Ridley Scott cast Keitel as the sympathetic policeman in Thelma and Louise in 1991. White' relaunched his semi-slumping career. Keitel starred in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs in 1992, where his performance as 'Mr. Throughout the 1980s, Keitel continued to find plenty of work on both stage and screen, but was usually in the stereotypical role of a thug. At the end of the 1970s, Keitel was mostly working in European films for directors such as Ridley Scott, usually in sinister character parts. After this, it was many years before he would be able to get anything other than minor roles. Originally, Keitel was to have played the role of Captain Willard in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now however, he was fired early in the production and replaced by Martin Sheen. He later appeared with De Niro in Taxi Driver, playing the role of Jodie Foster's pimp. Keitel had the starring role in Scorsese's Mean Streets but this proved to be Robert De Niro's breakthrough film. Since then, Scorsese and Keitel have worked together on numerous projects. During this time, Keitel met struggling filmmaker Martin Scorsese and gained a part in Scorsese's student production, Who's That Knocking at My Door. Keitel studied under both Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg and at the HB Studio, eventually landing roles in some off-Broadway productions. After his return to the United States, he was a court reporter and was able to support himself before beginning his acting career.

At the age of 16, he decided to join the United States Marine Corps, a decision that took him to Lebanon. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School (New York). Keitel grew up in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn with his sister, Renee, and brother, Jerry. His parents owned and ran a luncheonette and his father also worked as a hat maker. Keitel was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the son of Miriam and Harry Keitel, Jewish immigrants from Romania and Poland.

Stella keitel