Who is Robert De Niro?
Robert De Niro is an American actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the best actors of his generation.
Robert De Niro has collaborated with fellow American film actor and producer, Martins Scorcese in several film projects which turned successful.
Robert De Niro’s full name is Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. He was born on August 17, 1943, in New York City, United States. He is 79 years old as of May 2023.
Robert De Niro’s family
Robert De Niro was born to Robert De Niro Sr (father) and Virginia Admiral (mother). The veteran actor was raised by his mother in the Greenwich Village and Little Italy neighborhoods of Manhattan, United States. His father was a painter who is of Irish and Italian descent while his mother was also a painter who has Dutch, English, French, and German ancestry.
De Niro’s parents met at the painting classes of Hans Hofmann in Provincetown, Massachusetts, United States. They got married in 1942 and divorced in 1945 (two years after Robert was born). According to reports, his parents separated when Robert was two years old after his father announced he was gay.
About Robert De Niro’s father- Robert De Niro Sr
Robert De Niro Sr was an American abstract expressionist painter popularly known as the father of actor Robert De Niro. He was born on May 3, 1922, in Syracuse, New York, United States. He died on May 3, 1993, in New York City, United States at the age of 77.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Robert Sr showcased his art in museums and galleries throughout the United States. He also taught at several art schools and colleges including the New York Studio School, the Cooper Union, the New School for Social Research, and the School of Visual Arts.
His work is also included in several museum collections. The 1993 film titled “A Bronx Tale” was dedicated to Robert Sr after his death. He is also the subject of the 2014 short documentary “Remembering the Artist”. He got married to Virginia Admiral (Robert De Niro’s mother) in 1942 and they divorced in 1945. They had only one child.
About Robert De Niro’s mother- Virginia Admiral
Virginia Admiral also known as Virginia De Niro was an American painter and poet popularly known as the mother of Robert De Niro. She was born on February 4, 1915, in Dallas, Oregon, United States. She died in July 2000 at the age of 85 in New York, United States.
Before her death, Virginia exhibited her art in the Springs Salon for Young Artists at Peggy Guggenheim’s “Art of This Century Gallery” in Manhattan, United States. She was also active in political movements against American involvement in the Vietnam War and for the rights of artists and the poor. She got married to Robert De Niro Sr (Robert De Niro’s father) in 1942 and they got divorced in 1945. They had only one child.
Robert De Niro’s siblings
Robert De Niro is the only child of his parents. According to reports, he does not have any siblings.
Robert De Niro’s marriage and wedding
As of the time of publishing this article (May 2023), Robert De Niro is divorced.
The actor has been married twice in the past – first to actress and singer Diahnne Abbott, whom he was married to between 1976 and 1988, and then to socialite Grace Hightower, between 1997 and 2018. As of the time of writing, Robert De Niro is believed to be in a relationship with martial arts instructor Tiffany Chen since 2021. The pair have been spotted together on many occasions but have not spoken publicly about their relationship.
List of Robert De Niro’s past girlfriends/ relationships
Below is a list of the women Robert De Niro has dated in the past. The list also includes his ex-wives Diahnne Abbott and Grace Hightower and his current partner Tiffany Chen.
- Robert De Niro was in a relationship with Leigh Taylor-Young in 1971y.
- Robert De Niro was married to Diahnne Abbott in 1976.
- Robert De Niro was in a relationship with Helena Springs in 1979.
- Robert De Niro was in a relationship with Toukie Smith in 1988.
- Robert De Niro was in a relationship with Charmaine Sinclair in 1993.
- Robert De Niro was in a relationship with Naomi Campbell in 1993.
- Robert De Niro was in a relationship with Stephanie Adams in 1993.
- Robert De Niro was in a relationship with Beatrice Marot in 1993.
- Robert De Niro was married to Grace Hightower in 1997.
- Robert De Niro is believed to be in a relationship with Tiffany Chen in 2023.
About Robert De Niro’s marriage to Diahnne Abbott
Diahnne Abbott is an American actress and singer. She was born on January 1, 1945, in New York City, United States. She is 78 years old as of May 2023.
Robert De Niro and Diahnne Abbott first met on the set of an American neo-noir psychological drama thriller film titled “Taxi Driver” in 1976. They got married that same year and welcomed their first child Raphael De Niro. Robert also adopted Diahnne’s daughter Drena De Niro, from her previous relationship. He and Diahnne divorced in 1998. Further information about their marriage is scarce at this time.
About Robert De Niro’s relationship with Toukie Smith
Toukie Smith is an American actress and model. She was born on September 25, 1952, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. She is 70 years old as of May 2023.
After his divorce from his first wife Diahnne Abbott, Robert De Niro started dating Toukie Smith. They welcomed their twin sons Julian and Aaron De Niro via surrogacy in 1995. A year later, the couple parted ways. Further information about their relationship is scarce at this time.
About Robert De Niro’s marriage to Grace Hightower
Grace Hightower is an American socialite, actress, and flight attendant. She was born on April 7, 1955, in Kilmichael, Mississippi, United States. She is 68 years old as of May 2023.
Robert De Niro and Grace Hightower first met in 1987 while Grace was working as a hostess at a London Chinese restaurant and celebrity hangout. They started dating immediately and later got married in 1997. They welcomed their first son Elliot De Niro in 1998. Unfortunately, their marriage hit the rocks the following year. They filed for divorce in August 1999. The divorce led to a nasty custody battle over their son Elliot. According to reports. Robert De Niro claimed Grace had a violent temper and as a result, he was concerned about Elliot’s well-being. Grace Hightower, on her side, claimed that Robert had a serious drug and alcohol problem.
Luckily, the pair were able to settle their differences amicably as the divorce was never finalized. Instead, they renewed their vows in 2004. The renewal ceremony took place at Robert’s Ulster County farm with a guest list of A-list stars including Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, and Ben Stiller.
In 2011, the couple welcomed their second child Helen Grace De Niro through surrogacy. In 2018, the pair’s marriage came to an end after more than 20 years of being together. After their divorce, the pair were again in a settlement battle over their assets.
According to reports, Grace Hightower will not receive half of Robert De Niro’s wealth after it was revealed that Grace’s average monthly spend was $215,000 on credit cards and $160,000 in cash which caused Robert to run out of money. According to Robert’s attorney Caroline Krauss, the actor’s wealth has depleted over the years and he now owes millions in unpaid taxes.
A court decision was finally made which states that Robert’s income earned during the marriage and other business assets acquired during that time are his separate property. Despite this, the actor will continue to pay his wife $1 million per year in alimony until one of them dies or she remarries.
About Robert De Niro’s relationship with Tiffany Chen
Tiffany Chen is believed to be the current girlfriend of Robert De Niro. She is a martial arts professional. She was born in 1985 in New York City, United States. She is currently 38 years old.
Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen first met in 2015 while filming a movie together. They sparked dating rumours in 2021, three years after his divorce from his second wife Grace Hightower. Despite being spotted on many occasions together, the pair have never spoken publicly about their relationship. In May 2023, Robert De Niro corrected an ET Canada reporter who said he was a father of six, revealing that he had welcomed a seventh child.
At the premiere of Robert De Niro’s latest film “About My Father” in May 2023, Robert’s co-star Kim Cattrall confirmed his relationship with Tiffany Chen and confirmed her status as the mother of Robert’s seventh child. When asked about the baby, Cattrall said:
God bless him. His significant other, Tiffany, is such a beautiful woman. I’m happy for both of them.
Robert De Niro’s kids
As of the time of publishing this article (May 2023), Robert De Niro has seven kids. The actor shares two children with his first wife Diahnne Abbott; two children with his former girlfriend Toukie Smith; two children with his second wife Grace Hightower, and one child with his current partner Tiffany Chen.
His kids include Drena De Niro, Raphael De Niro, Julian De Niro, Aaron De Niro, Elliot De Niro, Helen Grace De Niro, and Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro.
| Name | Age | Gender | Mother |
| Drena De Niro | 51 years old | Female | Diahnne Abbott |
| Raphael De Niro | 46 years old | Male | Diahnne Abbott |
| Julian De Niro | 27 years old | Male | Toukie Smith |
| Aaron Kendrick De Niro | 27 years old | Male | Toukie Smith |
| Elliot De Niro | 25 years old | Male | Grace Hightower |
| Helen Grace De Niro | 11 years old | Female | Grace Hightower |
| Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro | 1 month old | Female | Tiffany Chen |
About Robert De Niro’s kids
a. Drena De Niro
Drena De Niro is the first child of Robert De Niro. She is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the daughter of Diahnne Abbott who was adopted by Robert De Niro after their marriage in 1976. She was born on September 3, 1971, in New York City, United States. She is 51 years old as of May 2023.
Drena De Niro began acting after landing a role in Allison Anders’s “Grace of My Heart”. Since then, Drena has carved out a niche for herself in the entertainment industry. Drena De Niro made her directional debut with the short documentary “Girls & Dolls” in 2001. This documentary follows a young stylist’s obsession with her dolls. The documentary earned her an award at the New York Independent Film/Video Festival in 2001. Drena De Niro was once engaged to an American photographer, Austin Yough, but she called off the engagement as her father disapproved of the relationship. Before their separation, the couple had a son named Leandro De Niro Rodriguez who was welcomed in 2004.
b. Raphael De Niro
Raphael De Niro is the second child of Robert De Niro. He is an American real estate broker and former actor. He is the son of Diahnne Abbott and Robert De Niro. He was born on November 9, 1976, in Los Angeles, California, United States. He is 46 years old as of May 2023.
Raphael has appeared in films that also starred his father, including “Awakening” and “Raging Bull”. He also produced “James Abbott is Gone” (2013), The Documentary West 4th (2007), and Love Streams (1984). Raphael De Niro married Claudine DeMatos in March 2008. The pair separated in 2015 with their divorce being finalized in January 2020. They have three children together. Raphael De Niro later got remarried to fashion stylist Hannah Carnes in March 2020 and they have been together for three years.
c. Julian De Niro
Julian De Niro is the third child of Robert De Niro. He is an American actor. He is one-half of Robert De Niro’s set of twins born to Toukie Smith via surrogate. He was born on October 20, 1995, in New York City, United States. He is 27 years old as of May 2023.
Julian De Niro’s first movie appearance was in the movie “Dubious Battle”. He made his TV debut in 2022 after portraying a young Barack Obama in Showtime’s historical drama series “The First Lady”.
d. Aaron Kendrick De Niro
Aaron De Niro is the fourth child of Robert De Niro. He is the other half of Robert De Niro’s set of twins born to Toukie Smith via surrogate. He was born on October 20, 1995, in New York City, United States. He is 27 years old as of May 2023.
Aaron De Niro is credited with working on the 2020 animation feature, “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run.” Further information about him is scarce at this time.
e. Elliot De Niro
Elliot De Niro is the fifth child of Robert De Niro. He was born to Robert De Niro and his second wife Grace Hightower. He was born on March 18, 1998, in New York, United States. He is 25 years old as of May 2023.
In 2016, Robert De Niro revealed that Elliot had been diagnosed with autism as a young child. Despite this, Elliot De Niro has gained recognition for his accomplishments as a tennis player in the Special Olympics. Further information about him is scarce at this time.
f. Helen Grace De Niro
Helen Grace De Niro is the sixth child of Robert De Niro. She was born to Robert De Niro and his second wife Grace Hightower. She was born on December 23, 2011, via surrogate. She is 11 years old as of May 2023.
Despite her parents’ status, Helen Grace De Niro has been kept out of the public eye. Further information about her is scarce at this time.
g. Gia Virginia Chen De Niro
Gia Virginia Chen De Niro is the youngest daughter of Robert De Niro. She was born to Robert De Niro and his current girlfriend Tiffany Chen (38). She was born on April 6, 2023, in the United States. She is a month old as of May 2023.
According to information gathered by DNB Stories Africa, Robert De Niro took his fans by surprise when he revealed the news of Gia’s birth during an interview with ET Canada. When asked about his six children, Robert corrected the interviewer and said:
Seven, actually. I just had a baby.
In a red-carpet interview with Extra in 2023, Robert De Niro spoke about welcoming a child at the age of 79. He said:
I’m ok with it. I’m good with it.
