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Robert De Niro, the award successful actor of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull fame, has usually saved his private life relatively near his chest. Along with being one of the celebrated actors of his time, De Niro can be the daddy to seven kids. Over the course of his profession, the actor has maintained a reasonably low-key whereas bringing a few of the most memorable characters of the massive display screen to life. The actor grew to become a dad for the seventh time in April 2023. He had a daughter, Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, together with his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen. Over two months later, Robert’s eldest daughter Drena De Niro introduced that her son Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, 19, had died. In April 2025, one among Robert’s kids, Airyn got here out as transgender.
Although De Niro not often discusses his private life publicly, there are some attention-grabbing info to study his household, earlier relationships and marriages, and his seven kids. Learn extra concerning the actor’s private life with the excellent timeline beneath.
Drena De Niro
De Niro marred Diahnne Abbot in 1976, and subsequently grew to become the stepfather to Diahnne’s daughter from a earlier marriage, Drena. Diahnne and De Niro met on the set of the 1976 movie Taxi Driver, which starred De Niro in one among his most iconic roles. Drena, born September 3, 1971, took her stepfather’s final identify and went on to comply with in each of her dad and mom’ footsteps.
Drena is an actress and mannequin. Her transition to performing started in her mid-20s, when she performed a receptionist within the movie Grace of My Heart. Over the course of some many years, Drena constructed up a robust filmography with various credit, together with a job in 2018’s Oscar-nominated movie A Star Is Born, starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, in addition to a job within the movie Joy, co-starring her stepfather and starring Jennifer Lawrence. Drena is shut with each her mother and stepfather, and sometimes shares a photograph or two with De Niro on her Instagram web page.
On July 2, 2023, Drena introduced the loss of life of her 19-year-old son, and Robert’s grandson, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez. Drena shared Leandro with New York-based artist Carlos Mare. Leo had a small half in A Star Is Born together with his mother. “My beautiful sweet angel. I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly,” Drena wrote in her emotional message on Instagram. “You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life. I wish I was with you right now. I wish I was with you. I don’t know how to live without you but I’ll try to go on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama.”
Drena continued, “You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you. I’m so sorry my baby. I’m so sorry @carlosmare. Rest in Peace and Eternal Paradise my darling boy.” Robert has not commented on his grandson’s passing but.
Raphael De Niro
Raphael De Niro is the primary youngster between Diahnne Abbot and Robert De Niro. The couple welcomed their son on November 9, 1976. Much like his half-sister, Drena, Raphael additionally began his profession in performing. Early on, Raphael appeared in movies alongside his father, together with Awakenings and Raging Bull. Although he began out in performing, Raphael made a fairly drastic profession change as an grownup.
Raphael went on to change into an actual property dealer, founding the agency De Niro Team, Douglas Elliman, described as a “real estate advisory team with 15 years of proven success in New York City resale and new development,” per their Instagram web page. Of his purchasers, Raphael has labored with the likes of Jon Bon Jovi, Kelly Ripa, and extra on the subject of their actual property pursuits. Raphael has been married twice and has three kids together with his ex-wife Claudine De Mato. When Raphael was only a pre-teen, his father and mom filed for divorce.
Julian & Airyn De Niro
Following his divorce from Diahnne Abbot, De Niro began relationship mannequin Toukie Smith. During their relationship, which lasted from 1988 to 1996, De Niro and Toukie welcomed twins, Julian and Airyn De Niro. The twins had been conceived by way of in vitro fertilization, and born by way of surrogate in October 1995. Both Julian and Aaron are pretty personal about their lives. Although they did attend crimson carpet occasions with their father and mom as kids, as adults they lead comparatively quiet lives.
In April 2025, Airyn opened up about popping out as transgender in an interview with Them. “Trans women being honest and open, especially [in] public spaces like social media and getting to see them in their success … I’m like, you know what? Maybe it’s not too late for me,” Airyn defined, including, “Maybe I can start.”
Elliot De Niro
By 1997, De Niro married his second spouse, Grace Hightower. The couple welcomed their son, Elliot De Niro, in 1998. Elliot is a youngster with particular wants, and Grace and her husband had been adamant about discovering their son an outlet to get pleasure from and be himself. They enrolled Elliot in tennis classes and he fell in love with the game.
“He wasn’t crazy about it, at times,” De Niro confessed of his son’s enthusiasm for tennis in a video for ESPN. “His mother was good at pushing [him], and wanting him to be physical and work out,” De Niro went on. “He has realized, ‘Oh, I can accomplish this,’” Grace said of her son. “It has helped him socially,” she went on. “It helps him be more confident when he sees that he’s really good at this,” De Niro mentioned of his son’s relationship with tennis and exercising. “That’s the best self-motivator one can have. He’s gonna feel better about himself, which he does. So, it’s a win-win for everybody, especially [Elliot].”
Per Heavy, Robert revealed again in 2016 that Elliot is on the autism spectrum. He had simply yanked the controversial movie Vaxxed from the Tribeca Film Festival, stating that the controversial anti-vaccine movie is one thing “everyone should see.” According to Heavy, De Niro claims by way of The Telegraph that Elliot “changed overnight” after having a measles vaccination administered.
While it’s clear that De Niro had Grace have a robust bond and assist for his or her son, the couple practically break up lower than three years after getting married. They initially known as it quits on their marriage in 1999, however the divorce was by no means finalized. In 2004, De Niro and Hightower renewed their vows.
Helen De Niro
With their marriage again on observe, De Niro and his spouse made the choice to develop their household additional. In 2011, the couple welcomed their daughter, Helen De Niro, by way of surrogate. Little is understood about Helen, in spite of everything she is almost 10 years previous. But years after she was welcomed into the De Niro household, Helen’s dad and mom formally made the choice to finish their marriage. Grace and De Niro separated in 2018, and their divorce could be very a lot nonetheless up within the air as a result of ongoing authorized points and extra.
Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro
Robert De Niro and his accomplice Tiffany Chen welcomed Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro in early April — and now, she’s making her nationwide TV debut on #CBSMornings. https://t.co/OJJxGcEKlU pic.twitter.com/opiFRpWkRs
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) May 11, 2023
The Goodfellas actor was revealed to have welcomed a seventh youngster in an interview with ET Canada on May 9, 2023. “Seven, actually. I just had a baby,” he mentioned.
Robert let CBS Mornings anchor Gayle King reveal particulars about his new child on May 11. Gayle confirmed the primary image of Robert and Tiffany’s new child daughter, named Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro. Gayle revealed that child Gia was born April 6 and weighed 8 kilos, 6 ounces. She mentioned Robert and Tiffany “are over the moon” about their new child.
The Killers of the Flower Moon star talked about how a lot he loves his youngest daughter in a brand new interview with People, revealed in February 2024. “She’s such an adorable baby. So sweet,” he mentioned. “[When I] look at her, everything else goes away. So it’s a great joy and relief to just be with her in the moment.”
What Robert De Niro Has Said About His Children
Throughout his profession, De Niro has not often mentioned his private life. But throughout a June 2020 look on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the actor welcomed the chance to speak about his kids and elevating them over the course of the previous couple of many years. “My children are all half Black and I don’t have, even me, I take certain things for granted,” the actor admitted to eponymous host, Jimmy Fallon.
“When people say that they tell their kids, ‘Keep your hands [out] when you’re stopped by any cops, keep your hands on the steering wheel, don’t make a sudden move, don’t put your hands below, don’t do this,’ you understand that,” he continued, including, “That’s scary. That has to change.”
Along with revealing such particulars about watching his kids navigate the world, he’s additionally been fairly candid about how he feels on the subject of them following in his footsteps and pursuing a profession in performing. “For my kids, I tell them, ‘If you want to be an actor or you want to do this or that, that’s fine as long as you’re happy,’” the actor advised People. “Just don’t sell yourself short. That’s the most I would say — push yourself a little more and reach for what you really think it is you want to do. Don’t be afraid.” He was very adamant that he needed this children to “find their own lane.”
While he has been very reticent to debate his kids previously, De Niro seems to be very supportive and love them very a lot — like every other concerned father or mother. “I love my children, just being with them,” the actor gushed to Us Weekly April 2019. “It’s not easy. Sometimes it’s fun and you love your kids, and sometimes you want to kill them!” Like any father or mother, it’s clear that Robert De Niro’s relationships together with his kids have been completely distinctive, but additionally acquainted for his longtime followers who is likely to be dad and mom, too.