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 | September 3, 1967 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Children | 1 (deceased) |
| Parent(s) | Robert De Niro (adoptive father) Diahnne Abbott (mother) |
| Relatives | Raphael De Niro (half brother) Virginia Admiral (adoptive grandmother) Robert De Niro Sr. (adoptive grandfather) |
Life and career
editDe 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
editFilm
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit- ^ a b c d Living the De Niro Dream Archived October 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, avenuemagazine.com, 2011
- ^ Orphan Sponsorship Assistance Archived 2009-01-26 at the Wayback Machine, Kageno.org
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
External links
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