Seven of the Academy Award winner’s children were born from prior partnerships. The children of De Niro and his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, are son Raphael, 46, and daughter Drena, 51. Julian and Aaron, twin sons who are now 27 years old, were born to him and his ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith in 1995. Daughter Helen Grace, 11, and son Elliot, 24, are children of De Niro and his ex-wife, Grace Hightower. The joyful father also disclosed in May 2023 that he had welcomed a seventh child at the age of 79, however he hasn’t yet provided any other information about the new family member.
De Niro, a grandfather now, has stated that encouraging children to pursue their ambitions is the best thing a parent or grandparent can do.
“Whether you want to be an actress or do this or that, that’s fine as long as you’re happy, I tell my kids. Do not, however, undersell yourself.” According to De Niro, in January 2020. “That’s the most I can advise you to do: exert a little more effort and strive to achieve your goals. Be not afraid.”
It’s crucial for kids to establish their own way, the actor continued.
Here is all the information on Robert De Niro’s offspring.
Drena De Niro, 51
On September 3, 1971, Diahnne Abbott gave birth to Drena De Niro with her then-husband. When De Niro married Abbott in 1976, he legally adopted Drena, who then acquired the actor’s last name.
Drena spent a lot of her earlier years travelling and working on set as the daughter of two famous actors. De Niro was filming The Godfather Part II and 1900 in Italy while Drena was a toddler. She cited her time spent growing up in Italy as some of her most cherished memories in an interview she gave to Avenue magazine in 2011.
She told the site, “They were extremely joyful years in my life.” “There was a lot of travelling, and it undoubtedly instilled a comfort and love of travel in a young child.”
During time, Drena developed into a model, and during New York Fashion Week, she made her runway debut. Since then, she has collaborated with fashion icons like Giorgio Armani, Vivienne Westwood, Patrick Kelly, and Jean Paul Gaultier. Drena worked as a DJ after a successful modelling career, but acting had always interested her.
“I was aware that what I truly wanted to do was take action. What grabbed me was the aspect of labour “She spoke with Avenue magazine. “Everyone was genuinely focused to the task at hand.” Her filmography features titles like Joy, A Star Is Born, and Great Expectations.
In the early 2000s, she tried her hand at production and founded the company Daredevil Films and Television. According to Drena, “I was more tempted to get engaged as a producer.” “I genuinely wanted to be told what to do, but I also wanted to give instructions to other people. I tend to be more like that.” According to her website, she made her debut as a documentary filmmaker in 2001 with the short film Girls & Dolls, for which she was recognised at the New York Independent Film and Video Festival.
Leandro De Niro Rodriguez was born in 2003 to Drena and her then-boyfriend, Carlos Rodriguez. “Children certainly help put things into perspective. Suddenly, some things that one would have thought were so crucial are actually not that significant “She spoke. “Life changes, but it’s a wonderful change,”
Raphael De Niro, 46
On November 9, 1976, De Niro and Abbott welcomed their son Raphael Eugene De Niro into the world. Raphael has established himself as a successful real estate agent despite not continuing in his family’s filmmaking tradition.
Since the beginning of the millennium, Raphael has been employed with the Manhattan brokerage. Raphael, in conjunction with the real estate company, reportedly formed the De Niro Team in 2004. Kelly Ripa, Renée Zellweger, and Jon Bon Jovi are just a few of his A-list clients. Raphael joined the Greenwich Hotel in TriBeCa, New York City, as a partner in 2008. Also, he serves on the New York Residential Agent Continuum’s founding board of directors.
Raphael wed Claudine De Matos in 2008 during a private destination wedding in the Bahamas. Apparently, the two met at Douglas Elliman. Together, they had three children before divorcing in 2015. According to Page Six, their divorce was finalised in January 2020.
Raphael rekindled his romance with fashionista Hannah Carnes. They made their debut in front of the public in May 2017, according to Page Six, at the showing of Robert De Niro’s movie The Wizard of Lies. Raphael and Carnes were set to wed in April 2020, but the COVID-19 outbreak forced them to exchange vows at New York City Hall in March 2020 instead.
When it is safe to do so, we want to celebrate with friends and family over a casual meal at Milos in Hudson Yards, he told the New York Post. It’s a favourite eatery of ours.
Julian De Niro, 27
De Niro started dating actress Toukie Smith in 1988 after divorcing Abbott. On October 20, 1995, their son Julian Henry was delivered with his identical twin Aaron.
Julian possesses the acting genes of his parents. Julian joined the A-list cast of In Dubious Battle in 2016, joining James Franco, Selena Gomez, and Nat Wolff. His first credited movie appearance was in this movie. Julian made his television debut in 2022 when he played a young Barack Obama in the historical drama series The First Lady on Showtime.
At New York University, he also studied math and computer science. After conducting an in-depth Twitter study with his professor and a student to determine “what people craved the most in 2018,” he was even published in the Washington Post.
Aaron De Niro, 27
Aaron Kendrick, Julian’s identical twin brother, was also born on October 20, 1995. Since Aaron has spent the most of his life being extremely private, not much is known about him. De Niro discussed parenting his mixed children in an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
De Niro admitted that he took some things for granted and that he had greater opportunities as a White man because “my children are all half Black.” “You understand that when people say they instruct their kids to keep their hands [out] when they are stopped by any police, keep their hands on the wheel, don’t make a sudden move, don’t put their hands below, don’t do this.”
Elliot De Niro, 24
Elliot De Niro was born on March 18, 1998, and is De Niro’s first kid with his ex-wife Grace Hightower. The actor made it known that his son Elliot has autism in March 2016.
De Niro pushed for the controversial documentary Vaxxed to be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival, which he co-founded, in the same year. “I believe that everyone should watch the film. As a parent of an autistic child, I’m worried. I’m curious about the truth “Later, De Niro made a statement when appearing on the Today programme. “And I want safe immunisations; I’m not anti-vaccine.”
The disgraced doctor Andrew Wakefield’s film Vaxxed, which sought to cast doubt on the data demonstrating there is no connection between autism and vaccinations, made this attempt. Science has discovered that there is no link between immunisations and autism, nevertheless.
Tennis is one of Elliot’s favourite sports. In 2018, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics, he was highlighted in ESPN’s Special Olympics: 50 Game Changers series.
De Niro noted in the show that “finding things for kids to do is a hard aspect of the overall scenario with parents of kids with special needs.” “Tennis is beneficial to him. As he realises that he is truly competent at something, he becomes more self-assured. The best self-motivator anyone can possess is that.”
Helen Grace De Niro, 11
On December 23, 2011, De Niro and Hightower welcomed daughter Helen Grace into the world via surrogacy.
The former couple has made an effort to shield Helen from the spotlight while she is still a little child. De Niro and Helen have occasionally been captured in pictures obtained by the Daily Mail out and about in Manhattan and California having some father-daughter time together.
After dating for more than 20 years, De Niro and Hightower decided to part ways in 2018. Yet, they continue to get along as they co-parent Elliott and Helen. De Niro made a statement in which he said, “I honour Grace as a fantastic mother.
De Niro previously told PEOPLE about his children growing older: “There are happy moments and sad moments… They may choose to avoid dealing with you at times. It’s comparable to the time when you take your children to school and as they get older, they stop wanting to hold your hand or kiss you good-bye.”
Robert De Niro’s Newborn Baby
De Niro disclosed the birth of his seventh child in a May 2023 interview with ET Canada.
The Oscar winner corrected himself when asked how many kids he has, saying “Seven, actually.”
He said, “I just had a baby,” without revealing any other information regarding the infant.
On December 23, 2011, De Niro and Hightower welcomed daughter Helen Grace into the world via surrogacy.