Robert De Niro could have turned over a new leaf and stayed with a woman, but back when he was married to Diahnne Abbott, the story was just the opposite. Their marriage was plagued by Rob’s habitual feminization and drug abuse.
Diahnne endured the marriage for just over a decade before breaking up with him in the late 1980s. Here you will find everything you need to know about the legendary actor’s first wife.
Diahnne Abbott Bio (Age, Race and other Background Info)
The former Mrs. De Niro was born on January 1, 1945, in New York City, New York, United States, as Diahnne Eugenia Abbott. Not much information is known about Abbott’s upbringing or the family she grew up in, but it is a known fact that she is the cousin of the 1980s hit musician Gregory Abbott.
ALSO READ: Who Is Fergie’s Husband/Family Member? What Is Her Age, Height, And Net Worth
They have the same last name, which means that Diahnee and Gregory are cousins on her father’s side. Diahnee’s race can be traced to the island of Antigua, where her father is from. Details of her mother’s origin are not known, but her cousin Gregory’s mother was from Venezuela.
Artistic genes seem to run in the Abbott family. Dahnnes cousin Gregory is not only a singer but also a composer and producer. In the mid-1980s he had great success with his song “Shake You Down”, which was awarded platinum by the RIAA. Greg continues to record music to this day.
Abbott was unknown in the mainstream until she got married to her long-time friend Robert De Niro. Her acting career is said to have officially begun in 1976, the year she married Robert. Abbott made her debut in 1976 in Robert’s film Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese. Abbott played the role of the Concession Girl in a post-war New York film that received much critical acclaim and was nominated for many awards.
Also in 1976 Abbott played in Welcome to L.A., the film that won the British Academy Film (BAFTA) Award for Best Supporting Actress for actress Geraldine Chaplin. In Abbott’s next two movies her husband Robert also played the leading role.
These include the musical-drama film New York, New York (1977), in which she portrayed a singer from the Harlem Club and sang Fats Waller’s classic torch song, Honeysuckle Rose, and The King of Comedy (1983), a satirical black comedy in which she played the role of Rita Keane, who embodies the love interest of De Niro’s character. Both films were made by Robert’s friend, Martin Scorsese.
Diahnne Abbott’s subsequent films include Love Streams (1984), Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986), Before Night Falls (2000), and Soliloquy (2002). In 1988 she starred in three episodes of the NBC crime series Crime Story.
Her Ex-husband Robert De Niro, and Kids
Abbott began dating Robert De Niro in the 1970s, and after a long relationship they married in 1976, and in the 1980s Robert De Niro became famous and began to live wild, go to nightclubs, and take drugs on a large scale.
He also began to marry women despite his marriage to Abbott. De Niro’s party partners included comedian John Belushi and filmmaker Martin Scorsese. The former died of a drug overdose in 1982.
Abbott and De Niro lived for a time in a rented condo in Bel Air. Many pets lived in the house, which was often filled with their friends. The New York Times revealed that when they moved out, the landlord sued for $10,000 for the damage the pets had caused to the house.
ALSO READ: Who Is David Fizdale’s Wife, Natasha Sen? His Family and Quick Facts
De Niro adopted Abbott’s child, a daughter named Drena, who she had from a previous marriage. In 1981, the couple welcomed their own child, a son named Raphel.
In 1988, Abbott got tired of Robert’s wife’s stories and they divorced.
Over the years, details of who is the real father of Abbott’s daughter have been hidden from public view. Her name is Drena De Niro. Drena followed in her parents’ footsteps and became an actress. Her films include Death of a Dynasty (2003), The Lovebirds (2007), New Year’s Eve (2011), The Intern (2015), Joy (2015), and others.
Other Facts
1. Abbott disappeared from the limelight in 2002. In 2013, however, she reappeared and was seen at the closing gala of the closing screening of “The King of Comedy” during the Tribeca Film Festival 2013.
2. Her son Raphael started a career as an actor before moving into the real estate industry.
3. Abbott is a grandmother of at least three children. Their son Raphael has one child with his wife Claudine De Matos (married March 8, 2008), while their daughter Drena has one child named Leandro Anthony DeNiro Rodriguez.
