What Ever Happened to Diahnne Abbott? (Robert De Niro's First Wife)

Who Is Diahnne Abbott?

Diahnne Abbott is an African American actress born on January 1, 1945, in New York City. Not much is known about her early life, but her father is from Antigua and the singer/composer Gregory Abbott is her cousin. Gregory is probably most well known for his 1986 hit song "Shake You Down."

Taxi Driver (1976)

Abbott's first credited role is as a concession stand cashier at a porno film theater in Martin Scorsese's classic psychological thriller, Taxi Driver (1976). Her role in the film was brief but memorable. In the film, her character rejects the lead character, Travis Bickle, as he tries to flirt with her. The role of Bickle is played by the film's star, Robert De Niro.

Later on that year, she and De Niro were married. During their marriage, De Niro adopted her daughter, Drena, from a previous relationship, and the two had a son together named Raphael in 1976. After their wedding, Abbott mostly seemed content to be De Niro's wife and raise their family. However, she found time to squeeze in acting roles here and there.

Welcome to L.A. (1976)

Abbott portrayed a receptionist named Jeannette Ross in the dramatic film Welcome to L.A. (1976), where her character has an affair with Carroll Barber, played by another '70s-era Hollywood titan, Keith Carradine.

Being cast alongside two of the biggest heavyweights in Hollywood was a significant early marker of success as an actress, but this didn't seem to sway Abbott. She still shied away from the spotlight instead of running toward it.

New York, New York (1977)

For her next role, Abbott teamed up with Scorcese and De Niro once again for the film New York, New York (1977). This time she got the chance to show off her sultry, sexy singing voice with her Jazz club performance of "Honeysuckle Rose."

Abbott's next significant project came five years later in the often dismissed but highly entertaining black comedy, The King of Comedy (1982). This film was yet another Scorcese/De Niro flick, and Abbott was cast in a meatier role as Rita Keane, the bartender/girlfriend of De Niro's lead character, Rupert Pupkin.

Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling (1986)

Her next role would see her untethered from her husband and the famous Hollywood director. In Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling (1986), Abbott portrays Richard Pryor's mother in his autobiographical drama. "Mother," as she is known in the film, is a prostitute in her mother's whorehouse, and Jo Jo's father is her abusive pimp.

Crime Story (1988)

Television was the next medium to offer Abbott featured roles. She played Sonia in a three-episode story arc in the Dennis Farina-led, Chicagoland police vs gangster vehicle, Crime Story. These appearances would have to appease her fans, because it would be a long 12 years until she made another TV appearance.

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Abbott quietly came back onto the scene in a small role as Blanco Romero in Before Night Falls (2000), a Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp-driven film about the life of Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas.

Soliloqy (2002)

Two years later, Abbott took on the leading role in Soliloqy, a film by French writer/director/actor Jacques Zanetti. Abbott stars as Leah, an opera diva struggling with her past demons. Leah wants to heal from the traumas of her adolescence and reconcile with her daughter, Kara, played by Abbott's real-life daughter, Drena De Niro.

Abbott's performance and the film garnered a positive review from The International Black Women's Film Festival, who wrote, "Ms. Abbott is amazing, and Jacques Zanetti expresses more with his visual prose than a thousand words."

James Abbott Is Gone (2013)

Remaining true to form, Abbott mostly laid low until she resurfaced again in another Jacques Zanetti-directed film called James Abbott Is Gone (2013). The story is about a billionaire named James Abbott, who abandons his normal life after questioning some of the choices that brought him his wealth. This time around, Abbott plays the role of a therapist.

Abbott's last credited performance is in yet another Jacques Zanetti film titled Day After Day (2017). In the film, she lends her talents as a voice actor in the part of a radio DJ.

Divorce from Robert De Niro

While Diahnne Abbott's marriage to Robert De Niro ended in divorce in 1988, they seem to have remained at least publicly amicable. Daughter Drena went on to become a model and a busy actress, appearing in roles with both her mother and father. She is also a humanitarian who works with orphaned children.

Raphael had a short stint as an actor and producer, working on projects with his mother, but today he's one of the most successful real estate brokers in New York. He also married fashion stylist Hannah Carnes in March 2020.

Death of Grandson Leandro

Raphael has given Dianne three grandchildren with his first wife, Claudine De Matos. From Drena, Abbott had one grandson, Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, an actor cast in the blink-and-you'll-miss-it role of Leo Stone in the 2018 remake, "A Star is Born." Tragically, Leandro passed away due to an accidental overdose of fentanyl-laced pills in July 2023.

Currently, Diahnne Abbott is 78 years old, living in New York City, and still doing her own thing ... in private.