Robert De Niro has seven children: Drena, Raphael, Julian, Airyn, Elliot, Helen Grace, and Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro. Their family history includes adoption, twins born via surrogate, and children with Diahnne Abbott, Toukie Smith, Grace Hightower, and Tiffany Chen.
Robert De Niro has seven children: Drena De Niro, Raphael De Niro, Julian De Niro, Airyn De Niro, Elliot De Niro, Helen Grace De Niro, and Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro. They are part of a blended family with four mothers: actress Diahnne Abbott, actress and model Toukie Smith, Grace Hightower, and Tiffany Chen.
The children span several generations. Drena and Raphael are adults who have pursued careers outside or alongside acting; Julian and Airyn are twins born in 1995; Elliot and Helen Grace are De Niro’s children with Grace Hightower; and Gia, born in April 2023, is his youngest child. Much of the family’s private life remains private, so the public record is more detailed for some children than for others.
Robert De Niro’s children at a glance
| Child | Mother or family relationship | What is publicly confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Drena De Niro | Diahnne Abbott; adopted by De Niro | Actress and filmmaker who has appeared in several films |
| Raphael De Niro | Diahnne Abbott | De Niro’s biological son; works in real estate |
| Julian De Niro | Toukie Smith | De Niro’s twin son, born in 1995 via surrogate |
| Airyn De Niro | Toukie Smith | Julian’s twin sister; a transgender woman who has discussed creative work and mental-health counseling |
| Elliot De Niro | Grace Hightower | Born in 1998; generally lives outside the spotlight |
| Helen Grace De Niro | Grace Hightower | Born via surrogate in December 2011 |
| Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro | Tiffany Chen | Born in April 2023; De Niro’s youngest child |
Robert De Niro’s family tree
With Diahnne Abbott: Drena and Raphael
De Niro married actress Diahnne Abbott in 1976. Their family included Abbott’s daughter, Drena, whom De Niro adopted, as well as their biological son, Raphael. This distinction matters: Drena is De Niro’s adopted daughter, while Raphael is his biological son.
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With Toukie Smith: twins Julian and Airyn
De Niro and actress and model Toukie Smith had twins, Julian and Airyn, in 1995. Public reporting from CBS News and the Associated Press, as well as ABC News, identifies the twins as having been born via surrogate.
With Grace Hightower: Elliot and Helen Grace
De Niro and singer, actress, and philanthropist Grace Hightower have two children together: Elliot, born in 1998, and Helen Grace, born via surrogate in December 2011. De Niro and Hightower married in 1997, divorced in 1999, renewed their vows in 2004, and later separated. The relationship history is public, but the children’s day-to-day lives are not.
With Tiffany Chen: Gia Virginia
De Niro and martial artist and instructor Tiffany Chen welcomed Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro in April 2023. De Niro confirmed the birth in an interview, and AARP’s 2024 interview described Gia as the couple’s first child and De Niro’s seventh. Publications vary slightly in how they style the child’s surname; “Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro” is the form used in the supplied reporting.
Who are Robert De Niro’s seven children?
1. Drena De Niro
Drena is De Niro’s eldest child. She was born to Diahnne Abbott and was adopted by De Niro during his marriage to Abbott, taking the De Niro surname. ABC News identifies her as his adopted daughter.
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She has worked as an actress and has appeared in a number of films, including Wag the Dog, Great Expectations, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, City by the Sea, Showtime, The Intern, New Year’s Eve, Joy, and Hands of Stone. The list is documented in a 2024 AARP profile.
Drena also experienced a profound family loss when her son, Leandro, died in 2023. De Niro has spoken publicly about the family’s grief, but further personal details are best left to those closest to him.
2. Raphael De Niro
Raphael is De Niro’s biological son with Diahnne Abbott. Unlike his father and sister, he has primarily been associated publicly with real estate rather than acting. Coverage from Us Weekly describes him as having pursued a career in real estate and notes that he has children of his own.
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Raphael has generally maintained a lower public profile than his father. Reports about his family sometimes differ in detail, so it is more responsible to avoid repeating unverified counts, ages, or other personal information.
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3. Julian De Niro
Julian is one of De Niro’s twins with Toukie Smith. He was born in 1995 via surrogate and is Airyn De Niro’s twin brother.
Julian’s private life has received limited reliable coverage. Although he has occasionally been mentioned in connection with his famous family, there is no need to turn a lack of public information into speculation about his career, relationships, or personal life.
4. Airyn De Niro
Airyn is Julian’s twin sister and De Niro’s daughter with Toukie Smith. Born in 1995, she was raised largely away from the spotlight. In a 2025 first-person interview with Them, Airyn spoke about her identity and described herself as a transgender woman.
Airyn has discussed gender expression, modeling, voice acting, and studying to become a mental-health counselor. A later Them profile published in October 2025 also covered her creative and style interests.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteAiryn is the correct current name and “she” and “her” are the appropriate pronouns in this article. Some older coverage used a former name, but repeating it is unnecessary and does not accurately represent how Airyn identifies today.
5. Elliot De Niro
Elliot is De Niro’s son with Grace Hightower. He was born in 1998, according to CBS News and Associated Press reporting.
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Elliot has largely stayed out of the public eye. Some reporting has discussed personal and health-related aspects of his life, but those details are sensitive and are not necessary to establish his place in the family. This article therefore does not repeat them without a clear editorial reason and high-quality sourcing.
6. Helen Grace De Niro
Helen Grace is De Niro’s daughter with Grace Hightower. She was born via surrogate in December 2011. In a 2024 interview with AARP, De Niro referred to her as his daughter who was about to turn 12.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Helen Grace has comparatively little public profile, and she was still a minor when that interview was published. Information about her school, residence, routines, and other identifying details should not be treated as public entertainment content.
7. Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro
Gia Virginia is De Niro’s youngest child. She was born in April 2023 to De Niro and Tiffany Chen, making her De Niro’s seventh child and the couple’s first child together.
De Niro discussed becoming a father again in his eighties in interviews covered by AARP. Because Gia is very young, the relevant public facts are limited to her parentage and birth year. Private information such as her residence, medical history, daily routine, or childcare arrangements should not be published without authorized sourcing and a strong editorial justification.
Why some lists of De Niro’s children look different
Older articles and celebrity family lists can be confusing for several reasons:
- Adoption is sometimes omitted. Drena is De Niro’s adopted daughter, not his biological daughter.
- Airyn’s name may be outdated. Older reports used a former name before Airyn publicly discussed her identity in 2025.
- Children have different levels of publicity. Drena has an acting résumé, while Julian, Elliot, Helen Grace, and Gia have generally kept much more of their lives private.
- Ages change quickly. Birth years and family relationships are more reliable than ages copied from older listicles.
- Surrogacy is part of the public record. Julian and Airyn, and later Helen Grace, were reported to have been born via surrogate.
Further reading about Robert De Niro
This article is about De Niro’s children, not a full biography of the actor. Readers who want broader context on his career, relationships, fatherhood, and public life may wish to consult De Niro: A Life by Shawn Levy. The publisher presents it as a biography of De Niro’s life and career, rather than a book specifically about his children.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A note on privacy and accuracy
Being related to a globally known actor does not make every family detail public. The strongest confirmed information concerns the children’s names, parentage, birth years or dates where reliably reported, and a small number of public careers or interviews. Claims about residences, schools, routines, health, relationships, and personalities require a higher standard of sourcing—or should be left out entirely.
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Based on the publicly documented family structure, the answer remains seven: Drena, Raphael, Julian, Airyn, Elliot, Helen Grace, and Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many children does Robert De Niro have?
Robert De Niro has seven children: Drena De Niro, Raphael De Niro, Julian De Niro, Airyn De Niro, Elliot De Niro, Helen Grace De Niro, and Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro.
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Is Drena De Niro Robert De Niro’s biological daughter?
Drena is De Niro’s adopted daughter. She was born to actress Diahnne Abbott and was adopted by De Niro during his marriage to Abbott.
Who are Robert De Niro’s twins?
Julian and Airyn De Niro are twins born in 1995 to Robert De Niro and actress and model Toukie Smith. Public reporting says they were born via surrogate.
Who is Airyn De Niro?
Airyn De Niro is the current name she uses, and she uses she/her pronouns. She discussed her identity as a transgender woman in a 2025 interview with Them.
Who is Robert De Niro’s youngest child?
Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro was born in April 2023 to Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen. She is De Niro’s seventh and youngest child.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Robert De Niro has seven children. Drena is his adopted daughter with Diahnne Abbott; Raphael is his biological son with Abbott; Julian and Airyn are his twins with Toukie Smith; Elliot and Helen Grace are his children with Grace Hightower; and Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro is his daughter with Tiffany Chen.
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