In the long history of American cinema, no living actor has built a body of work as consistently consequential as Robert De Niro. The New York-born son of an Abstract-Expressionist painter father and a Greenwich-Village writer-and-painter mother, who at twenty-six won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II (1974), and at thirty-seven won the Best Actor Oscar for Raging Bull (1980) — and who at eighty became a father for the seventh time in May 2023 — is one of the most decorated actors of all time. Behind every Scorsese collaboration sat a deeply New York bohemian-art family.

The Family's Roots: Italian-Irish New York Bohemian

The De Niro family is Italian-Irish-American, with roots in the Greenwich Village art world of post-war New York. Robert was born in Manhattan on 17 August 1943.

His Father: Robert De Niro Sr.

Robert Henry De Niro Sr. (3 May 1922 – 3 May 1993) was an Abstract Expressionist painter and an important figure in the post-war New York art scene. He came out as gay shortly after his son's birth, and he and Robert Jr.'s mother separated; he remained a presence in his son's life. He died on his 71st birthday.

His Mother: Virginia Admiral

Virginia Holton Admiral (4 February 1915 – 27 July 2000) was an American painter and poet in the Greenwich Village art scene. She helped support her son's early acting training in New York.

His Wives

Diahnne Abbott, born 1 January 1945, is an American singer and actress. She and Robert married in 1976 and divorced in 1988. They have one son together, and Robert adopted her daughter from a previous relationship.

Grace Hightower, born 6 March 1955, is an American socialite and Robert's longest-marriage wife. They married in 1997 and were intermittently separated; they finalised divorce proceedings in 2018.

Tiffany Chen, born around 1979, is a martial arts instructor who has been Robert's partner since around 2021. She is the mother of his youngest daughter.

His Children

Robert has seven children across multiple relationships:

  • Drena De Niro (b. 3 September 1971) — adopted; from Diahnne Abbott's previous relationship
  • Raphael De Niro (b. 9 November 1976) — son with Diahnne Abbott
  • Julian and Aaron De Niro (b. 20 October 1995) — twin sons via surrogate, with Toukie Smith (a former partner)
  • Elliot De Niro (b. 18 March 1998) — son with Grace Hightower
  • Helen Grace De Niro (b. 23 December 2011) — daughter with Grace Hightower (via surrogate)
  • Gia Virginia Chen De Niro (b. 6 April 2023) — daughter with Tiffany Chen

The De Niro Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins

  • Italian-Irish-American
  • Family home: Greenwich Village, NYC

Parents

  • Father: Robert De Niro Sr. (1922 – 1993) — Abstract Expressionist painter
  • Mother: Virginia Admiral (1915 – 2000) — painter and poet

Robert De Niro

  • Born 17 August 1943, Manhattan
  • Stella Adler Conservatory; Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio
  • Major films: Mean Streets (1973), The Godfather Part II (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), The Deer Hunter (1978), Raging Bull (1980), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), Casino (1995), Heat (1995), Meet the Parents (2000), The Irishman (2019), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
  • 2× Academy Award winner: Best Supporting Actor (1975, The Godfather Part II); Best Actor (1981, Raging Bull)
  • Co-founder, Tribeca Film Festival (2002)

Wives

  • Diahnne Abbott — married 1976; divorced 1988
  • Grace Hightower — married 1997; divorced 2018
  • Tiffany Chen — partner since ~2021

Children

  • Drena De Niro (b. 1971) — adopted
  • Raphael De Niro (b. 1976)
  • Julian and Aaron De Niro (b. 1995) — twins via surrogate
  • Elliot De Niro (b. 1998)
  • Helen Grace De Niro (b. 2011)
  • Gia Virginia Chen De Niro (b. 2023)

What the De Niro Family Story Teaches Us

A painter father who came out as gay shortly after his son was born. A painter-poet mother. Three significant relationships across decades. Seven children — adopted, biological, via surrogate — across the span of five decades. From one Greenwich Village bohemian family came one of the greatest American actors of all time, who at eighty became a father again.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the De Niro story carries the same lesson. Family-tree shapes change over decades. The tree at thirty is not the tree at eighty. Robert De Niro at twenty-three had two parents; at eighty he has seven children, two ex-wives, a current partner, and grandchildren of his own. Trees grow. Write the current one down now. Update it as new chapters arrive.

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