Five months after announcing the birth of his seventh child, 80 year old actor Robert De Niro has lifted the lid on fatherhood and family in a new interview.
Speaking with The Guardian, the Goodfellas actor admitted he doesn’t do the “heavy lifting” when it comes to raising his 5-month-old daughter, Gia Virginia.
“It doesn’t get easier,” he told the publication when asked about being a father of seven. “It is what it is. It’s OK. I mean, I don’t do the heavy lifting. I’m there, I support my girlfriend. But she does the work. And we have help, which is so important.”
When asked whether he enjoys fatherhood, he responded, “Of course I do. [I enjoy] all of it.
“With a baby it’s different [than] with my 11-year-old. My adult children. My grandchildren. It’s all different…I don’t talk to the adult children the way I talk to my baby or the way I speak to my 11-year-old, though she’s pretty smart.”
Robert revealed his latest family addition in an interview with ET Canada in May 2023 when asked what it was like to be a father of six children.
“Seven actually. I just had a baby,” he corrected the reporter.
The actor dropped the surprising news while promoting his film, About My Father. During the interview, he also discussed his parenting style, revealing he believes “in being loving with [his] kids,” despite sometimes having “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 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.”
Robert De Niro’s brood has continued to grow since 1976, keep reading to meet all his children!
Drena De Niro
Born: September 3, 1971 (51 years old)
When Robert De Niro married Diahnne Abbott in April 1976, he adopted the actress’ daughter, Drena, from a previous relationship. Following in her father’s footsteps, Drena has dabbled in acting over the years and has also worked as a model and a DJ.
Raphael De Niro
Born: November 9, 1976 (46 years old)
Seven months after Robert and Diahnne tied the knot, they welcomed their son, Raphael. Unlike his older sister, Raphael has remained largely out of the public eye, becoming a real estate agent broker.
Aaron Kendrick De Niro
Born: Born: 20 October 1995 (27 years old)
After Robert and Diahnne divorced in 1988, the actor moved on with actress Toukie Smith later that same year. They remained together until 1996, before splitting.
A year before their separation, the couple welcomed twin sons, Aaron and Julian.
Julian Henry De Niro
Born: 20 October 1995 (27 years old)
Unlike his twin brother, who remains largely out of the public eye, Julian has followed his parent’s footsteps trying his hand at acting.
In addition to studying science and math at New York University, Julian has starred in In Dubious Battle alongside James Franco and Selena Gomez and has depicted a young Barack Obama in First Lady.
Elliot De Niro
Born: 18 March 1998 (25 years old)
In 1997, Robert married Grace Hightower and the couple welcomed their son Elliot in March of the following year.
Robert shared Elliot’s autism diagnosis in 2016 and his son has become an accomplished tennis player in the Special Olympics.
Helen Grace De Niro
Born: 2011 (12 years old)
Robert and Grace welcomed their second child, Helen, via surrogate in 2011 and have kept the youngest child out of the spotlight for much of her life.
In 2018, the pair announced they were separating after more than two decades together.
“We are entering a period of transition in our relationship which is a difficult but constructive process,” De Niro wrote in a statement at the time. “I honour Grace as a wonderful mother and ask for privacy … as we proceed to develop our roles as partners in parenting.”
Gia Virginia
Despite Robert announcing that he had welcomed a seventh child during an interview in May 2023, not much additional information is known. The actor had been linked to martial arts instructor Tiffany Chen since 2021, when she debuted her baby bump in April.
A month after announcing the birth of their child, Gayle King revealed Gia’s name and first photo on CBS Mornings on behalf of the couple.
“They both wanted this baby,” the Gayle said at the time. “They’re over the moon. She was brought here in love. He’s very psyched about it.”
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