Going Over The List: Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro didn't just move to TriBeCa — he helped build the neighborhood into what it is today, one restaurant, hotel, and film festival at a time. Robert De Niro is a two-time Academy Award-winning actor, director, and producer, widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation through his decades-long collaboration with Martin Scorsese on films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and The Irishman.
Beyond acting, De Niro co-founded Tribeca Productions with longtime business partner Jane Rosenthal in the 1990s, and together they launched the Tribeca Festival in 2001 to help revitalize Lower Manhattan after 9/11. His business ventures since then have included Nobu, the Greenwich Hotel, and several other restaurants that helped transform TriBeCa into one of New York's most sought-after neighborhoods. In this post, we're going over Robert De Niro's List using two interviews to see how his life fits into the Home, Work, and Self framework.
Sources
Home
House
On real estate, De Niro was drawn to TriBeCa specifically for its open space and loft buildings, describing them as classic Lower Manhattan long before the neighborhood became fashionable. On design, he's gravitated toward that same industrial-loft aesthetic across the properties and restaurants he's built there, including The Greenwich Hotel's wabi-inspired penthouse. On upkeep, he's said little publicly — his role in TriBeCa is better documented as a developer and investor than as someone managing his own household.
Partner
De Niro's current partner is Tiffany Chen, whom he first worked with as a consultant on his 2015 film The Intern before their relationship became public around 2021. On quality time, the two are frequently seen together at Cannes, Tribeca Festival events, and on vacations in the South of France. On shared responsibilities and conversation, De Niro has kept the relationship relatively private, though he's spoken warmly and directly about Chen and their daughter in select interviews, including one where he personally shared the first photo of their newborn.
Family
On parents, De Niro was the only child of two painters, Robert De Niro Sr. and Virginia Admiral, who separated when he was two after his father came out as gay; he was raised primarily by his mother in Greenwich Village, though his father lived nearby and remained a presence in his life. On siblings, he has none — he was an only child. On kids, De Niro has seven children across four relationships: Drena and Raphael from his first marriage to Diahnne Abbott, twins Julian and Aaron with Toukie Smith, Elliot and Helen Grace with second wife Grace Hightower, and Gia, born in 2023, with Tiffany Chen. He's also a grandfather, and the family endured a painful loss in 2023 when Drena's son Leandro died at 19.
Work
Make
On time, De Niro built Tribeca Productions from the ground up in the 1990s alongside Jane Rosenthal, starting out of a small coffee warehouse. On space, that same instinct for place shows up throughout his career as a developer — he's been described as the person most responsible for turning TriBeCa from an industrial precinct into a desirable neighborhood. On supplies, his ventures required real capital investment across hospitality and real estate, not just his name attached to a marquee.
Show
In real life, De Niro appears at Tribeca Festival events every year as its co-founder, doing press and public Q&As on the ground. In print, he's been a fixture of film journalism for over 50 years, going back to his earliest work with Scorsese. Online, that extends into things like GQ's video breakdowns of his most iconic roles and recurring festival interviews with outlets like the Associated Press.
Sell
On products, his restaurant group includes Nobu, Tribeca Grill, and Locanda Verde. On services, the Greenwich Hotel offers hospitality built around the same design sensibility as his restaurants. On events, the Tribeca Festival itself functions as an annual ticketed and sponsored event that's grown into a major draw for the city.
Self
Wellbeing
On mind, De Niro is known for a famously restrained, guarded public persona — asked directly what drew him to TriBeCa, his answer was characteristically brief. On body, he's continued a demanding acting career into his eighties with no public discussion of a specific fitness regimen. On soul, his closest friendships trace back to childhood in Little Italy, where he grew up among a group of street kids, some of whom have remained lifelong friends.
Admin
On time, De Niro has relied on a longtime creative and business partner, Jane Rosenthal, to help run Tribeca Productions and the festival alongside him for over three decades. On money, his net worth is estimated around $500 million, built across acting income and a diversified portfolio of restaurant and hospitality investments. On paperwork, personal news — including the birth of his youngest daughter — has been handled through a longtime representative rather than shared directly by De Niro himself.
Social
On friends, his partnership with Jane Rosenthal is the throughline of his business life, spanning Tribeca Productions, the festival, and decades of shared decision-making. On communities, that partnership extended outward into rebuilding TriBeCa itself as a neighborhood, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11. On one-on-one relationships, De Niro has used personal relationships to build his ventures directly — famously persuading Elton John to perform at an early Tribeca Festival event by offering a dinner at Nobu.
Key Takeaways
De Niro treats place — specifically TriBeCa — as central to both his home life and his business identity.
His business partnership with Jane Rosenthal has outlasted nearly everything else in his professional life.
Family is large and complex, spanning four relationships and seven children, but he keeps most of it out of public view.
He stays publicly guarded even while remaining highly visible through his festival and restaurant ventures.
Personal relationships — not just capital — have directly built pieces of his business, from Elton John's Tribeca performance to Tiffany Chen's involvement in The Intern.
Links & Resources
Business & Organizations
Tribeca Festival — https://www.tribecafilm.com/
Nobu — https://www.noburestaurants.com/
The Greenwich Hotel — https://www.thegreenwichhotel.com/
Restaurants
Tribeca Grill
Locanda Verde