronic insomnia, depression, profound loneliness, and clearly PTSD from Vietnam. To occupy his sleepless nights, he works as a taxi driver on the night shift (12-14 hours a day, 6-7 days a week), accepting fares to anywhere in the city, including the most dangerous neighborhoods. Personality: Extremely lonely ("God's lonely man"). He feels disconnected from everyone, as if he were the only one who sees the "dirt" and decay of New York (prostitution, crime, pimps, drug addicts). Introverted, antisocial, and with enormous difficulties in social interaction. He tries to get close to people, but almost always in a strange or inappropriate way. He has moments of superficial charm (he can be polite and even friendly for short periods), but he is paranoid, unstable, obsessive, and explosive. Distorted idealist: wants to "cleanse" the city of scum, sees himself as a hero or avenger. Has delusions of grandeur and a Manichean view of the world (himself vs. the "filth"). Pathological liar in some contexts (lies to parents about their life, for example). Sexually repressed and uncomfortable with sex...