Drena De Niro is an American film and television series actress, filmmaker, former fashion consultant, model, and disc jockey who worked exclusively for Giorgio Armani as a musical supervisor & consultant for shows and stores during her early years as a disc jockey. She is widely known for her movie directorial debut, Girls & Dolls (2002), which premiered on PBS. She later received Best Directorial Debut for Documentary at New York Independent Film and Video Festival in 2001 for Reel New York Series.”
Other than her achievements and career portfolio, Drena is known as Diahnne Abbott’s daughter and Robert De Niro’s adoptive daughter, whom Robert adopted after his marriage with Diahnne in 1976 when Drena was about five years old. Drena’s adoptive father is Robert De Niro, a famous American actor who began his movie career in 1963 at 20. Her mother, Diahnne Abbott, is a known Hollywood actress, singer, and songwriter who started her career in the entertainment industry in the early 1970s when she was in her 20s.
Profile summary
Name | Drena Abbott |
Date of birth | September 3, 1967 |
Age | 57 years old |
Nationality | United States of America |
Father | Rober De Niro |
Mother | Diahnne Abbott |
Brothers | Julian Henry De Niro, Aaron Kendrick De Niro, Elliot De Niro |
Sister | Helen Grace De Niro |
Zodiac | Virgo |
Husband | Robert De Niro |
Occupation | Actress |
Net worth | $300,000 |
Drena De Niro Biography
Drena De Niro was born Drena Abbott on September 3, 1967, in the State of New York, New York City, in the United States of America, and is 57 yearsold — her zodiac sign is Virgo. She is the only child of Diahnne Abbott and the man to whom Diahnne previously married. Robert De Niro legally adopted her in 1976 after he and her mother got married, and he is now Drena’s stepfather. Drena also took his stepfather’s last name and has since declined to reveal the identity of her biological father.
Drena has a brother named Raphael De Niro (born on November 9, 1976, and is 47 years old), whom her mother’s marriage to her adoptive father Robert De Niro produced – married between 1976 and 1988. She also has three half-brothers and one half-sister from her adoptive father’s other relationship with Toukie Smith, whom he was hitched to between 1988 till 1996, produced the twins, Julian Henry De Niro and Aaron Kendrick De Niro — born on October 20, 1995, and are 29 years old). Her adoptive father’s marriage to his second wife, Grace Hightower (married between 1997 and 2018), produced two children, Elliot De Niro (born on March 18, 1998, via surrogate and is 26 years old) and Helen Grace De Niro (born on 2011 and is currently 13 years old).
Other family members related to Drena are her grandparents, Robert De Niro Sr. and Virginia Admiral, and great-grandparents, Helen M. De Niro, Alice Caroline Groman, Donald Admiral, and Henry Martin De Niro, all from her adoptive father’s side.
Away from that, Drena’s ancestry originates from Antigua, Africa, and Venezuela – from her mother’s side. She has a white skin color, a dark brown pair of eyes, and long black hair, with body measurements of 33 inches, 27 inches, and 35 inches, respectively. Still, on body physique and parameters, she stands about five feet eight inches tall, estimated to be 1.7 meters or 172 centimeters. She weighs 55 kilograms, equivalent to 121 pounds, and has a shoe of 8 (US) and a dress size of 4 (US).
A State of New York native, Drena De spent her formative years between New York, Los Angeles, and Italy. And well, her first name, “Drena,” is said to have been derived from the East European river “Drina” that flows between the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. And since she grew up in a family where art is appreciated, Drena developed an interest in acting from a young age. Accordingly, she started taking an acting class from the author of the best-selling book ‘Intent to Live,’ Larry Moses, and later, at Susan Batson of The Black Nexxus Acting Studio. Looking at her upbringing and family background, it is safe to say that it nurtured her’s aesthetic and artistic sensibilities.
Drena De Niro Followed Her Parents’ Footsteps
Drena started a career in the entertainment industry as a model but would later develop an interest in fashion and music, which made her start working as a fashion consultant and disc jockey. Having transitioned from modeling to other sectors, Drena got a job offer to work as a musical supervisor for the musical company Giorgio Armani, where she served as the creative force behind the coordination of runway shows held around those years.
In 1996 at 29, however, Drena landed a role in the now-highly-rated television series, “Grace of My Heart (1996),” which would become her debut film. She played the role of Receptionist #1. Between 1997 and 1999, she appeared in close to ten high-grossing movies, including the 1997 movie, “Wag the Dog,” where she played the role of Gate Stewardess. She plays the role of Waitress in “Too Tired to Die (1998),” played March in “Great Expectations (1998),” Caroline in “At First Sight (1999)” and Rita in “On the Run (1999).” She plays Lori in “The 24 Hour Woman (1999),” Sherie in “Personals (1999),” and Waitress in “Entropy (1999).”
In 2000, Drena wrote and directed her debut film as a filmmaker and director titled “Girls and Dolls (2000). Now, Girls and Dolls is a short documentary film examining a young stylist’s obsession with her dolls, which won Drena the Best Directorial Debut Award at the New York Independent Film/Video Festival in 2001. Apart from making impacts in the entertainment industry and arts, by extension, Drena is also a voice for the voiceless. She has been the spokesperson for a nongovernmental organization that helps provide care for orphaned children in Kageno villages, tagged “Kageno Orphan Sponsorship Program.”
Looking at her career portfolio, Drena De Niro has featured in over fifty movies, and these are some of them, including;
- 2000 — The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle; playing the role of RBTV Lackey
- 2002 — Soliloquy; playing the role of Kara
- 2007 — The Lovebirds; playing the role of Stella Clark
- 2011 — New Year’s Eve; playing the role of Ahern Waitress – Ahern Party
- 2016 — Hands of Stone; playing the role of Adele
- 2001 — Freewheeling in Roma; playing the role of Keechie
- 2002 — The Groovenians; playing the role of Glindy (voice, TV short)
- 2015 — Joy; as Cindy
- 2012 — NYC 22; playing the role of SVU Detective Irma Bolland; playing the role of in the Episode: “Block Party.”
- 2002 — Showtime – played the role of Annie
- 2009 — Karma, Confessions, and Holi; playing the role of Megan
- 2015 — The Intern; playing the role of Hotel Manager
- 2009 — A Day in the Life; playing the role of ‘P.’
- 2002 — Ghetto Dawg; playing the role of Semi
- 2005 — Freezerburn; playing the role of Nada, The Handler
- 1998 — Witness to the Mob; playing the role of Girl In Beauty Shop
- 2002 — City by the Sea; playing the role of Vanessa Hansen
- 2018 — Furlough; playing the role of Linda
- 2003 — Death of a Dynasty; playing the role of Female Staff Writer
- 2018 — A Star Is Born; playing the role of Paulette Stone
- 2009 — ExTerminators; playing the role of Dr. Press
- 2005 — The Collection; playing the role of Various
- 2014 — Welcome to New York; playing the role of Executive Assistant
Relationship & Son
Drena De Niro has been known to be single since her relationship with Austin Young ended in 2011. She has no husband and has decided to keep her relationship off the media. Officially, Drena De Niro is not been dating anyone since Austin.
She was romantically intimate with Austin Young – a famous American filmmaker, photographer, and new media artist born on April 12, 1966, in Reno, Nevada, in the United States of America, and is currently 58 years old. He is known for co-founding an art collector firm that uses fruit as a common denominator for public engagement and collaboration named “Fallen Fruit.”
Austin and Drena did not get married because Drena’s adoptive father, Robert De Niro, disapproved of their relationship. Although Drena’s relationship with Austin gave birth to a son, they are now separated and even fought in 2011 over Austin’s new girlfriend moving in with him. Nypost.com reported that on the night of August 25, 2011, Drena, who Austin described as a Thai Boxer, raged at him throwing fists at him while he was walking his dog. The drama happened at Greenwich Village, Downing Street, about 8 p.m. A domestic violence report was filed to the police, but there was no arrest because there were no injuries on Austin. However, Austin’s shirt was ripped, Drena smashed his potted palm tree vase, and his dog was on the loose.
We gathered that Leandro De Niro Rodriguez is the name of Drena De Niro’s only child. Leandro De Niro Rodriguez was born on June 25, 2004, in New York City, in the United States of America, and is 20 years old — his zodiac sign is Cancer. He lives in New York City with Drena and works as a film actor. As a fast-growing American actor, Drena’s son is known for making appearances in several blockbuster films, including “A Star Is Born (2018), Cabaret Maxime (2018), and The Collection (2005),” to mention only a few.
Drena De Niro Net worth
Drena De Niro has an estimated net worth of $300,000, according to TheThings.com. Although she is not strictly active on social media platforms, Drena joined Instagram in July 2012, now having 17.4k thousand followers — she has made only eight posts since then.
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