• Julian Henry De Niro is the son of Robert De Niro and Toukie Smith
• He has four half-siblings, Drena, Elliot, Helen and Raphael, and four nephews
• He is speculated to have graduated from the University of America and to have a career in modelling, acting and producing
• His father is a recipient of two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe award and a Presidential Medal of Freedom
• He is estimated to have a net worth of $300,000
Contents
What do you know about Julian Henry De Niro?
Being the child of a heavyweight celebrity like Robert De Niro certainly comes with a lot of pressure and attention. Though Julian has managed to keep most of his business away from the public, it has only increased people’s interest in him.
Early Life and Background
He was born Julian Henry De Niro on 20 October 1995 to the multi-award-winning actor Robert De Niro and Popular model, Toukie Smith, in New York City, USA. He is American by nationality and multi-ethnic. His father, Robert, has German, French, Italian, Dutch and English ancestry, while his mother, Toukie, is of African American descent. His artistic genes must have come from his paternal side since both of his grandparents were also successful artists, while his maternal grandfather worked as a butcher and grandmother was a factory worker.
Julian has a twin brother, Aaron Kendrick, and four other half-siblings – namely Drena, Elliot, Helen and Raphael, to whom he is quite close; he’s also a doting uncle to his four nephews.
Julian’s Education and University
Details about his studies have not been released to the public, but he is rumoured to have graduated from the University of America with good grades. Where he attended his high school and what area he majored in while he was in the university is also not known.
His Parents and Siblings
Julian and his identical brother, though biological children of Robert De Niro, were birthed through surrogacy. They aren’t the only De Niro children to have been conceived through a surrogate, as Helen, their youngest sibling, was also born the same way.
Robert De Niro is a renowned Hollywood actor, who was born on 17 August 1943 in New York City, USA. He is the only child of Henry Martin De Niro, an artist and sculptor, and Virginia Admiral, also an artist and poet. When he was just two years old, his father revealed that he was gay which lead to his parent’s separation. He later followed his mother to Manhattan where he spent most of his childhood. Though he didn’t live together with his father, Robert still maintained a healthy relationship with him.
Robert schooled in Manhattan and also took acting classes before making his debut appearance at just 10 years old in the movie “The Wizard of Oz”, in which he portrayed the “Cowardly Lion”.
He continued performing in high school, and discovered that he could do better than most of the actors who were present in his time. With this confidence, he decided to leave school and focus on acting professionally; he attended several studios where he learnt techniques he employs in his acting to date.
Decades later, he’s grown into a Hollywood megastar, and featured in several critically acclaimed movies such as “The Deer Hunter” which was rated as one of the greatest movies from the US by the ‘American Film Institute’, “The Washington Post”, “San Francisco Chronicle” and most notable of all, “The Godfather Part II”.
After his divorce from his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, the popular actor met model Toukie Julian’s mother, Doris. A. Smith, also known as ‘Toukie Smith’ was born on 25 September 1952 in Pennsylvania.
She enrolled into the Institute of Fashion and went on to have a successful career in modelling, gracing the cover of prominent magazines such as ‘Vogue’, ‘Cosmopolitan’ and ‘Yves St Laurent’. She also modelled for huge brands such as ‘Versace’, ‘Norma Kamali’ and ‘Chanel’ to name a few.
She was decorated as the Model of the Year by Bloomingdale in 1978, and had a mannequin designed after her, just the second African-American in modelling to have such an honor. Aside from acting, she is also recognised for her on-screen appearance in the Television sitcom “227” as Eva Rawley. She has also featured in several other movies, including “The Preacher’s Wife”, “Talkin’ Dirty After Dark”, and “Joe’s Apartment”.
Not long after meeting, the pair began dating in 1988, and their relationship went on for several years, producing twin boys Julian and Aaron in 1995, before the couple parted ways amicably a year later.
In December 2003, Julian’s father was said to have undergone a surgical operation as part of the management of his prostate cancer diagnosis. The surgery was successful, much to the relief of his family, fans and well-wishers.
Aside from the 25-year-old twins, Julian’s father also has an adopted daughter, 48-year-old Drena, and a son Raphael, 44 from his first marriage. He met his now ex-wife, Grace Hightower in 1987 when she was working at a restaurant, and the couple dated for ten years before marrying in 1997.
They separated after two years before getting back together and welcoming his youngest son, Elliot, whom the actor later revealed to be on the autism spectrum, and his youngest child, Helen, who is just 8. After being together for over three decades, and married for two, the Hollywood couple called it quits in 2018, though their divorce is yet to be finalised.
Julian’s Career life and Relationship
His fame comes from being the son of celebrity parents, though he is also speculated to have delved into modelling, acting and also producing. He is still tight-lipped on what he is up to nowadays, and prefers to remain low-key, unlike his half-siblings Raphael and Drena, who followed in their father’s acting footsteps.
Raphael is notable for his appearances in movies “Raging Bull”, “James Abbott is Gone” and “Awakenings”. He is also into real estate, and manages his father’s Greenwich Hotel.
Drena has also featured in movies, such as “City by the Sea”, “Showtime” and “The Intern”.
It is still unknown if Julian would take after his mother and delve into acting after his modelling career, but his father’s stated that he doesn’t pressure his children to follow his footsteps. In an interview, he said that he encourages his children to do whatever makes them happy, and not sell themselves short.
Julian rarely attends public gatherings, though he was once photographed in 2013, at the Presidential villa in Israel. Not much is known about whom he has been romantically involved with, or if he is currently in any relationship.
His Awards and Nominations
The young model has not received any awards or accolades which have been documented, and may have a large shoe to fill seeing that his father Robert, is a recipient of two Academy Awards, One for Best Supporting Actor in the 1975 epic “The Godfather II”, and the other ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’ for the 1981 film “Raging Bull”, as well as a Golden Globe award among many others. He has also received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
Rumours and Controversies
As with many other details about him, Julian has been very private and avoided any scandals or controversies around his personal and professional life. His father, however, was allegedly involved in a prostitution ring scandal, and was questioned about in Paris by their police, which he denied.
His Net worth
Though his career is still largely speculative, Julian’s net worth is estimated to be over $300,000, which is mostly from his modelling contracts and gigs. According to Celebrity Net Worth, his father is rumoured to have a staggering net worth of over $500 million from his hugely successful career in the movie industry. His mother’s net worth is also set at about $3 million, although reports are unconfirmed.
Julian’s Physical Features
The handsome African-American model inherited his good looks from both parents, with brown hair colour and dark brown eyes. He is around 5ft 9ins (1.7m) in height, weighs about 145lbs (65kgs) and wears UK size 11 shoe.
Where can you find him?
He doesn’t share his details publicly, but is quite active on his Instagram account @goldenboyjulio, on which he models and shares posts of himself and family with his over 6,000 followers.
