The actor turned an old barn into a unique modern mansion, which was later assessed at $6 million.
He later got in trouble with the town of Gardiner due to the property taxes he didn’t want to pay.
Aside from still working in Hollywood, De Niro loves being around his children and grandchildren, with whom he eats ice cream near his home in New York.
De Niro has had several other luxurious homes over the years; some have even been listed for $25 million.
Robert De Niro was born on August 17, 1943, and has become one of the most well-known actors in Hollywood, with major roles in several Martin Scorsese movies. However, his resume in the film industry goes way beyond gangster stories because his portrayal of comedic characters is out of this world.
The actor dropped out of school at 16 to study acting and went on to work in several Off-Off-Broadway plays. His first movie was Brian De Palma’s “The Wedding Party,” and he worked in a few smaller films until 1973’s “Band the Drum Slowly.”
By then, he was respected as a terrific rising actor and finally landed his first role with legendary director Martin Scorsese in “Mean Streets.” He was later offered the part of Vito Corleone in “The Godfather, Part II,” which earned him an Academy Award for best supporting actor.
You might also recognize him in “The Deer Hunter” and “Taxi Driver,” which earned him another Academy Award for best actor. Some of his films in the ’80s might not have been box office hits, but De Niro got to spread his acting wings and show the world that he had more to offer.
He was in Scorsese’s “The King of Comedy,” “Falling in Love,” “The Mission,” “The Untouchables,” “Midnight Run,” and so many more. In 1990, the actor worked again with Scorsese in the amazing “GoodFellas.” The director included him later in “Cape Fear” and “Casino.”
Younger generations might know De Niro more for his comedy roles than his harrowing portrayals of gangsters. But he excels at the genre, too. “Analyze That,” “Meet the Parents,” “Meet the Fockers,” and even “New Year’s Eve” showed his fantastic talent just as much as his more critically-acclaimed works.
His Amazing New York Estate
After so many decades in Hollywood, it’s not surprising to learn that Robert De Niro has a vast number of properties all around the world. However, his estate in New York is the most amazing and his primary home. It’s located in Gardiner, although he also had a few rented places in the West Village and Central Park West.
The Gardiner property is a 2,222-square-foot mansion on 98 acres, which he bought in 1997 for $1.5 million. It was designed in the 18th century and has had several additions since then. It includes six bedrooms and seven baths and has the most fantastic view of the Hudson River.
However, after purchasing the property, the actor did his own remodeling, including turning the barn into a 14,000-square-foot recreation center. It features a boxing room, a film studio, a game room, a swimming pool, a steam room, a sauna, and much more.
Surprisingly, there are other barns on the property, which De Niro turned into a workshop and an office. Meanwhile, there are two guest houses, a tennis court, etc. It’s now considered a multi-building compound. They even have a ski slope close by.
His Dream Home Turned Into a Nightmare
Unfortunately, the actor had a massive fight with the town of Gardiner that spanned over three years due to the property taxes on his estate. The $1.5 million mansion was later assessed at $6 million, which De Niro refused to pay. Therefore, he went to court.
The actor also didn’t impress the 5,800 people of Gardiner, which include farmers, second-home owners, and other workers. He can sometimes be seen with his younger kids going for an ice cream cone at a local place.
However, most people don’t know De Niro is in town unless they hear the helicopter go up Wallkill River. Some residents have even called him “the ghost of Gardiner.” Additionally, it has also been said that he told his neighbors:
“Don’t bother me. I won’t bother you.”
However, the town did bother De Niro over his property tax bill. The bigger issue is that the legal battle was more expensive than the actor had to pay, so many Gardiner residents thought it odd that he wouldn’t settle in the first place.
The legal battle was fierce, with De Niro refusing to give in. That made his neighbors think less of him than they initially did. When the judge ruled against his trust, the actor continued, filing an appeal. A barber at a local place said that most people were rooting for him until he refused to admit defeat.
During the case, several assessments were made on the property, with the town finally landing a fair number: $6 million. But the trust didn’t like it and went on with the appeal. The property tax with that assessment would have been $170,000, which seems fair for such a grand compound.
The town also didn’t back down, fearing that if the actor won, other wealthy property owners would try to do the same and not pay their taxes. Meanwhile, the neighbors were getting angrier because De Niro often talked about loving Gardiner. Bill Hess, who grew up on the property way before the actor bought it, said:
“If he loves it so much, maybe he should help pay to maintain it.”
Ultimately, De Niro’s trust lost the battle after three years in court, and he had to pay the property tax bill and the massive legal fees from the long dispute. He had to cover the town’s part as well.
Aside from being one of the most iconic actors of all time, Robert De Niro is a proud father to seven children: Drena, Raphael, Aaron, Julian, Elliot, Helen, and Gia. In 1976, he married singer Diahnne Abbot and had his first son, Raphael.
However, Abbot had a daughter, Drena, from a previous relationship, and the actor adopted her before his separation from the singer in 1988. De Niro later dated model Toukie Smith, and although they never got married, they had twins, Julian and Aaron, using IVF and surrogacy.
Sadly, they broke up shortly afterward. The actor married Grace Hightower in 1997 and had Elliot in 1998, followed by Helen in 2011. His second marriage lasted for 20 years, but the couple split in 2018. When asked about his kids, De Niro said:
“I love my children, just being with them. [But] It’s not easy. When you have the good moments [though], you forget about the ones that weren’t good.”
Despite how challenging fatherhood can be, Robert De Niro loves being a family man and is not afraid of discussing complex topics with his children. All his children are biracial, so they’ve had serious talks about civil rights and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Despite his busy career, he also makes as much time for them as possible. He has encouraged them to enter the business as long as they’re happy about it. He revealed his advice for them:
“For my kids, I tell them, ‘If you want to be an actor or you want to do this or that, that’s fine as long as you’re happy. Just don’t sell yourself short.’ […] It’s important for them to find their own lane.”
Drena is De Niro’s oldest daughter, born in 1971. Over the years, she has modeled, consulted in fashion, and DJ’ed. You might have also seen her in movies like “Joy,” “A Star Is Born,” and “Love & Orgasms.” She also gave birth to Leandro De Niro Rodriguez.
Meanwhile, Raphael De Niro was born in 1976, and he is a successful real estate broker in New York and has sold properties to celebrities such as Jon Bon Jovi. However, he also tried acting in films like “Awakenings” and “Raging Bull.”
He married Claudine De Matos and had three kids before divorcing. He later married Hannah Carnes. In 1995, De Niro had his twins, Julian and Aaron, and unlike their older siblings, they don’t like being seen. However, it seems that they might decide to model in the future.
In 1998, he had his son Elliot, another of his young kids who stays away from the limelight. The actor later revealed that Elliot is on the autism spectrum. He also loves tennis, so De Niro built a tennis court on his Gardiner property.
The actor had another of his youngest child, Helen, in 2011, and just like the younger siblings, she prefers to keep a low profile. Their parents separated a few years ago, but they co-parent seamlessly. De Niro is seen eating ice cream with his younger kids and grandchildren sometimes.
Finally, on April 6, 2023, De Niro had his youngest child. Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, first with girlfriend Tiffany Chen, was born. However, the actor revealed it about a month after her birth.
Robert De Niro’s Other Properties
Aside from the Gardiner estate, the actor has several other residences. It has been said that he inherited a home in Montauk, which belonged to the late Robert De Niro Sr., a prominent artist in New York. When he died in 1992, the property went to the actor.
However, this estate is a bit of a mystery. The only public details available detail that it was a 2,278-square-foot home on 1.24 acres with a beachfront. It was estimated at $8 million. In 2017, the actor rebuilt a new home because the house was apparently beyond repair by then.
Meanwhile, the actor used to rent a fantastic penthouse in the West Village in Manhattan. He first moved in 2012 and loved the five bedrooms, 4.5 baths on the 11,000-square-foot property. The actor only lived there for two years.
The building has a rich history going back to the ’20s when it used to be a factory for maraschino cherries. It also has a beautiful view of the Hudson River and a 3,000-square-foot garage for at least seven cars.
The penthouse was listed in 2015 for almost $40 million. Unfortunately, the price went down to $25.5 million, and there were other price cuts. Eventually, it sold for $18 million.
De Niro also had a condo in Central Park West, where he lived with his ex-wife Grace Hightower after their apartment in The Brentmore was destroyed by a fire. They were renting the penthouse in the West Village as well at the time but decided to stay on the Upper West Side.
This place is considered one of the most expensive rental properties in New York, and it’s actually two separate condos. Back then, he paid $125,000 a month in rent, and the condos were estimated at $95 million.
The actor also had a townhouse in the West Village, which he bought in 1975. He sold it in 2012 for $9.5 million. The estate went up for sale in 2019 for $22.75 million, but the price was cut down significantly before finally being sold.
Robert De Niro has had several properties and rented homes over the years, but it’s clear that he prefers to stay in his hometown, New York. But he could live anywhere in the world thanks to his estimated net worth of $500 million.
