Robert De Niro Talks How Fatherhood Is Different at Age 79

By Anna Rumer

Robert De Niro is opening up about becoming a father once more at the age of 79. The About My Father actor appeared on the TODAY show Thursday, where he shared more about welcoming daughter Gia Virginia Chen De Niro eight weeks prior with girlfriend Tiffany Chen at his age. It "feels great" to have a newborn again, De Niro said, and has given him a new perspective on fatherhood as the dad to seven kids. 

"I have certain awareness – when you're older you have awareness of certain things in life, dynamics, everything, family dynamics," he explained. "You can't avoid learning certain things and how you can deal with those and manage them and this and that, the usual. It's amazing, but I'm very happy about it." De Niro was then presented with a TODAY show onesie, which he held up to the camera and raved, "Gia, this is for you, honey."

The Taxi Drive actor also commented to host Hoda Kotb about Al Pacino's big baby news, as the 83-year-old actor is just now expecting a baby with girlfriend Noor Alfallah. "Listen, Al Pacino just had a baby, I was told yesterday morning, and he's a few years older than me. God bless him, very happy for him," De Niro said.

The Oscar-winning actor first revealed he had welcomed his seventh child during an interview with ET Canada last month, as he corrected the interviewer who asked about his six kids by saying that he had "seven, actually." De Niro added, "I just had a baby," but didn't provide any further information on the newest member of his family at the time. Later, CBS Mornings' Gayle King revealed in a statement that De Niro and Chen were "over the moon" after welcoming their first child together. Gia was born on April 6 weighing in at 8 lbs., 6 oz. at birth.

De Niro is also a father to six older children from previous relationships. De Niro and his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, are parents to daughter Drena, 51, and son Raphael, 46, and in 1995, the actor welcomed twin sons Julian and Aaron, 27, with his former girlfriend, model and actress Toukie Smith. De Niro is also father to son Elliot, 24, and daughter Helen, 11, with Grace Hightower.

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