Robert De Niro's latest film, The Whisper Man, was released on Netflix on Friday, August 28. The horror thriller sees the 83-year-old play Detective Pete Willis, who is drawn into a case involving a child serial killer. The plot follows a widower whose young son is kidnapped, leading him to seek help from his estranged father. The kidnapper is believed to be a killer Willis caught 10 years ago, but the man remains behind bars.
First marriage to Diahnne Abbott
De Niro's first wife was actress and singer Diahnne Abbott. The couple met on the set of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, where she had a minor role as a concession stand clerk. They married in April 1976, the same year the film was released, and divorced 12 years later. Abbott also appeared in New York, New York, The King of Comedy and Welcome to LA.
Second marriage to Grace Hightower
De Niro met his second wife, former flight attendant Grace Hightower, in 1987 at the Mr Chow restaurant in London, where she worked as a hostess. They married in June 1997 but separated in November 2018, finalising their divorce after 21 years of marriage.
Current partner Tiffany Chen
Since 2021, De Niro has been in a relationship with world champion martial artist Tiffany Chen. They met on the set of the 2015 film The Intern, where she played his character's tai chi instructor. Asked by CBS Mornings in 2023 about teaching De Niro, she joked: “I've had better students, but he was okay. He had a lot of other stuff to do in the movie.”
His seven children
De Niro has seven children. His eldest is adopted daughter Drena De Niro, an actress, model and DJ, whose mother is Diahnne Abbott. He also has a biological son with Abbott, Raphael De Niro, born in 1976, who now works as a luxury real estate broker in New York.
During a break between marriages, De Niro had twins with former partner Toukie Smith, via a surrogate: Julian Henry De Niro and Airyn De Niro. With Grace Hightower, he welcomed son Elliot De Niro in 1998, a tennis player in the Special Olympics, and daughter Helen Grace De Niro via surrogate in 2011. His youngest child, Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, was born three years ago with Tiffany Chen. The Whisper Man is available to watch on Netflix.
