Robert De Niro, 79, made a rare sighting with his son Elliot, 24, in New York City on Friday.
Elliot’s mother is Robert’s ex-wife Grace Hightower, whom he was wed to from 1997 until 2018.
And Elliot is the youngest and fifth child that De Niro has: in addition to Elliot, the actor is father to Drena, Raphael, Julian, Helen and Aaron.
The Meet The Fockers star, who is rarely seen in public with his kids, wore a black beanie and scarf and layered up for warmth in a zip-up fleece under a puffy jacket.
The veteran actor finished off his casual look in black pants and sneakers and appeared relaxed as he followed Elliot along the sidewalk and into a building.
Family time: Robert De Niro, 79, made a rare public appearance with his son Elliot, 24, in New York on Friday. The Meet the Fockers star wore a black beanie and scarf and layered up for warmth in a zip-up fleece under a puffy jacket
Rare sighting: Elliot cut a relaxed figure in a black and red North Face jacket with grey sweats and carried two blue bags. Elliot is De Niro’s son from his second marriage to actress Grace Hightower
Elliot cut a relaxed figure in a black and red North Face jacket with grey sweats and carried two blue bags.
Before entering the building, The Godfather star stopped to speak with another man in a black outfit and green beanie who appeared to show him garments.
Although he is one of the world’s most respected actors, he is known for keeping his life private off-screen.
De Niro became a father in 1976 when he had a son Raphael with his first wife, Diahnne. He also adopted his wife’s daughter Drena, from a previous marriage.
The couple divorced in 1988, and Robert went on to welcome twin sons Julian and Aaron with his then Partner, model Toukie Smith in 1995.
The Taxi Driver star married Hightower in 1997 and had Elliot in 1998. Robert and Grace welcomed a daughter via surrogate in 2011 and raised both children together until they separated in November 2018.
The father-of-six has ensured that the lives of his children are kept out of the media, and very few pictures of Elliot have circulated.
In 2016, the two-time Oscar winner revealed that Elliot had been diagnosed with autism as a young child.
Taking a look: The Godfather star stopped to speak with a man who appeared to show him garments before he entered the building behind Elliot
In 2013, Robert hinted at the challenges of raising a child with special needs during an interview promoting The Silver Linings Playbook, written by David Russell for his son, who has bipolar disorder.
‘I don’t like to get emotional, but I know exactly what he goes through,’ admitted De Niro.
Elliot’s doting parents tried to get him involved in sports at a young age to help him with his autism.
He started playing tennis as a child, and although he initially resisted learning, he has since become an accomplished player.
Doting father: In 2016, the two-time Oscar winner revealed that Elliot had been diagnosed with autism as a young child – pictured in France May 2011
His second wife: The Taxi Driver star married Grace Hightower in 1997 and had Elliot in 1998. They separated in November 2018 – pictured June 2018 at the 72nd Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in NYC
The iconic actor told the Special Olympics in 2019, ‘Finding things for kids to do is a hard part of the whole situation with parents of kids with special needs.
‘[Playing tennis] helps him. He is more confident when he sees that he is actually good at this. That’s the best self-motivator anyone can have,’ said Robert.
Elliot’s athleticism and skill, cultivated through many years of coaching and motivation from his parents, was featured in the ESPN series Special Olympics: 50 Game Changers to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics.
Elliot previously commented on playing tennis, saying, ‘it feels good, I feel sometimes uplifted.’
