How Robert De Niro Feels About Becoming A Father At 80 Years Old
In his 80 years of life, Robert De Niro has played many roles — including father. "Father of the Bride Part 3" and "About My Father" may be films in his repertoire, but he is well versed in fatherhood in real life. He actually has seven children, in addition to his newest baby girl, Gia, who was born in April 2023. He also has five grown children, whose ages span 25 to 52, in addition to his 12-year-old daughter Helen Grace.
Balancing a storied career like De Niro's and fatherhood is bound to be a challenge. The renowned actor confirmed this fact to Us Weekly in 2019 in talking about his kids. "I love my children, just being with them," he told the outlet. "It's not easy. Sometimes it's fun and you love your kids, and sometimes you want to kill them!" De Niro added, "Then, when you have the good moments, you forget about the ones that weren't good."
Even back in 2011, when De Niro was in his 60s, welcoming baby girl Helen with his now ex-wife Grace Hightower, folks were talking about his age as a new dad. Over a decade later, that conversation continues now that De Niro has welcomed his seventh child.
De Niro was excited for Gia's arrival
Without a lot of fuss, Robert De Niro let the world know about the birth of his seventh child in April 2023. The nonchalant announcement came about during an interview with ET Canada. The interviewer asked about his six children, and De Niro quipped back, "Seven, actually," according to the outlet, adding, "I just had a baby," After that, a lot of folks wanted to know how the actor felt about fatherhood.
"Sometimes, I don't think people really know what being a good father is. You know you have a responsibility, but it's a mystery. It's a lot of excitement but scary, and you do your best," he told Access Hollywood.
Nine months later, De Niro sat down with AARP and gushed about how special it was to be a new baby dad at his age. He told the outlet that his worries just disappear when he looks at his baby girl. "It's wondrous," he told the outlet. "When she gets older — who knows? But that very sweet way she has of looking at you, taking you in, thinking and watching and observing."
He doesn't do the 'heavy lifting'
Although he's had several children before Gia, Robert De Niro told The Guardian that parenthood doesn't get any easier in 2023, and it always surprises you. More than that, he opened up that his partner and mother to Gia, Tiffany Chen, who is 45 years old, does much of the actual child care.
"It is what it is. It's OK. I mean, I don't do the heavy lifting," he told the outlet. "I'm there, I support my girlfriend. But she does the work. And we have help, which is so important." Even so, being a father to a baby, even in his 80s, is still enjoyable, De Niro added.
De Niro's heavy-lifting comment launched a Reddit discussion, with many commenters responding that they're not surprised he's left the bulk of the work for his partner. Other users pointed out that they were glad he wasn't acting like he does everything for the baby. Another user also noted that De Niro's advanced age and his being a new dad helped land him onto the Wikipedia page for oldest fathers.