This article is about the famous American actor Robert Anthony De Niro Jr., who became famous mainly for his roles as mafiosi and gangsters. We are going to tell about his childhood, the development of an acting career and the accompanying problems, as well as his turbulent personal life. Read more on manhattanski.
Early years
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. is an American actor. Robert was born on August 17, 1943 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, into a creative family. His mother, Virginia De Niro, and his father, Robert De Niro Sr., were famous artists.
When the boy was about three years old, his parents divorced because of the homosexual orientation of the father. The boy was raised by his mother. As a child, Robert often played with street children, although his father was against it. In the company, he was nicknamed Bobby Milk as he had a rather pale face.
Robert Anthony first studied at the Greenwich Village Public Elementary School. There, at the age of ten, he made his debut on the school stage. He successfully played a Lion in a production of the fairy tale The Wizard of Oz. Later, Anthony De Niro moved to middle school and then to Elisabeth Irwin High School. During his school years, he also studied at the Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and at the Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio.
The development of an acting career
It is often noted in the actor’s filmography that Robert played his first role in the movie Three Rooms in Manhattan. However, this is not entirely true. In fact, the debut work of the twenty-year-old actor was participation in the film The Wedding Party. Due to various difficulties, the film was released much later than planned.
The young actor received his first fame after the release of the film Bang the Drum Slowly. In it, he played baseball player Bruce Pearson. For this work, Robert received an honorary award. After such success, Robert Anthony De Niro was actively invited to cooperate. Among the next successful and popular works was participation in the film The Godfather Part II, where he played Vito Corleone in his youth. Despite the fact that Robert Anthony played not in English but only in Italian, he received the highest award in the film industry, an Academy Award. In addition, the actor gained even more recognition and another statuette for participation in film Raging Bull, playing Jake LaMotta. It is also important to note that the artist was repeatedly nominated for an Acdemy Award for his participation in such films as Taxi Driver, playing Travis Bickle, The Deer Hunter, playing Michael Vronsky, Awakenings, playing Leonard Lowe, Cape Fear, playing Max Cady, Silver Linings Playbook, playing Pat Solitano Sr., Killers of the Flower Moon, where he played William Hale.
It is also important to note that in the late 1990s, after the release of the film Once Upon a Time in America, he was associated with a role of the criminal and could not get rid of it for a long time. Later, Robert’s work became less in demand and interest in the actor fell significantly. This trend continued until the mid-2000s, after which demand increased again. Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. played many interesting roles in such films as The Wizard of Lies, Joker, Last Vegas, Dirty Grandpa, The Ages of Love, The Intern, The Irishman, etc.
It is worth noting that Robert’s creative biography is rich in both successes and failures. Still, the actor is not upset about this and is used to taking all failures calmly. Despite his rather mature age, Robert continues to act. He does not want to stay at home.
Personal life
The personal life of Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. is quite active. His first wife was the black singer Diahnne Abbott, who also acted in films for some time. The woman had a daughter, Drena, from her first marriage. Later, the couple had a son, Raphael. However, the marriage did not last long and the couple divorced.
The actor’s next relationship was with model Toukie Smith. They lived in a civil marriage and had twin children from a surrogate mother. This story also turned out to be not a happy one. The next wife of Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. was a stewardess and model Grace Hightower. A year later, they had a son, Elliot De Niro, and thirteen years later, a daughter, Helen Grace De Niro. This marriage also fell apart seven years after the birth of their daughter. In 2023, the actor shocked the public with the news of the birth of another child, Gia Virginia Chen, from a young athlete, Tiffany Chen.