Robert Anthony De Niro was born on August 17, 1943, in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood.¹⁾

He is the son of Robert De Niro Sr. and Virginia Admiral.²⁾

His parents were both artists; his father was half Italian and half Irish, while his mother was half German with French, English, and Dutch ancestors. They divorced not too long after. ³⁾

His mother raised him in Manhattan's Greenwich Village and Little Italy neighborhoods. His father lived nearby, and De Niro spent a lot of time with him as a child.⁴⁾

His mother was reared Presbyterian but later became an atheist, while his father had been a lapsed Catholic since the age of 12.⁵⁾