Drena De Niro (born September 3, 1970) is an American actress and filmmaker who is the daughter of Diahnne Abbott and the adoptive daughter of Robert De Niro after their marriage in 1976.
Life and career De Niro is the daughter of actress Diahnne Abbott, and the daughter of actor Robert De Niro, whose last name she took upon her mother's marriage to him in 1976.
De Niro had a bohemian upbringing and divided her time living in New York City, Los Angeles, and Italy. The transient lifestyle is said to have been a factor in her choice to work in the arts. After high school she began her career in the entertainment industry working as a model.Living the De Niro Dream , avenuemagazine.com, 2011 Having interests in fashion and music she became a DJ and fashion consultant. It led to working as a musical supervisor for Giorgio Armani creating and coordinating runway shows.
Her transition to the field of acting began with her role in Allison Anders' Grace of My Heart. Since then De Niro has worked with and trained under Larry Moss, author of the acting guide, Intent to Live, and Susan Batson of The Black Nexxus Acting Studio. After 2000 De Niro wrote and directed her first film, Girls and Dolls. The documentary examined a young stylist's obsession with her dolls, and she won the Best Directorial Debut Award at the New York Independent Film/Video Festival in 2001. She has appeared in several of her father's films, including Showtime (2002), Wag the Dog (1997), City by the Sea (2002) and The Intern (2015).
Recently De Niro's endeavors have led her back to Italy, where she worked on her latest film. Since 2006, she has been the spokesperson for the Kageno Orphan Sponsorship Program,Orphan Sponsorship Assistance , Kageno.org which helps provide care for orphaned children in Kageno villages. De Niro currently lives in New York City. In July 2023, De Niro announced that her son Leandro had died aged 19. It was later revealed to be due to accidental fentanyl poisoning.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1996 Grace of My Heart Receptionist #1 1997 Wag the Dog Gate Stewardess 1998 Too Tired to Die Waitress 1998 Great Expectations Marcy 1999 At First Sight Caroline 1999 On the Run Rita 1999 Lori 1999 Personals Sherie 1999 Entropy Waitress 2000 The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle RBTV Lackey 2001 Freewheeling in Roma Keechie 2002 Showtime Annie 2002 Ghetto Dawg Semi 2002 City by the Sea Vanessa Hansen 2002 Soliloquy Kara 2003 Death of a Dynasty Female Staff Writer 2005 Freezerburn Nada, The Handler 2005 Various 2007 Stella Clark 2009 Karma, Confessions and Holi Megan 2009 ExTerminators Dr. Press 2009 'P' 2011 New Year's Eve Ahern Waitress – Ahern Party 2014 Welcome to New York Executive Assistant 2015 The Intern Hotel Manager 2015 Joy Cindy 2016 Hands of Stone Adele 2018 Furlough Linda 2018 A Star Is Born Paulette Stone
Television Year Title Role Notes 1998 Witness to the Mob Girl In Beauty Shop 2002 The Groovenians Glindy (voice) TV short 2012 NYC 22 SVU Detective Irma Bolland Episode: "Block Party"
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