Robert De Niro, 79, made a rare sighting with his 24-year-old son Elliot in New York City on Friday.
Elliot’s mother is Robert’s ex-wife, Grace Hightower, whom he was married to from 1997 to 2018.
And Elliot is the youngest and fifth child that De Niro has: in addition to Elliot, the actor is the father of Drena, Raphael, Julian, Helen and Aaron.
The Meet The Fockers star, who is rarely seen in public with her children, wore a black beanie and scarf and layered a zip-up fleece under a puffer jacket.
The veteran actor finished off his casual look with black pants and sneakers and looked relaxed as he followed Elliot down the sidewalk to 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 a zip-up fleece under a puffer jacket.
Rare sighting: Elliot cut a laid-back figure in a black and red North Face jacket with gray sweats and carried two blue handbags. 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 gray sweats and carried two blue handbags.
Before entering the building, the Godfather star stopped to speak to another man in a black suit and green beanie who appeared to show him clothing.
Although he is one of the most respected actors in the world, 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 welcomed twin sons Julian and Aaron with 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 separating in November 2018.
The father of six has ensured that his children’s lives are kept out of the media, and very few photos of Elliot have circulated.
In 2016, the two-time Oscar winner revealed that Elliot had been diagnosed with autism as a child.
Taking a look: The Godfather star stopped to speak to a man who showed up to show him clothes before walking into the building behind Elliot.
In 2013, Robert hinted at the challenges of raising a child with special needs during an interview to promote The Silver Linings Playbook, written by David Russell for his son, who has bipolar disorder.
“I don’t like to get excited, but I know exactly what he’s going through,” De Niro admitted.
Elliot’s loving parents tried to get him involved in sports at an early age to help him with his autism.
He started playing tennis as a child and although he was reluctant to learn at first, 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 child, pictured in France in 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 in June 2018 at the 72nd Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The iconic actor told Special Olympics in 2019: “Finding things for children to do is a difficult part of the whole situation with parents of children with special needs.”
‘[Playing tennis] it helps him. He is more confident when he sees that he is actually good at this. That’s the best self-motivation anyone can have,” Robert said.
Elliot’s athleticism and skill, cultivated through many years of training and encouragement from his parents, were featured on ESPN’s Special Olympics: 50 Game Changers series to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics.
Elliot previously commented on playing tennis, saying: “It feels good, sometimes I feel uplifted.”