Drena De Niro (born September 3, 1967) is an American actress and filmmaker who is the daughter of Diahnne Abbott and the adoptive daughter of Robert De Niro after their marriage in 1976.
Life and career
De Niro is the daughter of actress Diahnne Abbott, and the adoptive daughter of actor Robert De Niro, whose last name she took upon her mother's marriage to him in 1976.
De Niro had a bohemian upbringing and divided her time living in New York City, Los Angeles, and Italy. The transient lifestyle is said to have been a factor in her choice to work in the arts. After high school she began her career in the entertainment industry working as a model.[1] Having interests in fashion and music she became a DJ and fashion consultant.[1] It led to working as a musical supervisor for Giorgio Armani creating and coordinating runway shows.[1]
Her transition to the field of acting began with her role in Allison Anders' Grace of My Heart. Since then De Niro has worked with and trained under Larry Moss, author of the acting guide, Intent to Live, and Susan Batson of The Black Nexxus Acting Studio. After 2000 De Niro wrote and directed her first film, Girls and Dolls. The documentary examined a young stylist's obsession with her dolls, and she won the Best Directorial Debut Award at the New York Independent Film/Video Festival in 2001. She has appeared in several of her father's films, including Showtime (2002), Wag the Dog (1997), City by the Sea (2002) and The Intern (2015).
Recently De Niro's endeavors have led her back to Italy, where she worked on her latest film[citation needed]. Since 2006, she has been the spokesperson for the Kageno Orphan Sponsorship Program,[2] which helps provide care for orphaned children in Kageno villages. De Niro currently lives in New York City.[1][3] In July 2023, De Niro announced that her son Leandro had died aged 19.[4][5] It was later revealed to be due to accidental fentanyl poisoning.[6]
