Robert De Niro may have decades of experience in Hollywood, but when it comes to balancing work and fatherhood, he says there is no perfect formula.
The 83-year-old actor opened up about raising seven children while maintaining his busy acting career, admitting that even after years of parenting, some guilt comes with the territory.
“I don’t know if there is a secret,” De Niro told People. “It’s just managing it all. And there’s no way around not feeling a little guilty about not being there at times you should or you think you should.”
De Niro also said becoming a parent is something that is difficult to fully prepare for ahead of time.
“It’s a new experience. It’s not like you’ve taken courses on it and stuff,” he said. “You just jump in and you have the child and you got to… That’s it.”
Robert De Niro Has 7 Children Spanning Several Decades
De Niro’s experience with fatherhood stretches across several decades. The two-time Oscar winner became a father to his eldest daughter, Drena, after adopting her during his marriage to his now-ex-wife Diahnne Abbott, per ABC News. The former couple also welcomed son Raphael in 1976.
De Niro later welcomed twins Julian and Airyn in 1995 with former girlfriend Toukie Smith. Julian followed his famous father into acting, while Airyn has largely remained outside of the spotlight.
The actor also shares son Elliot and daughter Helen Grace with ex-wife Grace Hightower. Helen has mostly remained out of the public eye, though she accompanied her father to the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.
De Niro’s family grew once again in April 2023 when he welcomed his seventh child, daughter Gia, with girlfriend Tiffany Chen at age 79.
Despite having already raised children for decades, De Niro has spoken about the joy of experiencing fatherhood again later in life. He previously described Gia as “pure joy” and told AARP that looking at his youngest daughter makes his everyday worries disappear.
His home entertainment has also changed a bit. During a February 2025 appearance on BBC Radio 2, De Niro revealed that he does not watch as many movies as he once did because Gia prefers children’s shows like “The Wiggles” and “Ms. Rachel.”
De Niro’s New Movie Also Tackles Fatherhood
De Niro’s latest comments come as he stars in Netflix’s “The Whisper Man,” a thriller that also puts fatherhood and complicated family relationships at the center of its story.
De Niro plays Peter Willis, the estranged father of Adam Scott’s character, Tom Kennedy. After Tom’s 8-year-old son is kidnapped, the widowed crime writer turns to his father, a retired police detective, for help. Their search leads them to a decades-old case involving a convicted serial killer known as the Whisper Man.
Scott, who shares two children with wife Naomi Scott, agreed with De Niro that becoming a parent is difficult to prepare for, regardless of how much advice someone receives.
“No matter how much advice you get or whatever anyone says to you, or tries to, once you’re doing it, it’s a brand new thing and there’s no preparing for it,” Scott told People.
“The Whisper Man,” which also stars Michelle Monaghan, Hamish Linklater, Michael Keaton, Owen Teague and Acston Luca Porto, premieres on Netflix on Friday, Aug. 28.
For De Niro, decades of fatherhood have not resulted in a secret rulebook for balancing family and a demanding career. Instead, he said becoming a parent ultimately comes down to learning as you go.
“You just jump in and you have the child and you got to… That’s it.”
