Updated 2025-05-01T19:13:59Z
- Robert De Niro, 81, has seven children who range in age from 2 to 53.
- His daughter, Airyn De Niro, announced she is transgender in April 2025.
- He's also a grandfather. His 19-year-old grandson, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, died in 2023.
Robert De Niro said his transgender daughter has his "love and support" following her decision to speak publicly about her transition.
Airyn De Niro, 29, came out as a trans woman on Tuesday in an interview with LGBTQ+ publication Them.
The following day De Niro expressed his "love and support" for her in a statement shared with Variety.
"I loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter," he said.
"I don't know what the big deal is. I love all my children."
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada in 2023, during which he revealed that he had become a father for the seventh time, De Niro spoke about how he parents his children. He said he toes the line between being "loving" and "stern."
"There's no way around it with kids," the Oscar-winning actor said. "I don't like to have to lay down the law and stuff like that. But, you just have no choice."
"Any parent, I think, would say the same thing," he continued. "You always want to do the right thing by the children and give them the benefit of the doubt but sometimes you can't."
Here's everything to know about De Niro's seven children.
Drena De Niro is Robert De Niro's oldest daughter.
Drena De Niro, born on September 3, 1971, is the oldest of De Niro's children. She is not his biological daughter but was adopted by the actor at age 5 after he married her mother, Diahnne Abbott, in 1976. She then took his surname.
Drena began her career as a model before dabbling in DJing and fashion consulting. At 25, she made her acting debut in the 1996 film "Grace of My Heart." She has since starred in "Joy," "Hands of Stone," and "A Star is Born," the last of which also starred her late son Leandro De Niro Rodriguez.
Drena made De Niro a grandfather when she and her then-boyfriend, Carlos Rodriguez, welcomed their son in 2003.
In July 2023, Drena announced that Leandro had died at the age of 19. His death was determined to be the result of the toxic effects of a drug combination, the New York City Medical Examiner's Office said.
Raphael Eugene De Niro is the actor's oldest biological child.
De Niro and Abbott welcomed their son, Raphael Eugene De Niro, on November 9, 1976. (De Niro's marriage to Abbott later ended in 1988.)
Raphael did not pursue a career in Hollywood, but as a broker at luxury real estate company Douglas Elliman, he has helped stars like Renée Zellweger and Kelly Ripa find their dream homes in Manhattan. According to his website, in 2004 he founded the De Niro team within the firm.
Between 2008 and 2020, he was married to Claudine De Matos, and welcomed three children together, per Page Six.
Airyn De Niro came out as transgender in 2025.
After his divorce from Abbott, De Niro began dating Toukie Smith, a model and actor who appeared in "Miami Vice," in 1988.
On October 20, 1995, the couple welcomed twins who were conceived by in vitro fertilization and delivered by a surrogate mother. The couple separated the following year.
Airyn De Niro spoke about "stepping into this new identity" in an interview with LGBTQ+ publication Them.
She said she has been femme-presenting since middle school and started hormone therapy in November 2024.
She said she felt like a bit of a "late bloomer" in embracing her trans identity.
"Trans women being honest and open, especially [in] public spaces like social media and getting to see them in their success… I'm like, you know what? Maybe it's not too late for me."
As for being raised by famous parents, she added, "No parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight."
Julian Henry De Niro is Airyn's twin brother. He is pursuing an acting career.
Julian Henry De Niro, Airyn's twin brother, was also born on October 20, 1995.
Julian has pursued a career in acting and made his film debut in the 2016 film "In Dubious Battle," alongside James Franco and Selena Gomez. In 2022, he portrayed a young Barack Obama in Showtime's anthology television series, "The First Lady."
In 2023, he starred in "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window" on Broadway alongside Rachel Brosnahan and Oscar Isaac.
Elliot De Niro is a Special Olympics tennis star.
In 1997, De Niro married American socialite Grace Hightower. They welcomed their son, Elliot De Niro, a year later on March 18, 1998.
De Niro shared Elliot's autism diagnosis in 2016 while advocating for the inclusion of the documentary "Vaxxed" at the Tribeca Film Festival, of which he is a co-founder.
"Grace and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined," he said at the time, People reported.
Elliot is known for his tennis skills. He has competed in the Special Olympics, the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. In 2018, he was featured in ESPN's "Special Olympics: 50 Game Changers" series.
Helen Grace De Niro was previously De Niro's youngest child.
De Niro and Hightower initially split in 1999, one year after Elliot's birth, and engaged in a custody dispute over him.
Their divorce was not finalized, and in 2004, they renewed their wedding vows, People reported. On December 23, 2011, their second child together, a daughter named Helen Grace De Niro, was born via surrogate.
De Niro and Hightower separated again in November 2018. In 2021, it was reported that their divorce proceedings were still ongoing.
Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro is the latest addition to the family.
On April 3, 2023, the actor welcomed daughter Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro with his partner, Tiffany Chen. He shared the news while speaking to Entertainment Tonight Canada to promote the movie "About My Father."
When ET Canada's Brittnee Blair mentioned De Niro's six children, the two-time Oscar winner corrected her, saying: "Seven, actually. I just had a baby."
He then shared the details on "CBS Mornings" with Gayle King the following week, revealing his daughter's full name and a photo of her in a striped pink sleepsuit.
