Robert De Niro Shares that his Dad was Gay
Actor Robert De Niro, left, appears in photo with his father, a Syracuse native, from his new documentary "Remembering The Artist: Robert De Niro Sr." (HBO video still)
Robert De Niro, Sr. was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1922. He dreamed of becoming a famous painter, but today he may still be best known for his son: Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro.
The former "Raging Bull" star chronicled his father's life in a new documentary that premiered on HBO Monday night. "Remembering the Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr." follows the Syracuse native's struggles growing up in Central New York and his private conflicts trying to hide his homosexuality.
"To me, he was always a great artist," De Niro told Out magazine last month. "He probably was [conflicted about his sexuality] being from that generation, especially from a small town upstate. I was not aware, much, of it. I wish we had spoken about it much more."
De Niro, Sr. -- known as "Bob" to friends and family -- studied at the Syracuse Museum from age 11 to 15, according to his official biography. He left the Salt City in his late teens to study under abstract painters Josef Albers and Hans Hofmann. In Hoffman's Provincetown, R.I. school he met fellow artist Virginia Admiral and married her in 1942. Their only child, "Bobby" De Niro, was born a year later in New York City.
Family footage and photographs of both the artist and his actor son appear in the short film. At one point, a young Robert De Niro is seen in a black-and-white picture wearing a Syracuse t-shirt.
The documentary showed how the elder De Niro struggled in NYC, where he was often associated with abstract expressionist painters of his generation such as Jackson Pollock and Willem De Kooning. But Bob was more of a figurative painter whose inspiration was "too French," art historians said.
On top of that, his personal turmoil coming to terms with his sexuality tore his family apart. The 70-year-old actor read entries from his father's personal journal, revealing he separated from his mother when he realized he was gay -- when the young De Niro was two or three years old -- and they divorced a decade later.
And as a new generation of pop artists like Andy Warhol took over the scene in the '60s, Bob grew ever resentful about his lack of recognition. He eventually moved to Paris, while Bobby's film career blossomed with roles in "The Godfather Part II," "Taxi Driver," and countless others.
A tearful De Niro admits his biggest regret was not being there for his father in his later years, when his health was in decline. De Niro, Sr. died in 1993 on his 71st birthday from prostate cancer.
The actor said he thinks if he forced his father to get more medical treatment, he could still be alive today.
But De Niro hopes to make up for it with "Remembering the Artist" and by keeping his father's studio in New York City, continuing to share his colorful works with the world.
"I realized how important it is for children to appreciate things their parents did," the actor told the camera. "'Cause I regret certain things with my parents that I didn't follow through on. I feel it's my obligation to document what he did, keep it going."
"Remembering the Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr." will air again on HBO and its secondary channels throughout the months of June and July. The documentary is also available on HBO On Demand and HBO Go starting Tuesday.
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