Robert De Niro Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is the Net Worth and Salary of Robert De Niro?

An American film and stage actor, producer, and director, Robert De Niro possesses a net worth estimated at $500 million. Besides a remarkably successful acting career, he has also built considerable wealth as a co-founder of the Nobu franchise, encompassing upscale sushi restaurants and hotels, with over 40 locations globally. This business venture rakes in several hundred million dollars annually.

Documentation revealed during his contentious divorce from Grace Hightower, whom he married from 1997 to 2018, shows that Robert’s net worth is no less than $500 million. Additionally, the documents assert that he earned between $250 and $300 million from 2004 to 2018 through film salaries and business dividends.

Raised in New York, Robert De Niro was educated at two prestigious acting institutions: the Stella Adler Conservatory and the Actor’s Studio, directed by Lee Strasberg. During the late 1970s and 1980s, he featured in a series of now-classic films based in and around New York City, many of which were helmed by fellow New Yorker Martin Scorsese, such as “Taxi Driver” and “New York, New York”. His stellar performances in films like “Bang the Drum Slowly”, “Mean Streets”, and “The Godfather, Part II”, for which he won an Oscar, solidified his status as an A-list actor, continuing to receive accolades throughout his career.

Recently, while occasionally appearing in films, Mr. De Niro has concentrated on charitable endeavors and his hotel/restaurant empire. He founded the highly successful Tribeca Film Festival and has invested in various properties and dining establishments in lower Manhattan. His real estate portfolio includes multiple properties on both the East and West Sides of Manhattan.

Early Life

Born in New York City on August 14, 1943, De Niro is the son of two artists. His mother, Virginia Admiral, was a painter while his father, Robert De Niro Sr., was an abstract expressionist painter and sculptor. Following his parents’ divorce when he was three, he was raised by his mother in Greenwich Village.

At ten years old, Robert made his stage debut, portraying the Cowardly Lion in his school’s rendition of “The Wizard of Oz,” igniting his passion for acting. By sixteen, he left school to chase his acting aspirations, receiving training from renowned coaches Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler. His first film appearance came at 20 in “The Wedding Party,” directed by Brian De Palma, with whom he would later collaborate on “Hi Mom.”

Robert began to gain significant recognition after his role as a dying baseball player in “Bang the Drum Slowly”. His long-standing collaboration with director Martin Scorsese commenced with “Mean Streets”. In 1974, he received his first Academy Award for portraying young Don Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather II”.

Film Success

Following that, De Niro’s career skyrocketed. He delivered a series of acclaimed performances, including “Taxi Driver” and “Deer Hunter,” the latter of which earned him another Academy Award nomination. His portrayal of Travis Bickle in “Taxi Driver” helped establish him as an icon, with his line “You talkin’ to me,” becoming engrained in popular culture.

an improvised line that would later become iconic in American cinema.

De Niro embodies the essence of a method actor. To portray Travis Bickle, he took on the role of a taxi driver. For “Godfather II,” he resided in Sicily. In preparation for “New York, New York,” he taught himself the saxophone. In 1980, he truly pushed his limits to play the real-life boxer Jack Lamotta in Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull.” De Niro honed his boxing skills and gained sixty pounds for the role. This dedication ultimately paid off when Robert was awarded an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.

De Niro made his directorial debut in 1993 with “A Bronx Tale.” The film, based on Chazz Palmiteri’s one-man show reflecting his tumultuous youth, was penned by Palmiteri himself. Although initially dismissed, the movie has since attracted a modest following. After this venture, De Niro would not return to directing until 2006 with “The Good Shepherd.”

Personal Life

Currently, De Niro resides in New York, where he is dedicated to enhancing the TriBeca area. His investments, both financially and in terms of his time, include the TriBeca Film Festival, TriBeca Productions, and The TriBeca Grill.

In 1997, he married Grace Hightower and welcomed their son Elliot the following year. Besides Elliot, De Niro has another son, Raphael, from his first marriage to Dianne Abbott. He also adopted Drena, Abbott’s daughter from a past relationship. Additionally, he has twin sons conceived via in vitro fertilization through a surrogate mother.

Though Robert filed for divorce in 1999, the couple reconciled before ultimately separating for good in 2018. More information regarding their divorce battle will follow in the upcoming paragraphs.

Business Ventures

In addition to acting, Robert De Niro co-founded the immensely popular Nobu restaurant chain with Nobu Matsuhisa. The chain now boasts over 40 locations globally, generating several hundred million dollars in annual revenue. Moreover, Robert is a co-owner of The Greenwich Hotel in New York.

In 2017, Robert and Australian billionaire James Packer announced plans for a luxury resort named “Paradise Found,” which will be situated on the Eastern Caribbean island of Barbuda.

Divorce Battle

In June 2019, Robert’s former spouse Grace Hightower submitted legal documents that provided intimate insights into their financial standing and asset distribution amidst their ongoing divorce.

Grace’s filing indicated that Robert’s net worth stands at a minimum of $500 million, along with other details regarding his financial status.

between 2004 and 2018 alone, made $250 – $300 million, much of which stemmed from his growing Nobu empire. According to a prenup signed by the two in 2004, Grace would receive $1 million annually for each year they were married, a $6 million apartment, $500,000 in cash, and half the value of their primary residence. However, Ms. Hightower filed motions to claim 50% of the actor’s wealth, asserting that he had concealed his financial situation from her for over a decade.

Subsequently, a court document revealed that a later interpretation of the prenuptial agreement stipulated Robert must pay Grace $1 million in any year he earned at least $15 million, which applied to most years. If his earnings were lower, his payments to Grace would reduce proportionally.

As the divorce proceedings continued in July 2020, Grace filed a complaint in court alleging that Robert had unjustly reduced her monthly American Express allowance from $100,000 to $50,000. In response, De Niro claimed that the COVID-19 crisis had led to a significant drop in his income and that his business empire was collapsing. It was reported that he had to borrow $500,000 to assist with Nobu’s increasing debts, as his lawyers indicated Nobu lost $3 million in April and $1.9 million in May. They further stated that De Niro would be “lucky if he makes $7.5 million” in 2020.

Lawyers representing Hightower alleged that Robert had:

“used the COVID pandemic… to stick it to his wife financially. I can’t believe that a man who has an admitted worth of $500 million and makes $30 million a year, suddenly in March he needs to cut down [spousal support] by 50 percent and ban her from the house.“

Ultimately, the judge in the case deemed that the reduction of the Amex allowance to $50,000 was reasonable but also instructed Robert to pay Grace $75,000 to assist her in locating a summer home, while Robert was presently residing in their former primary home.

Personal Life

The first marriage of De Niro was to actress and singer Diahnne Abbott in 1976. They had a son, Raphael De Niro, born in 1976, who would later venture into real estate. Additionally, De Niro adopted Abbott’s daughter from a previous relationship, Drena De Niro, who pursued a career as an actress and model. Unfortunately, their marriage ended in 1988, leading them to part ways.

While still wed to Abbott, De Niro engaged in a long-term relationship with former model Toukie Smith. This relationship culminated in the birth of twin sons, Julian Henry and Aaron Kendrick De Niro, who came into the world through in vitro fertilization and were delivered by a surrogate mother in 1995.

In 1997, De Niro tied the knot with his second wife, Grace Hightower, an actress, singer, and philanthropist. Their son, Elliot De Niro, was born in 1998. However, their relationship faced difficulties, and they nearly divorced in 1999, but ultimately managed to reconcile. In 2011, they expanded their family with the birth of their daughter, Helen Grace De Niro, who was also born via surrogate. Unfortunately, De Niro and Hightower separated again in 2018, and their divorce was finalized in 2021.

In May 2023, Robert welcomed

At the time, he was 79 years old and had welcomed a seventh child.

Real Estate

In 2006, a 6,000-square-foot apartment in New York City was purchased by Robert and Grace for $20.9 million from seller Harvey Weinstein. Following their divorce, Grace listed the apartment as the sole owner in April 2024 with an asking price of $20 million.