Robert De Niro opens up about being a father at 80
By Amarachi Orie, CNN
(CNN) — Actor Robert De Niro has opened up about the “joy” of new fatherhood after welcoming his seventh child last year.
The Oscar-winning actor and his girlfriend Tiffany Chen welcomed daughter Gia in April.
“She’s such an adorable baby. So sweet,” the 80-year-old said in an interview with People published on Wednesday.
He added: “(When I) look at her, everything else goes away. So it’s a great joy and relief to just be with her in the moment.”
“The Godfather Part II” and “Taxi Driver” actor said it means “everything” to him when his family can “all be together.”
From 1976 to 1988, the actor was married to Diahnne Abbott and they are the parents of two children, Drena, 56, and Raphael, 47.
In 1995, he welcomed twin sons, Aaron and Julian, with his then-girlfriend, Toukie Smith.
De Niro was also previously married to Grace Hightower before they split in 2018, and the pair are parents to son Elliot and daughter Helen Grace.
Talking about Gia, De Niro said, “The kids all get a big kick out of her.”
“The grandkids even,” he continued. “She’s their aunt — (and) they’re about to be teenagers.”
The two-time Oscar winner has been nominated for best actor in a supporting role at the upcoming Academy Awards for his role as murder mastermind William Hale in Martin Scorsese’s 2023 historical crime drama “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
In response to the Oscar nomination, De Niro said “you can’t think about” winning, but simply being nominated is “great.”
He said “it’d be nice” if his costar Lily Gladstone won best actress in a leading role. “I feel that Lily has a very good chance of winning it,” he said, adding: “I’m hoping that that’ll happen.”
In his interview, De Niro said he enjoys working, adding: “I’m ready to take whatever life gives me.”
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CNN’s Alli Rosenbloom contributed to this report.
