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.

Drena De Niro
De Niro at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival Vanity Fair party
Born (1967-09-03) September 3, 1967 (age 57)
OccupationActress
Years active1996–present
Children1 (deceased)
Parent(s)Robert De Niro (adoptive father)
Diahnne Abbott (mother)
RelativesRaphael De Niro (half brother)
Virginia Admiral (adoptive grandmother)
Robert De Niro Sr. (adoptive grandfather)

Life and career

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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]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1996 Grace of My Heart Receptionist #1
1997 Wag the Dog Gate Stewardess
1998 Too Tired to Die Waitress
1998 Great Expectations Marcy
1999 At First Sight Caroline
1999 On the Run Rita
1999 The 24 Hour Woman Lori
1999 Personals Sherie
1999 Entropy Waitress
2000 The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle RBTV Lackey
2001 Freewheeling in Roma Keechie
2002 Showtime Annie
2002 Ghetto Dawg Semi
2002 City by the Sea Vanessa Hansen
2002 Soliloquy Kara
2003 Death of a Dynasty Female Staff Writer
2005 Freezerburn Nada, The Handler
2005 The Collection Various
2007 The Lovebirds Stella Clark
2009 Karma, Confessions and Holi Megan
2009 ExTerminators Dr. Press
2009 A Day in the Life 'P'
2011 New Year's Eve Ahern Waitress – Ahern Party
2014 Welcome to New York Executive Assistant
2015 The Intern Hotel Manager
2015 Joy Cindy
2016 Hands of Stone Adele
2018 Furlough Linda
2018 A Star Is Born Paulette Stone

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1998 Witness to the Mob Girl In Beauty Shop
2002 The Groovenians Glindy (voice) TV short
2012 NYC 22 SVU Detective Irma Bolland Episode: "Block Party"

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Living the De Niro Dream Archived October 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, avenuemagazine.com, 2011
  2. ^ Orphan Sponsorship Assistance Archived 2009-01-26 at the Wayback Machine, Kageno.org
  3. ^ Thompson, D. L. (January 19, 2020). "Drena De Niro, Robert De Niro's Adopted Daughter: 5 Fast Facts". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  4. ^ Scorziello, Sophia (July 3, 2023). "Robert De Niro's Grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, Who Acted in 'A Star Is Born', Dies at 19". Variety. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  5. ^ Ushe, Naledi (July 6, 2023). "Robert De Niro's grandson Leandro died from 'fentanyl laced pills', mom Drena says". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  6. ^ "Leandro De Niro Rodriguez's cause of death revealed as accidental drug overdose, reports say". USA Today. August 8, 2023. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
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