Robert De Niro is a two-time Oscar winner, master of disguise and king of gangster films. The actor cannot be called a womanizer, since all his love affairs lasted for many years. From two marriages and one informal union, the Hollywood star has six children. Relations with the second wife from the very beginning were not cloudless. They parted and shared a common son with a scandal in order to get back together and live together for another 14 years. In 2018, the couple announced their divorce again. So the famous actor became a bachelor at 75 years old.
Past romances
De Niro first married in 1976. His longtime girlfriend, actress and model Diana Abbott became his chosen one. She was two years younger than her husband. In 1977, the couple had a son, Raphael. He was named after the hotel in Rome where he was conceived. In addition, de Niro officially formalized the paternity of Diana's daughter from her first marriage, 9-year-old Drena.
The actor's children from his first wife - Drena and Raphael
After the wedding, the couple settled in a rented house in the prestigious Los Angeles area. Both turned out to be great animal lovers, so they soon brought in cats and a green parrot. Not surprisingly, after the end of the lease, the landlord sued the couple, estimating the damage caused to the home by the pets at $ 10,000.
The marriage with Robert had a beneficial effect on Diana's acting career. Together with her husband, she played in three films: Taxi Driver, King of Comedy, New York, New York. The actor's career was gaining momentum, but his wife quickly got tired of the increased attention to her person. The couple separated in 1980, shortly before the release of Raging Bull, which brought De Niro an Oscar for Best Actor. True, the official divorce took place only in 1988.
The new lover of the celebrity was the black model Tookie Smith. In fact, the girl's name was Doris, and Tuki's name was her creative pseudonym. Before her romance with De Niro, she became famous as the younger sister of fashion designer Willie Smith. He called her his inspiration. Beauty Tuki helped her brother in the early stages of her career, regularly participating in his shows. Unfortunately, the talented fashion designer passed away early with AIDS. Robert de Niro was also present at his funeral in April 1987.
In the same year, the actor and his new girlfriend first appeared together at the premiere of The Untouchables. They did not live under the same roof, but Tuki accompanied the chosen one on travels, at social events and during meetings with friends. She gradually began to move away from the modeling business, switching to managing her own restaurant Toukie’s Taste. In 1995, the surrogate mother gave birth to Tookie and Roberta, twin sons, Aaron and Julian. But after the birth of children, this relationship did not last long.
Second wife
De Niro met his future second wife in 1987 in London. Grace Hightower worked as a hostess in the prestigious Chinese restaurant "Mister Chow", where the famous actor dropped in for a bite to eat. Before moving to the capital of Great Britain, she mastered the profession of a flight attendant and lived in Paris. At the first meeting, Grace did not suspect that there was a Hollywood star in front of her. On the contrary, she found the visitor too annoying, since he tormented her with questions for a long time and did not want to let go. Only after complaining to her colleagues did the woman find out that she was talking to the celebrity.
Grace was born in 1955 in Mississippi. The blood of Africans and Indians flows in it. The Hightower family lived very poorly, their parents could hardly feed 11 children. They only saved their own farm, thanks to which they did not need to buy anything but sugar. The girl became independent early, looking for any ways to make money. So she ended up with Trans World Airlines and settled in Paris.
Recalling her relationship with De Niro, Grace admitted that there was no love at first sight between them. They talked for several years before the start of the real romance. And the wedding took place only in 1997.
Difficult family life
A year after the marriage, the couple had a son, Elliot. In 1999, Robert de Niro unexpectedly filed for divorce. A real battle unfolded between the spouses for the custody of a common child. Grace Hightower accused her husband of using alcohol and drugs. He, in turn, complained of domestic violence and claimed that in the heat of a quarrel, his wife once broke his rib. Therefore, the actor was afraid to entrust his son to a woman with such a tough character.
As a result, the divorce was not completed. The couple reconciled, and in 2004 they repeated their wedding vows on the actor's farm in Ulster County. The ceremony was attended by Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Ben Stiller and other famous family friends.
In 2011, a surrogate mother gave birth to a couple's daughter, Helen Grace. De Niro and his wife lived in New York most of the time, which is why Hightower decided to start her own company, Coffee of Grace, in 2012. Her firm is a direct supplier of coffee beans from Rwanda. A business woman often visits this African country herself to monitor the company's activities on the spot.
In 2016, fans were shocked by the actor's public admission that his son Elliot was autistic. He spoke about it during the Tribeca independent film festival, which he founded in 2002 with like-minded people in New York. The scandal erupted when the filmmakers featured a Vaxxed documentary on the link between vaccinations and childhood autism. For example, the actor mentioned a personal tragedy. According to him, he and his wife personally observed how Elliot changed literally overnight after vaccination. True, due to the excitement that arose, the screening of the scandalous film was canceled, but de Niro promised to return to public discussion of this problem.
In November 2018, the couple released an official breakup statement. The couple reported that they were entering a "transitional period" of relationship after 20 years of marriage. They were last seen together in early summer at the Tony Awards. In the same address to the public, the actor expressed his hope for further communication with his ex-wife "as partners in raising children." Obviously, 75-year-old de Niro did not come easily to such a radical decision. Fans wished him strength and health during this difficult period.
