Robert De Niro has seven kids: How does he do it?
"I just had a baby," the-then 79-year-old Hollywood actor casually revealed in 2023 while promoting his new movie 'About My Father.' With this new birth, De Niro became a father for the seventh time. The surprise revelation came during an interview with ET Canada, when the interviewer was asking him about his thoughts on fatherhood, given he's had six children. But De Niro quickly corrected the journalist, saying: "Seven, actually. I just had a baby."
Talking to ET Canada, he also shared his parenting style. "I mean, there's no way around it with kids. I don't like to have to lay down the law and stuff like that. But, [sometimes] you have no choice," he continued. "And any parent, I think, would say the same thing. You always want to do the right thing by the children and give them the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes you can't."
In 2020, he told People Magazine that the best parenting advice he has is to tell kids to reach for the stars. "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,... It’s important for them to find their own lane.”
Although his parenting advice is straighforward, his family is quite complex. His baby girl, Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, was born April. The age difference between his eldest daughter Drena and his newest babe is 51 years. Let's dive in and see what they're up to!
Robert De Niro married actress Diahnne Abbott in 1976. Together, they had Raphael De Niro, now in his mid-40s. But De Niro also decided to adopt the actress's daughter, Drena, now in her early 50s, who Abbott had in a previous marriage. De Niro and Abbott divorced in 1988.
Later, the 'Godfather' actor began a relationship with the model Toukie Smith. The couple had twin sons, Julian and Aaron, who were conceived by IVF and delivered by a surrogate mother in 1995. But the couple split the following year.
Soon after, in 1997, Robert De Niro married actress Grace Hightower. Their son Elliot was born in 1998 and then the couple broke up in 1999. However, their love story didn't exactly end here...
In 2003, a year after De Niro was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he officially got back together with his ex Hightower. They had never been officially divorced, so they renewed their vows. In Dec. 2011, their daughter Helen was born via surrogate.
Four years after the vow renewal and after 20 years of marriage, the couple decided it really wasn't meant to be. The divorce was messy with a lot of wrangling over money.
De Niro's newest babe is the daughter of his rumored partner Tiffany Chen. This birth also makes him a father and a grandfather at the same time.
Robert De Niro's co-star in the aptly named film 'About My Father' expressed her excitement over De Niro's newborn baby. "God bless him. His significant other, Tiffany, is such a beautiful woman... She was gorgeous and sweet, and I'm happy for both of them," she gushed to Extra.
Tiffany Chen is a professional martial artist and tai chi instructor. The gentle meditative activity just so happens to be a great form of exercise for the elderly. She is the daughter of tai chi Grandmaster William C.C. Chen. She and De Niro both worked on the 2015 film 'The Intern.'
Image: Tai Chi Basics AcaciaFitness / YouTube
The actor's eldest biological son Raphael did not decide to follow in his father's footsteps. Although he participated in projects like 'Raging Bull' when he was young, he decided to get into the real estate business instead. He reportedly has three children.
The actor's adoptive daughter embarked on a career as a model, fashion consultant and even a DJ. She finally opted for acting and appeared in films like 'A Star is Born,' 'Furlough' and 'Hands of Stone.' She has one son named Leo.
His twins decided to go their separate ways. Julian (pictured) opted for a career in acting, starring in projects including 'Dubious Battle' alongside Selena Gomez and 'First Lady.' On the other hand, Aaron decided to stay out of the limelight.
De Niro revealed years ago that his son Elliot had been diagnosed with autism. However, Elliot has loved tennis since a young age and was featured in ESPN's 'Special Olympics: 50 Game Changers' series.
His daughter Helen, born in 2011, is still enjoying her childhood and hasn't been overwhelmed with the big decision of whether to follow in her father's footsteps... yet.