Why Robert De Niro Fears For His Children’s Safety

Robert De Niro has been known for decades as one of the most respected actors in film. Even now, his performances in “Taxi Driver” and “The Godfather” series are still being referenced and copied.

He’s received plenty of honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and multiple awards for acting. Behind the camera, he also helped launch Tribeca Productions and the Tribeca Film Festival.

He hasn’t slowed down much. He’s been in recent films like “Joker,” “Amsterdam,” and “The War with Grandpa,” always finding new roles that keep him in the game.

But De Niro’s legacy isn’t just his movies. He’s got seven kids from different relationships, and he’s been open about how being a father means more to him than any role he’s played.

His first marriage was to singer Diahnne Abbot. They had one son, Raphael, and Robert also adopted her daughter, Drena.

Raphael started out acting but later switched to real estate. After divorcing Abbot, Robert had twin sons, Aaron and Julian, with model Toukie Smith through a surrogate.

His second marriage was to Grace Hightower. They had a son, Eliot, and a daughter, Helen, also through surrogacy.

That marriage was rocky, with a split in 1999, a vow renewal in 2004, and a final separation in 2018. In 2023, Robert became a dad again when his girlfriend Tiffany Chen gave birth to their daughter, Gia.

Robert doesn’t talk much about his personal life in interviews, but every now and then he shares a glimpse. He told one outlet: “I love my children, just being with them. It’s not easy. Sometimes it’s fun and you love your kids, and sometimes you want to kill them!” He added: “Then, when you have the good moments, you forget about the ones that weren’t good.”

He tries to stay real with his kids. He said: “I try to be honest with my kids and have them confide in me, if you will. I let them know that what they’re going through is not very different from what I went through growing up.”

In 2020, he talked about raising biracial children and how it changed his view of the world. He said: “My children are all half Black and I don’t have, even me, I take certain things for granted. 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. That’s scary. That has to change.”

De Niro encourages his kids to go after what makes them happy. He told another outlet: “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.’”

Robert has also stayed close with some of his longtime friends. He’s had a deep friendship with Meryl Streep for years, and they’ve worked together on several films across multiple decades.