Os seis filhos birraciais de Robert De Niro mudaram a forma como ele enxerga o mundo

Jan 20, 2022

Os papéis icônicos de Robert De Niro na série de filmes "O Poderoso Chefão", bem como no clássico cult "Taxi Driver" continuam a aparecer em referências da cultura pop ainda hoje. O talento inerente do astro sênior na atuação tem inspirado gerações de atores a saírem de suas zonas de conforto enquanto atuam e seguem seus fortes passos. Embora ele tenha estado fora dos holofotes por alguns anos, De Niro ainda é uma personalidade magnânima na indústria do entretenimento.

Ao longo dos anos, De Niro tem feito um forte nome para si mesmo em meio aos sucessos e fracassos de seus vários relacionamentos. Afinal, casamentos longos são infrequentes em Hollywood, pois a fama às vezes é muito dura na vida privada das celebridades. Apesar dos desafios que vieram com cada um dos três casamentos fracassados na vida de De Niro, ele fez questão de criar seus seis filhos da melhor forma possível.

Hoje, os filhos do ator veterano de 77 anos de idade não seguiram todos os passos do pai, ao invés de escolher uma vida mais tranquila longe dos holofotes. A maioria dos filhos tem mantido suas vidas notoriamente privadas, então não se sabe muito sobre a maioria delas. No entanto, De Niro falou algumas vezes com vários pontos de venda sobre seu papel como pai, bem como com seus filhos.

Em junho de 2020, De Niro falou sobre sua experiência criando crianças birraciais em um episódio de "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". Ele compartilhou alguns de seus medos e pediu que as coisas mudassem nos Estados Unidos. Continue lendo para saber mais sobre os filhos de Robert e veja que ele não é apenas um ator fenomenal, mas também um pai excepcional.

Robert was born on Aug. 17, 1943, in New York City, New York. He found a love for acting at a young age and especially appreciated it as it helped him overcome his shyness. As Robert grew up, he took the art more seriously, studying acting at HB Studio, Stella Adler Conservatory and the Actors Studio. Soon enough, he started finding work in the industry.

Nowadays, the world knows Robert as a renowned actor. He has won a litany of prestigious awards over his many years as a working actor and has even earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former US President Barack Obama. Some of his best-recognized performances include “Taxi Driver,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” The Irishman,” “Goodfellas” and “The Godfather II.”

Robert has also proved to have many skills behind the camera. He founded the film and television production company TriBeCa Productions with producer Jane Rosenthal. The pair also founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002.

The talented man has continued to make waves in the entertainment industry. According to his IMDB, Robert has stayed busy making films in recent years. Some of his projects include “Joker” with Joaquin Phoenix, “Savage Salvation,” “The Comeback Trail,” “The War with Grandpa” and “Amsterdam.” The latter film also featured a plethora of other notable stars, including Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Anya-Taylor Joy and Taylor Swift.

Robert has certainly left a lasting impression on people from all walks of life. From his family to his friends to his fans, Robert has continued to touch the lives of many. 

One of Robert’s dearest friends is acclaimed actress Meryl Streep. The actress is best recognized for her work on stage and in films. Some of her most popular productions include “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Julie & Julia,” “Into the Woods,” “Little Women” and “Mamma Mia!”

Robert and Streep are truly legends in their own right. While Robert has made a name for himself in countless films, he spoke with Parade in 2011 about how he learned never to take fame for granted. He explained:

“You have to be very careful with all that because it is fleeting. I think if you have the opportunity to work and do things such as I have, you have to be grateful that you had the chance and take advantage of the opportunity because you might not ever get another one.”

Streep also has a great deal of success and fame under her belt, so much so that “Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep” author Michael Schulman called her the “‘Iron Lady’ of acting.” And while both Robert and Streep have found success individually, they have also found it together.

The pair have known each other for quite some time. They have co-starred in a handful of films together, including “The Deer Hunter” in 1974, “Falling in Love” in 1984, “Marvin’s Room” in 1996 and “First Man” in 2004. The two stars have somehow teamed up almost every decade, it seems! With that in mind, it’s not surprising that they have shown their appreciation for one another over the years as well.

In 2017 fans and fellow peers of Streep showed their appreciation for the actress following her win at the Golden Globe Awards. She received the Cecil B. DeMille Award, according to PEOPLE. Robert had been honored with the same award back in 2011 and was very moved by Streep’s speech, where she talked about how hurt she was seeing another public figure mocking someone with a disability. 

Robert wrote Streep a letter that said:

“What you said was great. It needed to be said, and you said it beautifully. I have so much respect for you that you did it while the world was celebrating your achievements. I share your sentiments about punks and bullies. Enough is enough. You, with your elegance and intelligence, have a powerful voice — one that inspires others to speak up as they should so their voices will be heard too. It is so important that we ALL speak up. We love you.”

Streep was sure to return the sentiment in 2018 when Robert once again shared more reasons why he appreciated the actress. According to Entertainment Tonight, Robert delivered a touching speech to his friend as she was given the award for Best Actress at the National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala.

“Meryl is the most generous and giving actor,” he said. “She not only inhabits her own character, she helps bring out the character of everyone else on the screen.” The actor continued: “Meryl, thank you for speaking out on matters of conscience that affect us all. Thank you for being an actress who plays the most interesting characters with full commitment and without judgment.”

Robert concluded his speech: “Meryl doesn’t seem to have any imperfections. And I say that with the most love for you, Meryl. I love you so much.” 

Streep seemed to feel the same as she gave her kind friend a big hug and a surprising kiss on the lips, too!

Although the kiss was nothing romantic, it was clear that Streep and Robert shared — and still share — a great deal of love for one another, and their friendship is as strong as ever.

Streep is not the only famous friend Robert has, though, as he is also wonderful friends with Al Pacino. The two legends starred in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” together. And after 50 years of delivering riveting performances on screen, the film proved to be a crowning achievement for them both.

This was also not the first time Robert worked with Scorsese, and the two joined forces on several movies together, including “Taxi Driver” and “Goodfellas.”

“The Irishman,” which received great reviews, was based on a novel by Charles Brandt about the mysterious disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, played by Pacino in the film. Despite the advancing ages of the men, their performances in the film were highly charged and emotional.

While Robert and Pacino each have had respectable careers for several decades, they have also been friends for over 50 years. The pair have a unique bond that could only come from both being lauded as two of the greatest living actors of our time.

Robert and Pacino had not appeared in the same scene together since the 1995 film “Heat,” but it only lasted for a few short moments. 

Although the two went on to make many great films separately, Robert and Pacino proved that they worked well together both on-screen and off. 

As the pair sat together in a GQ interview to talk about their friendship and their careers, they relaxed like two old friends. Pacino tried to recall how long they had known each other, and De Niro stated that it had been over 40 years. Robert corrected him, saying it had been even more. 

Pacino also described his impression of Robert the first time he saw him. He was impressed with his unique demeanor and charisma. He knew that he possessed some special qualities.

Of course, as someone who has been in the industry for multiple decades, Robert has formed more friendships with more people, including more of his former co-stars.

Speaking to the SAG-AFTRA foundation podcast in 2014, Leonardo DiCaprio talked about how much he admires Robert and the friendship they share, as well as his partnership with Scorsese.

“He is my favorite actor of all time, he really is,” DiCaprio revealed, speaking about Robert. “That relationship with him and Scorsese just influenced every one of my friends in the industry that I’ve met through the years. That is sort of the golden relationship of cinema to me.”

DiCaprio had worked with Robert on three films already, “This Boy’s Life,” “Marvin's Room” and “The Audition.” 

Robert has surely proven that his friends mean a great deal to him, but no one means more to him than his family – especially his children.

Enquanto sua pesada e louvável carreira de ator é algo de que Robert se orgulhe, seu papel como pai é algo que ele preza ainda mais. Robert já foi casado duas vezes no passado. Seu primeiro casamento foi com o cantor Diahnne Abbot, com quem ele foi casado por 12 anos, de 1976 a 1988. Durante este tempo, Robert e Abbot tiveram um filho, Raphael De Niro, juntos, e Robert também adotou a filha Drena De Niro do relacionamento anterior de Abbot .

A Mindfood relata que Rapahel trabalhou como ator por algum tempo antes de seguir uma carreira na área imobiliária. Depois de Abbot, ele esteve em um relacionamento de longo prazo com a modelo Toukie Smith de 1988 a 1996, durante o qual ele teve filhos gêmeos Aaron e Julian com Smith através de um substituto, de acordo com a PEOPLE.

Seu casamento final foi com a atriz Grace Hightower, com quem ele compartilhou um relacionamento algo volátil. O casal se casou em 1997 e teve um filho, Eliot, que nasceu em 1998, antes de o casal se separar em 1999. O casal então se envolveu em uma batalha de custódia por um tempo, de acordo com a PEOPLE, mas eventualmente suavizou as coisas e até mesmo teve uma cerimônia de renovação dos votos em 2004, antes de se separarem permanentemente em 2018. O casal compartilha dois filhos, Eliot e a filha Helen, que nasceu em 2011 através de substitutos.

Quando se trata de entrevistas e de falar abertamente sobre qualquer uma de suas experiências, Robert é conhecido por seus lábios notoriamente apertados. Ao longo dos anos, ele tem dito muito pouco sobre seus gostos, desgostos e opiniões, mas através desses tempos, ele tem se aberto sobre sua família também.

Os filhos de Robert são de idades variadas e têm diferentes criações, o que significa que às vezes há desafios. "Eu amo meus filhos, apenas estar com eles", ele disse ao Us Weekly. "Não é fácil. Às vezes é divertido e você ama seus filhos, e às vezes você quer matá-los"! O ator também acrescentou: "Então, quando você tem os bons momentos, você esquece os que não foram bons". Muitos pais provavelmente podem entender de onde ele está vindo.

O ator também compartilhou como ele tenta estar lá para seus filhos. Robert disse ao MindFood em 2014, "Eu tento ser honesto com meus filhos e fazê-los confiar em mim, se você quiser. Eu deixo-os saber que o que eles estão passando não é muito diferente do que eu passei ao crescer".

Embora algumas coisas permaneçam as mesmas de quando ele estava crescendo, uma diferença que Robert reconheceu é que todos os seus filhos são birraciais e ele não é. Ele falou sobre o assunto no "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Robert compartilhou:

"Meus filhos são todos meio negros e eu não, nem mesmo eu, tomo certas coisas como garantidas. Quando as pessoas dizem que elas dizem aos seus filhos, 'mantenha suas mãos (à mostra) quando você for parado por qualquer policial, mantenha suas mãos no volante, não faça um movimento brusco, não coloque suas mãos para baixo, não faça isso', você entende isso. Isso é assustador. Isso tem que mudar".

Robert sempre tenta guiar seus filhos na direção certa. Falando à PEOPLE em janeiro de 2020, ele disse: "Para meus filhos, eu lhes digo: 'Se você quer ser ator ou se você quer fazer isso ou aquilo, tudo bem desde que você esteja feliz. Só não se venda barato'".

Pela maneira como ele fala de seus filhos, parece que De Niro é um pai incrível. O que você acha da experiência dele em criar crianças birraciais na América? Deixe-nos saber e não deixe de passar isso para todos os fãs de De Niro que você conhece!