Robert De Niro recently opened up about his 9-month-old daughter Gia, whom he shares with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.
In an interview with AARP The Magazine, the Academy Award winner discussed what fatherhood has been like since welcoming his seventh child last April.
“I’m an 80-year-old dad and it’s great,” he said. “Everything that I’m consumed with or worried about or this and that just goes away when I look at her. So that in itself, is, you know, wondrous.”
He continued, “She has a very sweet way of looking at you and just taking you in, and my other daughter Helen had that too, she just looks at you and takes it in … I don’t know where it’s gonna go later when she gets older, but she’s thinking, she’s observing everything and watching, really interesting.”
“I wanna be around for as long as I can to enjoy it, enjoy her,” he added.
In addition to Gia, Robert De Niro is also a father to six other children: Drena De Niro, 52, and Raphael De Niro, 47, whom he shares with ex-wife Diahnne Abbott; twin sons Julian De Niro and Aaron De Niro, 28, whom he shares with former girlfriend Toukie Smith; and Elliot De Niro, 25, and Helen Grace De Niro, 12, whom he shares with ex-wife Grace Hightower.
Speaking to ET Canada in 2023, the iconic actor dished on what it’s like being a father of seven, sharing simply, “I’m OK.”
“You know, my kids disagree with me at times, and they’re respectful,” he explained. “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, [Gia], that’ll be more to come. But, that’s what it is.”
What to know about Robert De Niro’s 7 kids
Drena De Niro
Born Sept. 3, 1971, Drena De Niro was adopted by Robert De Niro while he was married to his now ex-wife Abbott, and took his surname. Drena De Niro is Abbott’s daughter from a previous relationship.
After making her debut as a model at New York Fashion Week, she began to work with famed designers including Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, Giorgio Armani and more. She briefly became a DJ after modeling and worked as a fashion consultant before getting into acting and producing.
In 2013, she and her former boyfriend Carlos Rodriguez welcomed their son Leandro De Niro Rodriguez. However, in 2023, Drena De Niro shared in an Instagram post that Leandro had died. The New York City Chief Medical Examiner’s office later ruled the 19-year-old’s death accidental, stating that he had died from the “toxic effects” of a combination of illicit drugs.
“I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly. You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life,” Drena De Niro wrote on Instagram at the time. “I wish I was with you right now. I wish I was with you.”
Raphael De Niro
Robert De Niro and his ex-wife Abbott welcomed son Raphael De Niro on Nov. 9, 1976. He made a career in real estate, working for the real estate firm Douglas Elliman in Manhattan.
Raphael De Niro wed Claudine De Matos in 2008. They share three kids. The couple eventually split in 2015, finalizing their divorce in 2020.
Raphael De Niro later married stylist Hannah Carnes in 2020.
Julian Henry De Niro and Aaron Kendrick De Niro
Julian Henry De Niro and Aaron Kendrick De Niro were born via surrogate on Oct. 20, 1995, to Robert De Niro and former girlfriend Smith, an actress, whom he began dating in 1988.
Following in his parents’ footsteps, Julian De Niro became an actor, appearing in 2016’s “In Dubious Battle” and playing a young Barack Obama in Showtime’s drama series “The First Lady,” according to his IMDb.
He also studied computer science and math at New York University.
Aaron De Niro is more private than his twin brother, and little is known about him.
Elliot De Niro
Robert De Niro and ex-wife Hightower welcomed son Elliot De Niro on March 18, 1998.
Robert De Niro shared in March 2016 that Elliot De Niro has autism. The 25-year-old also has a passion for playing tennis and was featured in ESPN’s “Special Olympics: 50 Game Changers” series to honor the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics.
“[Playing tennis] helps him. He is more confident when he sees that he is actually good at this,” Robert De Niro said in the film short. “That’s the best self-motivator anyone can have.”
Helen Grace De Niro
Robert De Niro and ex-wife Hightower welcomed their second child, a daughter named Helen Grace, via surrogate on Dec. 23, 2011.
The actor and his ex-wife have mostly kept Helen, now 12, out of the spotlight, though Helen has been spotted on occasion out in New York City with her father.
Gia Virginia Chen De Niro
Born April 6, 2023, Gia is Robert De Niro’s seventh and youngest child, whom he shares with current girlfriend Chen.
Robert De Niro confirmed Gia’s birth in an interview with ET Canada in May 2023, a month after she was born.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in December 2023, the actor revealed the couple wants Gia to be bilingual.
“[She is] half-Chinese. I want to try to teach her Chinese and show her nursery rhymes in English and Chinese,” he told the outlet. “I’m trying to have her learn both.”
