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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Amber Raiken

Robert De Niro reacts to pal Al Pacino welcoming fourth baby at age 83: ‘God bless him’

Getty Images for Tribeca Festival

Father-of-seven Robert De Niro has congratulated his pal Al Pacino, who is expecting his fourth baby at the age of 83.

The 79-year-old actor discussed his friend’s baby news during Thursday’s episode of Today. De Niro’s comments also came a few months after he welcomed his daughter, Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, with partner Tiffany Chen.

Speaking to TV host Hoda Kotb, he was asked how fatherhood was going for him at his age. In response, he started off  by speaking out about Pacino, who is now expecting a baby of his own with girlfriend Noor Alfallah.

“Listen, Al Pacino just had a baby, I was told yesterday morning. He’s a few years older than me,” he said, before he praised his friend and added: “God bless him. Very happy for him.”

As De Niro expressed how “great” fatherhood has been, he also acknowledged how his approach to parenting has changed over time.

“When you’re older you have awareness of certain things in life, dynamics, everything, family dynamics,” he said. “You can’t avoid learning certain things and how you can deal with those and manage them and this and that, the usual.”

During the conversation, Kotb also brought up a viral Twitter poll that came out last month. The question asked which of the two were “hotter”: a “Young Al Pacino” or a “Young Robert De Niro”. From there, Kotb also expressed how “weird” it is that the two actors will have babies around the same time, to which De Niro responded: “Yeah, it’s amazing, but I’m very happy about it.”

Last month, the Taxi Driver star shared some candid advice about what it takes to be a “good father,” shortly after announcing the birth of his seventh baby.

“Sometimes, I don’t think people really know what being a good father is,” he said during an interview with Access Hollywood. “Well, they do. You know you have your responsibility. Look, it’s a mystery, it’s a lot of excitement. But it’s scary and you do your best,” he said.

Along with his newborn, the Meet the Fockers star has six other children from previous relationships. De Niro and his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, share one daughter – Drena, 51 – and one son – Raphael, 46. In 1995, he welcomed his twins – Julian and Aaron, 27 – with ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith. He also shares his 25-year-old son, Elliot, and 11-year-old daughter, Helen Grace, with ex-wife Grace Hightower.

Earlier this week, Al Pacino’s publicist, Stan Rosenfield, confirmed that the actor was having a child with girlfriend Noor Alfallah, 29. This baby will be Pacino’s fourth child, as he has a 33-year-old daughter, Julie Marie, with acting coach Jan Tarrant. He also shares 22-year-old twins, Anton and Olivia, with actor Beverly D’Angelo.

The Scarface star and his girlfriend were first publicly seen together in April 2022. According to a Page Six report from last year, the couple had been quietly dating ever since the pandemic. Alfallah recently shared a photo with Pacino on her Instagram page.

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