Actor Robert De Niros Children: Who Are the Mothers Of All Of His Kids? See All His Baby Mamas

Famed actor Robert De Niro is a father of seven children; three daughters and four sons and shares all of his kids with four women. Let’s meet his family.

Robert De Niro is an iconic actor known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the most influential actors of his generation.

De Niro first rose to fame after landing roles in Bang the Drum Slowly (1973) and Taxi Driver (1976), and he has since gone on to star in over 120 additional projects.

Away from his movie career, he has made headlines for having many children with different women in his relationship over the years.

Robert De Niro has six adult kids: Drena, Raphael, Julian, Aaron, Elliot, and Helen. In April 2023, he welcomed his seventh child, Gia. What is to be known about his children and their mothers? Read on for more.

Who are Robert De Niro’s children?

Robert De Niro is not only a beloved actor but a family man. The Academy Award winner has seven children; three daughters and four sons.

The names of his children are daughter Drena, 51, son Raphael, 46, twin sons Julian and Aaron, 27, son Elliot, 24, and daughter Helen Grace, 11, and lastly, a daughter called Gia.

Robert De Niro shares his children with four women including his two ex-wives whose names are Diahnne Abbott, and Grace Hightower, his ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith, and his current girlfriend Tiffany Chen.

Also, a grandfather, De Niro has said that the best thing a parent or grandparent can do is push their kids to reach for their dreams.

“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. Just don’t sell yourself short,’ ” De Niro told PEOPLE in January 2020. “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.”

The actor added, “It’s important for them to find their own lane.”

In July 2023, De Niro’s grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez died at age 19.

Leandro’s mother, Drena, shared the devastating news on Instagram, writing: “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. You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you.”

Drena De Niro, 51

Drena De Niro was born on September 3, 1971, to actress Diahnne Abbott and her former husband before she married Robert. De Niro adopted Drena when he married Abbott in 1976, at which point Drena took the actor’s surname.

Drena is currently 51 years old and is an actress, producer, and fashion model. She spent many of her younger years on film sets and traveling the world.

Her résumé in acting includes movies like Great Expectations, A Star is Born, and Joy.

When it comes to modeling, she became made her runway debut at New York Fashion Week. She has since worked with designers like Patrick Kelly, Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, and Giorgio Armani.

She also tried her hand at producing and launched the production company Daredevil Films and Television in the early aughts. In 2001, she directed her first documentary short, Girls & Dolls, for which she won an award at the New York Independent Film and Video Festival, per her website.

She is also a mother and welcomed her son Leandro De Niro Rodriguez in 2003 with her former boyfriend Carlos Rodriguez.

Drena De Niro’s son Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, who appeared in 2018’s A Star Is Born, has died. Drena shared the news of her 19-year-old son’s death on Instagram.

In an emotional post, the 51-year-old actress wrote:

“My beautiful sweet angel. I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly,” she captioned a photo of her only child. “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.”

“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. You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you.

“I’m so sorry my baby,” Drena — who did not share further details of Leandro’s death — ended her tribute, also tagging Leandro’s artist father, Carlos Mare. “Rest in Peace and Eternal Paradise my darling boy.”

Raphael De Niro, 46

De Niro’s first child is a son named Raphael Eugene De Niro who was born on November 9, 1976, to the actor and his first wife, actress Diahnne Abbott.

Raphael didn’t follow in his family’s cinematic footsteps, he has made a name for himself, working for Douglas Elliman real estate.

Raphael has been working with the Manhattan brokerage since the early 2000s. According to his professional website, Raphael launched the De Niro Team with the real estate firm in 2004. His A-list clients have included Jon Bon Jovi, Kelly Ripa, and Renée Zellweger. In 2008, Raphael became a partner at the Greenwich Hotel in New York City’s TriBeCa neighborhood. He is also a founding board member of the New York Residential Agent Continuum.

He shares three kids with his first wife Claudine De Matos whom he married in 2008. He then moved on to marry stylist Hannah Carnes in 2020 after divorcing his first partner in January 2020, per Page Six.

Julian De Niro, 27

After his divorce from Abbott, De Niro began dating actress Toukie Smith in 1988. Their son Julian Henry was born alongside his twin brother Aaron on Oct. 20, 1995.

Robert De Niro then had twin sons namely Julian Henry and Aaron on October 20, 1995, from his relationship with actress Toukie Smith.

Julian has inherited his parents’ acting genes. In 2016, Julian joined In Dubious Battle‘s A-list cast, which included James Franco, Selena Gomez, and Nat Wolff. The film marked his first credited movie appearance. His TV debut came in 2022: Julian portrayed a young Barack Obama in Showtime’s historical drama series The First Lady.

He also studied computer science and math at New York University. He was even published in the Washington Post after he conducted an in-depth Twitter analysis to uncover “what people craved the most in 2018” with his professor and a classmate.

Aaron De Niro, 27

Julian’s twin brother, Aaron Kendrick, was also born on Oct. 20, 1995. Very little is known about Aaron, as he’s remained ultra-private for most of his life. In an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, De Niro opened up about raising his biracial kids.

“My children are all half Black and … even me, I take certain things for granted,” De Niro said, acknowledging that he had gotten more opportunities as a White man. “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.”

Elliot De Niro, 24

Born on March 18, 1998, Elliot De Niro is De Niro and ex-wife Grace Hightower’s first child together. In March 2016, the actor revealed that his son Elliot has autism.

That same year, De Niro advocated for the inclusion of the controversial documentary Vaxxed at the Tribeca Film Festival, of which he is a co-founder. “I think the movie is something that people should see. I, as a parent with a child who has autism, am concerned. I want to know the truth,” De Niro later said during an appearance on the Today show. “And I’m not anti-vaccine, I want safe vaccines.”

Vaxxed, which was directed by discredited physician Andrew Wakefield, attempted to call into question the scientific research that proves there is no link between autism and vaccines. However, scientific research has found that there is no connection between vaccines and autism.

One of Elliot’s passions is playing tennis. In 2018, he was featured in ESPN’s Special Olympics: 50 Game Changers series, honoring the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics.

“Finding things for kids to do is a hard part of the whole situation with parents of kids with special needs,” De Niro said in the episode. “[Playing tennis] helps him. He is more confident when he sees that he is actually good at this. That’s the best self-motivator anyone can have.”

Helen Grace De Niro, 11

De Niro and Hightower welcomed daughter Helen Grace via surrogate on Dec. 23, 2011.

The former pair have gone out of their way to keep Helen out of the spotlight while she is still a child. De Niro and Helen have occasionally been spotted in public enjoying some father-daughter time together, including at the beach in California and out and about in Manhattan, in photos obtained by the Daily Mail.

In 2018, De Niro and Hightower split after more than 20 years together. However, they remain amicable as they co-parent Elliott and Helen. “I honor Grace as a wonderful mother,” De Niro said in a statement.

Speaking of his children getting older, De Niro previously told PEOPLE, “There are great moments and moments of sadness … Sometimes you’re the last person they want to deal with. It’s like when you walk your kids to school and they get older and they don’t want to hold your hand or kiss you goodbye.”

Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro

De Niro welcomed his seventh child — first with girlfriend Tiffany Chen — daughter Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, on April 6, 2023. She weighed 8 lbs., 6 oz. However, he didn’t reveal the news of Gia’s birth until over a month later during an interview with ET Canada.

When asked about his six children, the Oscar winner corrected the interviewer and said: “Seven, actually.”

“I just had a baby,” he explained, though he didn’t provide any further details about the little one.

On the red carpet at the N.Y.C. premiere of his film About My Father, De Niro spoke to Extra about welcoming another child at the age of 79.

“I’m ok with it. I’m good with it,” he said, adding that raising children “never gets easier” no matter what age you are.

What has Robert De Niro said about being a father?

Over the years, De Niro has spoken out about being a father several times.

In one of his interviews, he explained that he believes “in being loving with [his] kids,” despite his urges “to be stern about stuff.”

“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 just have no choice,” he told ET Canada.

“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.”

While some might consider him a “cool dad,” De Niro went on to explain why he doesn’t think that’s true.

“I’m okay,” he told the outlet.

“You know, my kids disagree with me at times, and they’re respectful. My daughter, she’s 11, she gives me grief sometimes and I argue with her. I adore her, but, you know. And my youngest now, that’ll be more to come. But, that’s what it is.”

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