Robert De Niro is a dad of 7: What to know about his kids
Robert De Niro is well-known as a two-time Academy Award winner and recent Oscar nominee, but to his seven kids, he is simply "dad."
On Aug. 17, 2024, De Niro celebrated his 81st birthday, a milestone that was marked on social media by his eldest child, Drena De Niro.
"Happy 81st Bday to my Dad and #1 ride or die .. Love you with all my ♥️♥️♥️ #BobbyD forever ✨👑✨," Drena De Niro wrote on Instagram, alongside several photos of the actor, including one of him jumping off a boat.
Robert De Niro was 79 when his seventh and youngest child, a daughter named Gia was born in April 2023.
The "Goodfellas" actor welcomed Gia with his girlfriend Tiffany Chen, who was by his side at the the 96th Academy Awards, where he was nominated for his role in the movie "Killers of the Flower Moon."
Following the birth of Gia, Robert De Niro said being a parent later in life has been "great."
"I'm an 80-year-old dad and it's great," he told AARP The Magazine in January 2023. "Everything that I'm consumed with or worried about or this and that just goes away when I look at [Gia]. So that in itself, is, you know, wondrous."
In addition to Gia and Drea De Niro, De Niro is also a father to five other children: Raphael De Niro, whom he shares with ex-wife Diahnne Abbott; twin sons Julian De Niro and Aaron De Niro, whom he shares with former girlfriend Toukie Smith; and Elliot De Niro, and Helen Grace De Niro, 12, whom he shares with ex-wife Grace Hightower.
Get to know De Niro's family below.
What to know about Robert De Niro's 7 kids
Drena De Niro
Born in 1967, Drena De Niro was adopted by Robert De Niro while he was married to his now ex-wife Diahnne Abbott, and took his surname.
Drena De Niro is Abbott's daughter from a previous relationship.
After making her debut as a model at New York Fashion Week, she began to work with famed designers including Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, Giorgio Armani and more. She briefly became a DJ after modeling and worked as a fashion consultant before getting into acting and producing, according to her website.
In 2004, she and her then-boyfriend welcomed a son, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez.
Nearly two decades later, in 2023, Drena De Niro shared in an Instagram post that Leandro had died. The New York City Chief Medical Examiner's office later ruled the 19-year-old's death was accidental and stated that he had died from the "toxic effects" of a combination of illicit drugs.
"I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly. You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life," Drena De Niro wrote on Instagram at the time. "I wish I was with you right now. I wish I was with you."
Raphael De Niro
Robert De Niro and his ex-wife Abbott welcomed son Raphael De Niro in 1976.
Since 2004, Raphael De Niro has led the De Niro Team at the real estate firm Douglas Elliman in Manhattan, according to the firm's website.
On his own website, Raphael De Niro says his celebrity real estate clients have included Renee Zellweger and Kelly Ripa.
Julian Henry De Niro and Aaron Kendrick De Niro
Julian Henry De Niro and Aaron Kendrick De Niro were born via surrogate on Oct. 20, 1995, to Robert De Niro and his former girlfriend Toukie Smith, an actress, whom he began dating in 1988.
Following in his parents' footsteps, Julian De Niro became an actor, appearing in 2016's "In Dubious Battle" and played a young Barack Obama in the Showtime drama series "The First Lady," according to his IMDb profile.
He also studied computer science and math at New York University.
Aaron De Niro has maintained a private life out of the spotlight.
Elliot De Niro
Robert De Niro and ex-wife Hightower welcomed son Elliot De Niro on March 18, 1998.
In 2016, amid backlash over a film about vaccines and autism, Robert De Niro shared that one of his children with Hightower has autism, saying, ""We believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding autism be openly discussed and examined."
Three years later, in 2019, Robert De Niro and Hightower opened up about Elliot De Niro's passion for tennis in an ESPN series honoring the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics.
"[Playing tennis] helps him. He is more confident when he sees that he is actually good at this," Robert De Niro said of Elliot. "That's the best self-motivator anyone can have."
Helen Grace De Niro
Robert De Niro and ex-wife Grace Hightower welcomed their second child, a daughter named Helen Grace, via surrogate on Dec. 23, 2011.
The actor and his ex-wife have mostly kept Helen out of the spotlight.
Gia Virginia Chen De Niro
Born in April 2023, Gia is Robert De Niro's seventh and youngest child, whom he shares with his current girlfriend Tiffany Chen.
Robert De Niro opened up about his youngest child after celebrating her first birthday.
"Well, she's pure joy," the actor said in an interview with "ET." "There's nothing about her, there's no judgment, there's no anything, she just is what she is, and it's just pure joy, for God's sakes."
In an interview with Rolling Stone in December 2023, the actor revealed the couple wants Gia to be bilingual.
"[She is] half-Chinese. I want to try to teach her Chinese and show her nursery rhymes in English and Chinese," he told the outlet. "I'm trying to have her learn both."
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