Robert De Niro now has a septet of children. When an interviewer mentioned De Niro’s “six kids” recently, the two-time Oscar winner had a late-breaking update: “Seven, actually.”
“I just had a baby,” De Niro added in the ET Canada interview, which was published online on Monday.
There’s no word on the newborn’s name or age or the partner with whom De Niro became a dad again.
The “Raging Bull” star has six other kids with three former partners, per People. With his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, he has daughter Drena, 51, and son Raphael, 46. With ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith he has twin sons Julian and Aaron, 27. And with his second wife, Grace Hightower, he has son Elliot, 24, and daughter Helen, 11.
De Niro co-stars with comedian Sebastian Maniscalo in the new film “About My Father,” due for release on May 26. He plays Salvo, an old-school Italian immigrant based on Maniscalo’s real-life dad. De Niro tells ET Canada he’s not a “cool dad” like his character in the comedy film.
“I’m okay,” he said. “You know, my kids disagree with me at times, and they’re respectful. My daughter, she’s 11, she gives me grief sometimes, and I argue with her. I adore her, but, you know. And my youngest now, that’ll be more to come. But that’s what it is.”
He also said there’s “no way around” laying down the law with his kids from time to time. “And any parent, I think, would say the same thing,” he added. “You always want to do the right thing by the children and give them the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes, you can’t.”
Talking to People in 2020, De Niro said he doesn’t care if his kids follow him into acting or not, as long as they’re happy. “That’s the most I would say — push yourself a little more and reach for what you really think it is you want to do. Don’t be afraid. … It’s important for them to find their own lane.”