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Robert De Niro has experienced a rich life in Hollywood show business. After receiving countless honors, including two Oscars, he is justly regarded as one of the finest actors of all time.
De Niro has had a quiet private life while also being incredibly successful in the entertainment industry. He has been married twice, and his second marriage to Grace Hightower ended only in 2018.
Although their divorce initially appeared to be fairly routine, new information has since surfaced thanks to De Niro’s ex-wife. Furthermore, if De Niro’s attorney is to be believed, the famous actor is being “forced to work” to pay for Hightower’s lavish lifestyle.
Within the Hollywood celebrity world, actors frequently marry other actors. It’s actually less common for an actor to wed someone unrelated to the industry.
Robert De Niro – Grace Hightower
Perhaps it’s easier to deal with everything when you’re with someone who understands exactly what it’s like to be recognized everywhere. The luxurious life of a Hollywood star may appear to be straightforward, but in reality, things are frequently really complicated.
Hollywood marriages are susceptible to dissolution just like those of “regular people”. Although there are other instances where Hollywood marriages have succeeded (just take a look at Mark Harmon and his wife Pam Dawber, who have been together for more than 30 years), for some, relationships end in divorce after a few years or even months.
Robert De Niro is another actor who has been wed for a lengthier period of time. The storied actor has been married twice; his second union, which lasted 21 years with Grace Hightower, dissolved in 2018.
De Niro allegedly dated another woman more recently, according to rumors. But even though he and Hightower separated three years ago, it seems that his ex-wife’s lavish lifestyle is still causing him problems.
Let’s first take a look at De Niro’s lengthy and fruitful profession before discussing his personal life.
Robert De Niro – early life
De Niro was born in New York City on August 17, 1943, to parents who were both successful artists. While his father worked as a painter and poet, his mother was a talented artist.
De Niro had a passion for cinema from an early age. He frequently went with his father, and Greta Garbo’s movies piqued his curiosity in particular. De Niro was able to take acting lessons for nothing since his mother was a copyeditor for a theatrical company. He made his stage debut as the lion in The Wizard of Oz when he was 10 years old.
His talent was quickly recognized, and that took very little time.
Eventually, De Niro received admission to the esteemed High School of Music and Art in New York. But he felt unprepared, and a few days later he dropped out.
De Niro decided to pursue an acting profession when he was 16 years old. His mother used all the funds she had set aside for his education expenses to fund her son’s desire instead. He continued his acting education at the Conservatory of Acting, where he was taught by renowned performer Stella Adler.
De Niro didn’t think he had a great talent at the moment.
“I was totally invisible in her class, I was a student that she, I don’t think, really remembered. I took a lot from her. But I was not a special student. I was there and learned a lot,” De Niro recalled, adding that he doesn’t feel as though he’s ever had a mentor.
Marriage to Grace Hightower
The pair got married at their Marbletown, New York, home a little over ten years later. A modest, private ceremony was held, and actors like Harvey Keitel and Joe Pesci were there.
Grace described their early relationship as “it was an ease-in. It wasn’t a whirlwind.”
The couple announced the arrival of their son, Elliot, a year later. The two parents made the choice to keep their children’s lives completely private. But in 2016, De Niro made the decision to raise awareness for autism by disclosing Elliot’s diagnosis in public.“Grace and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined,” he said.
Sadly, it wasn’t long before De Niro and Hightower’s marriage devolved into a broken one. In 1999, the Godfather actor filed for divorce. A friend of his said that “Bobby was just not working hard enough at his marriage to Grace.”
The two co-parented Elliot for a year before a custody battle erupted. De Niro and Grace headed to court, and many expected things would turn ugly. But before they could go too far, “Bobby” and his wife made amends and the divorce was never finalized.
In 2004, the two renewed their vows at their home, with friends such as Meryl Streep, Martin Scorsese, and Ben Stiller in attendance.
“They can make sure this one sticks,” De Niro said at the ceremony.
Over the course of her marriage to De Niro, Grace has done many things, including working as an actress and a singer. She even started her own Java brand called Coffee of Grace.
Robert De Niro “forced to work”
The actual details of the divorce settlement between 77-year-old De Niro and his ex-wife haven’t reached the public. According to several news outlets, however, the actor is having a tough time keeping up with his ex-wife’s luxurious lifestyle.
De Niro’s lawyer, Caroline Krauss, claims that Hightower has “a thirst for Stella McCartney” and has even bought a $1 million-plus diamond ring. Meanwhile, write that De Niro has cut Grace’s monthly credit card limit from $100,000 to $50,000 in a bid to cut down on her spending.
Now, a legal battle is on, and the 77-year-old De Niro is bleeding money. According to Krauss, his restaurants have suffered millions in losses because of the pandemic.
“Mr. De Niro is 77 years old, and while he loves his craft, he should not be forced to work at this prodigious pace because he has to,” Krauss told a judge during a virtual divorce hearing.
“When does that stop? When does he get the opportunity to not take every project that comes along and not work six-day weeks, 12-hour days so he can keep pace with Ms. Hightower’s thirst for Stella McCartney?” she added.
“He could get sick tomorrow, and the party’s over.”
Hightower’s lawyer Kevin McDonough, on the other hand, fired back at De Niro, claiming that talk of his finances being in disarray is “nonsense”.
“I’m not a believer that a man who has an admitted worth of $500 million and makes $30 million a year, all of a sudden in March he needs to cut down [spousal support] by 50 percent and ban her from the house,” McDonough said.
Whether Robert De Niro or his ex-wife Grace Hightower will prevail in court remains to be seen. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know what you think in the comment area.
