Robert De Niro's Wives and Children: Everything to Know

Inside Robert De Niro's personal life: The Oscar-winning actor has been married twice and is a father of six: Complete story here!

Robert De Niro hardly divulges anything unrelated to his profession as an actor and that includes self-deemed unnecessary stories of his personal life. Known for his spectacular performances in Mean Streets, Raging Bull, and Taxi Driver, mostly, Martin Scorsese-directed flicks, Robert has won two Academy Awards, one Cecil B. DeMille award, one Golden Globe, and many other esteemed accolades throughout his illustrious career.  

Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. was born on August 17, 1943, in Manhattan, to painters Virginia Admiral and Robert De Niro Sr. He broke through the movie industry in the 60s with ever-classic films like The Wedding Party, Bloody Mama, and Bang the Drum Slowly. De Niro's perpetual collaboration with Scorsese began in the 70s with the crime film Mean Streets. The Oscar-winning actor married two women in his lifetime.  

Inside Robert De Niro's Two Marriages!  

The Irishman actor delved into married life early on in his career, and like most whirlwind marriages, the couple's nuptials, too, fell apart, but after a lengthy period. De Niro's first wife, Diahnne Abbott, an African-American actress, seemingly met the Oscar winner while filming for Taxi Driver, in which she had a small role. It is suspected that the duo had no better option but to get hitched as Abbott became pregnant early into their dating bliss. The pair walk down the aisle and welcomed their son, Raphael, in 1976.  

The pair were so committed to each other that Robert even adopted Abbot's daughter, Drena, from her previous relationship. Diahnne had a potential career when she met Robert, with credits in Showtime, Wag the Dog, The Intern, and so on. But after her marriage with the Raging Bull star, Abbott compromised to just being known as De Niro's wife. The pair's divorce was finalized in 1988.  

"The only thing I would say is that if you get married, it's easier probably not to have children if you're going to split up — it makes life simpler," Robert had said years after his first divorce. Although latent speculation, it was once believed that the actor's first marriage unraveled because of his illicit romance with former model/actress Toukie Smith, who Robert reportedly started dating three years before his divorce in 1985.  

Robert's notoriously low-key relationship with the Black model resulted in the birth of Aaron Kendrick and Julian Henry, born to the couple via surrogacy. The pair's low-profile relationship ended after almost a decade, and the Academy-winning actor had no trouble finding love again. Although the actor hasn't pondered it openly, there's no denying that Robert's ideal woman is African-American. De Niro married his second wife, Grace Hightower, actress/philanthropist, in 1997. 

The Taxi Driver star and his second wife welcomed two kids, Elliot, in 1998, and a daughter, Helen, in 2011. The pair suffered a significant bump two years after their wedding when De Niro filed for divorce in 1999 and a nasty custody battle ensued before they eventually decided to work on their differences. The pair announced their separation in 2018. "We are entering a period of transition in our relationship which is a difficult but constructive process," Robert said in his statement.  

Get to Know Robert De Niro's Six Kids!  

All of Robert's kids, except his youngest two, have ventured into the real world and have discovered a craft for themselves. De Niro's oldest, Drena, might not be his blood, but she surely has made her legendary father proud. Drena is an actress like her parents and has amassed credits in several hit films, including A Star is Born, Hands of Stone, Furlough, and Intern. Through her, De Niro is a grandfather of one.   

Robert's first son, Raphael, walked in his father's footsteps for a while before settling down to become a real estate broker. Raphael is known for his celebrity clientele, which includes famous names like Jon Bon Jovi, Kelly Ripa, and Renee Zellweger. Through Raphel, Robert has three more grandchildren, making him a proud grandpa of four. Robert's twin sons, Julian, and Aaron De Niro are as notoriously private as their father. Despite having an Oscar winner for a father, the twin duo continues to keep their lives completely off the spotlight.  

De Niro's second youngest, Elliot, was reportedly born with autism. The Taxi Driver actor once revealed that he and his then-wife got their son enrolled in tennis lessons so that he'll have an outlet to express himself. "It helps him be more confident when he sees that he's actually good at this," Robert said while gushing about his youngest son. De Niro's youngest one is a 12-year-old daughter, who is kept away from the snare of the public.  

Stay connected to Married Wiki for more.