Still Diving Deep: Robert De Niro Celebrates His 75th Birthday in Style
Just a few days shy of his 75th birthday on August 17, the legendary Robert De Niro celebrated in true De Niro fashion. He hit the beach in Santa Monica, California, and took a refreshing dip in the Pacific Ocean. Now marking his 50th year as a movie star, De Niro continues to remind us that despite his immense fame, he’s never fully embraced the glitz and glam of Hollywood. "Hollywood is a place, an industry, and a state of mind," he’s said, but his heart lies in New York City. "New York, New York is home," he’s famously quoted. It's where the people who matter most to him live, including his wife, Grace, and their children. To Robert, family is everything. "My wife, Grace, my kids, and my grandkids—they're my entertainment, my art, my passion," he once shared.
A Family Legacy That Shaped an Icon
Family has always been the cornerstone of Robert’s life. Despite his parents, painters Robert De Niro Sr. and Virginia Admiral, divorcing when he was just two years old, the family remained close-knit. His father came out as gay, and they all stayed connected. When Robert Sr. was diagnosed with cancer, Virginia stepped in to care for him, and their son ensured they lived near each other in NYC. Virginia was by her ex-husband’s side when he passed away in 1993 at the age of 71, and she followed in 2000 at 85. Through it all, Robert's parents instilled in him a deep appreciation for art. As a shy child, acting became his outlet, giving him confidence. At the tender age of 10, he made his debut as the Cowardly Lion in a school production of The Wizard of Oz.
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A Cinematic Partnership That Defined a Generation
De Niro teamed up with another New Yorker, director Martin Scorsese, in 1973 for the film Mean Streets. Their collaboration sparked a cinematic revolution, leading to iconic films like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, cementing Robert as one of the finest actors of his era. "Bob’s legacy will endure for generations," Martin, who also directed him in New York, New York; The King of Comedy; GoodFellas; Cape Fear; Casino, and the upcoming gangster pic The Irishman, has said. "The world of cinema is all the better for his brilliance." Despite his professional triumphs, Robert's personal life hasn’t been without challenges. He's weathered splits from actress Diahnne Abbott and model Toukie Smith, with whom he shares two children each. He later worked through a separation from wife Grace Hightower, mother to his two youngest kids. "Robert says his daughter Helen, who’s six, keeps him young," an insider told Closer Weekly. "He gets a workout keeping up with her."
A Lighter Side: Comedy and Compassion
Over the years, De Niro has shown a lighter side on-screen in comedies like Meet the Parents and its sequels, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers. But when it comes to helping out friends and loved ones, he’s all business. When Ben Stiller, his co-star in Meet the Parents, received a similar cancer diagnosis to De Niro's own battle with prostate cancer in 2003, Robert was there for him. "He said, 'It’s OK, you’ll take care of it, it’ll be fine,' and maybe because he’s a great actor, I believed him," Ben, who has since made a full recovery, recalled. "I really feel like the cancer heard Bob and knew not to mess with him."
