The actor, who is seen in Netflix's "The Irishman" and "Joker", will receive the performers' union's top accolade at the 26th annual SAG Awards on January 19 at the Shrine Auditorium here, reports variety.com.
De Niro said: "I have been a member of this union for over 50 years. It's an honour to receive this award from SAG-AFTRA."
The award is given annually to an actor who fosters the "finest ideals of the acting profession".
"Robert De Niro is an actor of extraordinary depth and ability," said SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris.
"The characters he creates captivate our imaginations. From the smouldering inferno of young Vito Corleone to the raging bull Jake Lamotta and everybody's grandpa Ben Whittaker, he continues to touch our hearts and open our minds to new and exciting worlds of understanding and emotion. It is my great privilege to announce that SAG-AFTRA's highest honour will be presented to one of the most singular talents of our generation, Robert De Niro," Carteris added.
De Niro won Academy Awards for "The Godfather Part II" and "Raging Bull". He was nominated for "Taxi Driver", "The Deer Hunter", "Awakenings", "Cape Fear" and "Silver Linings Playbook".
De Niro won a SAG Award as a cast member of "American Hustle" and received SAG Award nominations for "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Marvin's Room". He broke out in 1973 with "Bang the Drum Slowly" and "Mean Streets", the first of nine collaborations with director Martin Scorsese. Those collaborations have included "Goodfellas", "Cape Fear", "Casino" and "The Irishman".
De Niro received Emmy nominations for starring in and producing "Wizard of Lies" and for executive producing "When They See Us".
( With inputs from IANS )